The Read-Aloud Handbook (seventh edition, 2013), by Jim Trelease, states:

“There’s an education adage that goes, ‘What we teach children to love and desire will always outweigh what we make them learn.’”

The precise origin of the education adage is not known. “President John Adams said, ‘What we cause our children to love and desire is more important than what we cause them to know’” was in the Presbyterian Survey (1935). (This Google Books date might be inaccurate, however. Full text is not available.) “What we teach children to love and desire will always outweigh what we teach them to just do” was cited in print in 1995, in a letter supporting whole language learning.


Google Books
22 December 1913, The Sabbath Recorder (Plainfield, NJ), pg. 782, col. 2:
And how can we better educate our children to love and desire learning than to acquire some of it ourselves.

Google Books
Presbyterian Survey
Volume 25
1935
Pg. 188:
President John Adams said, “What we cause our children to love and desire is more important than what we cause them to know.”

Google News Archive
28 September 1995, Sarasota (FL) Herald-Tribune, “Give Whole Language Half A Chance” (letter), pg. 12A, col. 4:.
The whole language philosophy is about teaching children to want to read and “what we teach children to love and desire will always outweigh what we teach them to just do.”
Christa Richmond
Sarasota

Google Books
Distinguished Educators on Reading:
Contributions that Have Shaped Effective Literacy Instruction
By Nancy Padak; et al.
Newark, DE: International Reading Association
2000
Pg. 234:
“What we teach children to love and desire will always weigh more than what we teach them ourselves.”

PBS Parents—Booklights
Cathy writes…
Jen,
Great posts as usual. I love this quote from Jim Trelease that goes right along with your sharings this week, “What we teach children to love and desire will always outweigh what we teach them to do.” I certainly believe that applies to reading and writing!
Posted on November 13, 2009 at 8:57 AM

Twitter
Gabriele‏
@twocblog
“What we teach children to love and desire will always outweigh what we make them learn.” Some children learn to… http://bit.ly/cn1QqH
11:35 AM - 12 Feb 10

Twitter
Cindy Kelly‏
@WichitaCindy
“What we teach children to love and desire will always outweigh what we make them learn.” ~ Leonard Pitts Jr. #fb
11:23 PM - 13 Jun 11 from Wichita, KS

Google Books
The Read-Aloud Handbook:
Seventh Edition
By Jim Trelease
New York, NY: Penguin Books
2013
Pg. ?:
There’s an education adage that goes, “What we teach children to love and desire will always outweigh what we make them learn.”