“The harder you blow, the higher I’ll go.”
The educator Dr. Maria Montessori wasn’t a successful woman.
She was a successful human being.
And a distinguishing trait of standout human beings like Dr. Montessori — regardless of sex, race, nationality, whatever — is their tendency to treat cynics as insignificant.
For instance, back when Dr. Montessori was just a girl in Italy named Maria — in the process of earning her medical degree when women didn’t dare such things — she was hassled by her all-male peers with teasing whistles. But in her typical good-humored indifference, as biographer E.M. Standing puts it, Maria merely responded with a little rhyme: “The harder you blow, the higher I’ll go.” 💨😀
Later in life, Dr. Montessori remarked that, “In those days I felt as if I could have done anything.” In other words, for her the sky was the limit, and a few chattering crows weren’t going to ruin her rise.
Humanity progresses because of individuals of strength, like the wonderful Dr. Maria Montessori, and to them we offer our profound gratitude. 💪🙏
To hear more of Maria Montessori’s own words, visit here.