“I cherish the occasions when my daughter manages to do something for the first time, or does something better than she's ever done it before. But I try to resist the knee-jerk tendency to say, 'Good job!' because I don't want to dilute her joy. I want her to share her pleasure with me, not look to me for a verdict. I want her to exclaim, 'I did it!' (which she often does) instead of asking me uncertainly, 'Was that good?”
"To take children seriously is to value them for who they are right now rather than adults-in-the-making."
- Alfie Kohn
Awareness
"I cherish the occasions when my daughter manages to do something for the first time, or does something better than she’s ever done it before. But I try to resist the knee-jerk tendency to say, ‘Good job!’ because I don’t want to dilute her joy. I want her to share her pleasure with me, not look to me for a verdict. I want her to exclaim, ‘I did it!’ (which she often does) instead of asking me uncertainly, ‘Was that good?’"
- Alfie Kohn
Motivation
"Children learn how to make good decisions by making decisions, not by following directions."
- Alfie Kohn
Learning
"Kids bullied into obeying parents and teachers may resist – not because they’re ‘hard to handle’ but because they’ve been treated as a thing to be handled."
- Alfie Kohn
Respect
"The way kids learn to make good decisions is by making decisions, not following directions."
- Alfie Kohn
Education
"Self-respect tends to inspire respect from others."
- Nathaniel Branden
Self-esteem
"Don’t let someone else’s opinion of you become your reality."
- Les Brown
Self-esteem
"You are your best thing."
- Toni Morrison
Self-esteem
"Thinking you’re no-good and worthless is the worst thing you can do."
- Nobito
Self-esteem
"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."
- Eleanor Roosevelt
Self-esteem