Jerome Bruner

"The structure of how we teach should mirror the structure of how people actually learn."

"Creativity flourishes in communities where mistakes are seen as opportunities for growth."

"The story of human development is the story of how we learned to use symbols."

"Learning is fundamentally social; we develop our thinking through dialogue with others."

"The act of discovery involves not just the eyes but the whole personality."

"We are not given the world; we construct it."

"Learning is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire - and that fire must come from within."

"The goal of education is not to produce little living libraries on every subject, but rather to get a child excited about learning itself."

"A culture is no better than its woods."

"Man acts as though he were the shaper of reality, but he is also shaped by it."

"The spiral curriculum - revisiting ideas with increasing sophistication."

"Teaching is the one profession that creates all other professions."

"We succeed in opening doors when we can translate the unfamiliar into something recognizable."

"There is nothing so unequal as the equal treatment of unequal people."

"The capacity to be puzzled is the very basis of wanting to know things."

"Words are magical in that they make things and people present to us even when they are far away."

"Culture shapes the human mind - it provides us with the toolkit for constructing not just the world but our very conception of ourselves."

"You cannot have a rational discussion with somebody who denies the basic ground rules of rational discussion."

"The experienced world is constructed from the inside out."

"Good teaching is one-quarter preparation and three-quarters theater."

"We are born with reflex equipment and cultural rituals; the two are not merely added together."

"The child must be free to explore, to question, to make mistakes in a supportive environment."

"Intuition is discriminative. It is the kind of hunch which comes only after a long period of preparation."

"The sense of powerlessness is the beginning of depression."

"Educational practices reflect the need for a curriculum that helps students understand the structure of subjects they study."

"Myths are the armature upon which a culture organizes its experience."

"The passive voice is the voice of death."

"Children are remarkably adept at learning, provided the environment is rich and supportive."

"We grow as much from being moved and delighted as from acquiring skill."

"Knowing is a process, not a product."