"What does it mean to be civilized? Does it mean that we help those around us to adapt to life's changes? If this is so, who experiences a more sudden and radical change than the newborn child? What kind of caregiving has our civilization created to help the newborn, this person who must undergo the most difficult adaptation, who passes suddenly from one existence to another in being born. The child thus incarnate is a spiritual embryo. But just as it is for the physical embryo, the spiritual embryo must be protected by an external environment. Having once understood this, one must change one's attitude toward the child. The figure of the child as a spiritual embryo confronts us and imposes new responsibilities. Given such a responsibility, it is our duty to attempt to understand, also with the aid of scientific means, the psychological needs of the child and to prepare a vital environment for him."   ​Maria Montessori, The Child in the Family

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