50 Horace Mann Quotes From The American Father Of Education
Gallery
Horace Mann is known to be the inventor of modern Public Education.
Born in Massachusetts in 1796, Mann grew up in hardships and poverty and hardly received any schooling. However, he educated himself at the public library in Franklin.
At the age of 20, Mann enrolled in Brown University in Rhode Island, where he found great interest in education, politics, and social reform. He soon went on to become a successful American educator and advocate.
In 1837, Mann came to lead the Massachusetts Board of Education. He propagated common education and believed that every child has the right to be educated, irrespective of their social status.
Horace Mann was influential in establishing teacher training institutes in the United States, thereby making 'teaching' a new career opportunity for women. He also separated religion from education to bring about secularism in the system.
Initially, most of his reforms were received negatively by the public but were later accepted and appreciated by everyone. Horace Mann was elected to the United States Congress in 1848, where he strongly supported anti-slavery and viewed his opinion on it being the greatest evil.
Horace Mann is regarded as one of the greatest educational reformists in history, bringing about change for the betterment of children and society; he is, therefore, known as the Father of American Education.
Following are some admirable Horace Mann quotes. If you find these interesting, do check out Gloria Steinem quotes and study quotes.
Horace Mann Quotes On Education
Horace Mann considered education to be the most important aspect of nurturing a child. Horace did everything within his power to provide fair education to all children. Here are a few Horace Mann quotes on public education and Horace Mann quotes on reading.
1."Education is a capital to the poor man, and an interest to the rich man."
-Horace Mann.
2."Education is our only political safety. Outside of this ark all is deluge."
-Horace Mann.
3."Schoolhouses are the republican line of fortifications."
-Horace Mann.
4."Education must bring the practice as nearly as possible to the theory."
-Horace Mann.
5."Education then, beyond all other devices of human origin, is the great equalizer of the conditions of men, the balance-wheel of the social machinery."
-Horace Mann.
6."Every addition to true knowledge is an addition to human power"
-Horace Mann.
7."I hold Education to be an organic necessity of a human being."
-Horace Mann.
8."Public Education is the cornerstone of our community and our democracy."
-Horace Mann.
9."A human being is not attaining his full heights until he is educated."
-Horace Mann.
10."School is the cheapest police."
-Horace Mann.
11."Jails and prisons are the complement of schools; so many less as you have of the latter, so many more must you have of the former."
-Horace Mann.
12."A teacher who is attempting to teach without inspiring the pupil with a desire to learn is hammering on cold iron."
-Horace Mann
13."Education alone can conduct us to that enjoyment which is, at once, best in quality and infinite in quantity."
-Horace Mann
Horace Mann Quotes On Children
Being the son of a farmer, Horace Mann did not receive ample education in his childhood due to poverty. It served as a major factor for him to promote the idea that the state takes the responsibility of children from all backgrounds to gain equal and fair education. Find below Horace Mann's quotes on children.
14."When a child can be brought to tears, and not from fear of punishment, but from repentance he needs no chastisement."
-Horace Mann.
15."Resolve to edge in a little reading every day, if it is but a single sentence. If you gain fifteen minutes a day, it will make itself felt at the end of the year."
-Horace Mann.
16."Teaching young people is what they do best. It requires long hours, patience and care."
-Horace Mann.
17."Manners easily and rapidly mature into morals."
-Horace Mann.
18."In youth, the artless index of the mind."
-Horace Mann.
19."Habit is a cable; we weave a thread of it each day, and at last we cannot break it."
-Horace Mann
20."Seek not greatness, but seek truth and you will find both."
-Horace Mann.
21."Ideality is the avant-courier of the mind."
-Horace Mann.
22."A house without books is like a room without windows."
-Horace Mann.
23.“We who are engaged in the sacred cause of education are entitled to look upon all parents as having given hostages to our cause.”
-Horace Mann
24."The Chinese have an excellent proverb: 'Be modest in speech, but excel in action'."
-Horace Mann.
25.“No man has the right to bring up children without surrounding them with books.”
-Horace Mann
Famous Horace Mann Quotes
Horace Mann was greatly responsible for bringing major educational reforms in the United States of America, which later spread across the globe. Here are some of his famous inspirational quotes.
