“It is, in fact, nothing short of a miracle that the modern methods of
instruction have not yet entirely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry; for
this delicate little plant, aside from stimulation, stands mainly in need of
freedom; without this it goes to wrack and ruin without fail. It is a very
grave mistake to think that the enjoyment of seeing and searching can be
promoted by means of coercion and a sense of duty. To the contrary, I believe
that it would be possible to rob even a healthy beast of prey of its
voraciousness, if it were possible, with the aid of a whip, to force the beast
to devour continiously, even when not hungry, especially if the food, handed out
under such coercion, were to be selected accordingly.”
- Albert Einstein
