Normally, adults process their waking experiences during sleep.

Yes — that quote is correctly attributed to Rudolf Steiner (1861–1925), the Austrian philosopher, scientist, and founder of Anthroposophy — a spiritual philosophy that influenced education (Waldorf), medicine, and the arts.

“Normally, adults process their waking experiences during sleep. Children cannot yet carry their waking experiences into sleep. Thus, in sleep, they settle into the general cosmic order without taking their physical experience into the cosmic order.”
— Rudolf Steiner

Context and Background

This quote reflects Rudolf Steiner’s spiritual-scientific view of human development, particularly his ideas about sleep, consciousness, and the spiritual life of children. Steiner often discussed how sleep serves as a bridge between the physical and spiritual worlds, allowing the human soul to restore itself by reconnecting with what he described as the “cosmic order” — a realm of higher, non-physical reality.

In his lectures on child development and education, