Quotes from A.S. Neill

The function of a child is to live his/her own life, not the life that his/her anxious parents think he/she should live, nor a life according to the purpose of the educators who thinks they knows best

If the emotions are free the intellect will look after itself

Compelled respect always implies fear.

I would rather see a school produce a happy street cleaner than a neurotic scholar.

No teacher has the right to cure a child of making noises on a drum. The only curing that should be practiced is the curing of unhappiness.

When we consider a child's natural interest in things, we begin to realize the dangers of both reward and punishment. Rewards and punishment tend to pressure a child into interest. But true interest is the life force of the whole personality, and such interest is completely spontaneous.

Goodness than depends on fear of hell or fear of the policeman or fear of punishment is not goodness at all - it is simply cowardice. Goodness than depends on hope of reward or hope of praise or hope of heaven depends on bribery.

The difficult child is the child who is unhappy. He is at war with himself; and in consequence, he is at war with the world.

Children do not need teaching as much as they need love and understanding.

What is plain should be said plainly.

Rappelez-vous que ce qu'on appelle une faible volonté est habituellement un signe de manque d'intérêt. La personne faible qui est facilement persuadée de jouer au tennis quand elle n'en a aucun désir est une personne qui n'a aucune idée de ce qui l'intéresse réellement. Un système disciplinaire encourage une telle personne à rester faible de volonté et futile. (p. 432)

En fait, la majorité de nos meilleurs étudiants, que ce soit à l'école ou à l'université, sombrent plus tard dans la médiocrité. Leur intérêt pour le succès est dû en grande partie à la pression familiale et non à l'intérêt réel qu'ils prennent au sujet. (p. 223)

Small boys often produce their own plays; but usually the parts are not written out. They hardly need to be, for the main line of each character is always "Stick 'em up!" In these plays the curtain is always rung down on a set of corpses, for small boys are by nature through and uncompromising.

a teacher should never touch symbols. If he is going to use psychology he should do so more in action than in words.

I am all for teachers who can make their subjects interesting, who can make them live.

I set an essay . . . 'Give a snail's description from the front door to the school gate.

Grammar used to make a good exercise . . . before the days of crosswords.

Spelling is local, or rather national.

the system goes on . . . separating the head from the heart.

He [Homer Lane] says much that the student in training college does not learn: the lesson that one must go deep, seek motives, approve, live with children without insisting on dignity or respect — which both generally imply fear.

Je crois que ma tâche première est d'approuver tout ce qu'un enfant désapprouve en lui-même - c'est-à-dire de briser la conscience qui lui est imposée par l'éducation et qui n'aboutit qu'à la haine de son moi. (p. 371)

If a parent is content with a child who has had his spirit completely broken by fear, then, for such a parent, punishment succeeds.

Summerhill children are allowed to go through their gangster period, and consequentially more furniture is destroyed.

C'est cette distinction entre la liberté et l'anarchie que beaucoup de parents ne saisissent pas. Dans le foyer discipliné, les enfants n'ont aucun droit. Dans le foyer désordonné ils les ont tous. Le foyer équilibré est celui où les enfants et les adultes ont des droits égaux. C'est la même chose en ce qui concerne l'école. (p. 150)