"Let America first praise mediocrity even, in her children, before she praises... the best excellence in the children of any other land"

"A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves"

"Youth is the best time to be rich, and the best time to be poor"

"Raising children is an incredibly hard and risky business in which no cumulative wisdom is gained: each generation repeats the mistakes the previous one made"

"Children begin by loving their parents; after a time they judge them; rarely, if ever, do they forgive them"

"If children grew up according to early indications, we should have nothing but geniuses"

"Do what you do best, and you will succeed"

"Parents are the bones on which children cut their teeth"

"Don't lower your expectations to meet your performance. Raise your level of performance to meet your expectations. Expect the best of yourself, and then do what is necessary to make it a reality"

"The best preparation for good work tomorrow is to do good work today"

"At the heart of the Reggio Emilia approach is the belief that children are full of potential, competent, and capable of constructing their own learning"