Who really said it
“Some Aspects of Operations,” in Play and Development, cited p. 27 (1972)
Last verified 9 Nov 2026 · how we verify · spot an error?
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Disputed wording — copy with the correction
“When you teach a child something you take away forever his chance of discovering it for himself” — Paraphrase of Jean Piaget’s 1972 statement in “Some Aspects of Operations”; exact popular wording appears later and is not authenticated as his. · Verbatim: “Every time we teach a child something, we keep him from inventing it himself.”
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In context
Evoking the themes of growth, knowledge and creativity. Theme: "When you teach a child something you take away forever his chance of discovering it for himself". Atmospheric and restrained, cinematic directional light, a muted period-appropriate palette, fine grain and texture. Compose with generous empty space for the quote and a small credit line. No lettering in the image itself.
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Provenance
Every time we teach a child something, we keep him from inventing it himself. Short excerpt
How we verified this
Only a short excerpt is reproduced; identification and commentary do not grant permission to reuse the complete work.
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Fact-check
Quote Investigator accepts a similar 1972 Piaget sentence but finds no substantive support for the exact popular wording.
The “take away forever” version is a later paraphrase of a documented 1972 Piaget statement.
Context
Piaget’s cited passage encourages children to experiment and reconstruct understanding for themselves. It also explicitly gives teachers a role in guiding children through suitable materials. The surrounding argument therefore should not be reduced to a blanket instruction never to teach.
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More provenance-checked quotes on the same theme, each with its reuse status.
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Trusted places to keep pulling the thread — primary archives, fact-checks, and scholarship. We show how we used each one before you leave.
Documents the authentic 1972 sentence, its surrounding guidance for teachers and the later Gerber variant.
Quotation reference documents Piaget’s educational ideas; used for author context, not as independent authentication of this popular variant.
Confirms Play and Development, Maria W. Piers/Jean Piaget, Norton, New York, 1972; catalog metadata only.
Documents Piaget’s dates, developmental psychology and Geneva research center.
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For writers & researchers
“Some Aspects of Operations,” in Play and Development, cited p. 27. 1972.
Quotle.info. Who really said 'When you teach a child something you take away forever his chance of discovering it for himself'? Last verified 9 Nov 2026. https://quotle.info/who-said/when-you-teach-a-child-something-you-take-away-forever-his/