1. On Attention And Respect
"Why is yet another milestone. Why implies that the child understands causality. When why appears, it's very important to treat it with the respect it's due. It's very tempting to answer these onslaughts of questions with 'Because', or 'That's just the way it is.' This is a dangerous path. The child who hears 'Because' as answer to 'Why is the sky blue?' will be the child who will answer his parent's question 'What did you do at school today?' with 'Nothing.'"
- McGuinness, C. & McGuinness, G., How To Increase Your Child's Verbal Intelligence, 2000, p.83.
2. On Giants
You've probably heard Newton's epigram: "If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." Here's a twist I only heard recently:
"If I have not seen as far as others, it is because giants were standing on my shoulders."
- Harold Abelson, MIT
