Children have real understanding only of that which they invent themselves, and each time that we try to teach them too quickly, we keep them from reinventing it themselves.
Jean PiagetRead
I have always detested any departure from reality, an attitude which I relate to my mother's poor mental health.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses a disdain for escapism and an appreciation for reality, linked to personal experiences with mental health.
Jean Piaget reflects on his aversion to detachment from reality, drawing a connection to his mother's struggles with mental health. This suggests that his understanding of reality has been shaped by witnessing the consequences of mental health issues, leading him to value authenticity and truth over illusions or escapism.
Themes
RealityMental HealthTruthAuthenticityPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared during a mental health awareness event to highlight the importance of confronting reality.
More from Jean Piaget
All quotes βLogical activity is not the whole of intelligence. One can be intelligent without being particularly logical.
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Children's games constitute the most admirable social institutions. The game of marbles, for instance, as played by boys, contains an extremely complex system of rules - that is to say, a code of laws, a jurisprudence of its own.
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Everyone knows that at the age of 11-12, children have a marked impulse to form themselves into groups and that the respect paid to the rules and regulations of their play constitutes an important feature of this social life.
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Play is the work of childhood.
Jean PiagetRead
The goal of education is not to increase the amount of knowledge but to create the possibilities for a child to invent and discover, to create men who are capable of doing new things.
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