26."Affectation hides three times as many virtues as charity does sins."
-Horace Mann.
27."Genius may conceive but patient labor must consummate."
-Horace Mann.
28."Avoid witicisms at the expense of others."
-Horace Mann.
29."We go by the major vote, and if the majority are insane, the sane must go to the hospital"
-Horace Mann.
30."If an idiot were to tell you the same story every day for a year, you would end by believing it."
-Horace Mann.
31."It is well to think well; it is divine to act well."
-Horace Mann.
32."Rule your mind or it will rule you."
-Horace Mann.
33."You may as well borrow a person's money as his time."
-Horace Mann.
34."Once a word has been allowed to escape, it cannot be recalled."
-Horace Mann.
35."Let us not be content to wait and see what will happen, but give us the determination to make the right things happen."
-Horace Mann
36."Whatever advice you give, be brief."
-Horace Mann.
37."Do not think of knocking out another person's brains because he differs in opinion from you."
-Horace Mann.
38."Superiority to circumstances is one of the most prominent characteristics of great men."
-Horace Mann.
39."Astronomy is one of the sublimest fields of human investigation."
-Horace Mann.
Horace Mann Quotes On Death And Life
Life and death and inseparable, the latter being inevitable. Horace Mann's life, views, and work gave people the chance to see things differently. Here are Horace Mann quotes on life, death, and religion.
40."Lost, yesterday, somewhere between Sunrise and Sunset, two golden hours, each set with sixty diamond minutes. No reward is offered, for they are gone forever."
-Horace Mann.
41."Doing nothing for others is the undoing of ourselves."
-Horace Mann
42."To pity distress is but human; to relieve it is Godlike."
-Horace Mann.
43.“The most ignorant are the most conceited.”
-Horace Mann, 'Lectures On Education.'
44."Deeds survive the doers."
-Horace Mann.
45."Evil and good are God’s right hand and left."
-Horace Mann.
46."If evil is inevitable, how are the wicked accountable? Nay, why do we call men wicked at all? Evil is inevitable, but is also remediable."
-Horace Mann
47."Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity."
-Horace Mann
48."If any man seeks greatness, let him forget greatness and ask for truth, and he will find both."
-Horace Mann
49."We conceive of immortality as having a beginning, but no end; but we conceive of eternity as having neither beginning nor end. Hence it is proper to speak of eternity as the attribute of God, but of immortality as the attribute of man."
-Horace Mann.
50."Generosity during life is a very different thing from generosity in the hour of death; one proceeds from genuine liberality and benevolence, the other from pride or fear."
-Horace Mann.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly quotesfor everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Horace Mann quotes then why not take a look at [homeschooling quotes], or 'Glee' quotes.
main image credit: JHVEPhoto / Shutterstock.com
We Want Your Photos!
More for You
See All
Master of Business Administration
Deepthi ReddyMaster of Business Administration
With an MBA under her belt, Deepthi has discovered her true calling in content writing. Her writing repertoire is diverse, covering travel, movies, pet care, parenting, animals and birds, and more. Her joy of learning and creating has helped her craft well-written and engaging articles. When she isn't writing, Deepthi enjoys exploring new cultures, trying different foods, and spending quality time with her two children aged 7 and 12.
Disclaimer
1) Kidadl is independent and to make our service free to you the reader we are supported by advertising. We hope you love our recommendations for products and services! What we suggest is selected independently by the Kidadl team. If you purchase using the Buy Now button we may earn a small commission. This does not influence our choices. Prices are correct and items are available at the time the article was published but we cannot guarantee that on the time of reading. Please note that Kidadl is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. We also link to other websites, but are not responsible for their content.
2) At Kidadl, we strive to recommend the very best activities and events. We will always aim to give you accurate information at the date of publication - however, information does change, so it’s important you do your own research, double-check and make the decision that is right for your family. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability. Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
3) Because we are an educational resource, we have quotes and facts about a range of historical and modern figures. We do not endorse the actions of or rhetoric of all the people included in these collections, but we think they are important for growing minds to learn about under the guidance of parents or guardians.