The merely professional man is narrow； worse than that， he is in a sense an artificial man， a creature of technicalities and specialties， removed alike from the broad truth of nature and from the healthy influence of human converse. In society， the most accomplished man of mere professional skill is often a nullity； he has sunk his personality in his dexterity.
As Nature tries every way to induce us to obey her laws by rewarding their observance with health， pleasure and happiness， and punishes their violation by pain and disease， so she resorts to every means to induce us to expand and develop the great possibilities she has implanted within us. She nerves us to the struggle， beneath which all great blessings are buried， and beguiles the tedious marches by holding up before us glittering prizes， which we may almost touch， but never quite possess. She covers up her ends of discipline by trial， of character building through suffering by throwing a splendor and glamour over the future； lest the hard， dry facts of the present dishearten us， and she fail in her great purpose. As a mother teaches her baby to walk， by holding up a toy at a distance， not that the child may reach the toy， but that it may develop its muscles and strength， compared with which the toys are mere baubles； so Nature goes before us through life， tempting us with higher and higher toys， but ever with one object in view—the development of the man.
盧梭說：“按照自然的法則，每個人都是平等的，很好地表現人性是人類共同的責任。任何一個受過良好教育的人都會很好地完成一切與他相關的工作。不論我的學生將來會成為軍人、牧師，還是律師，對我來說都相差無幾。我所要教給他們的是要堂堂正正地活著。當一個人完成教育生涯，他不會是一位軍人，不會是一名律師，也不會成為一名神職人員，但他首先會是一個堂堂正正的人。不論命運為他作了怎樣的安排，他都很樂觀，並會很快地找到自己的位置。”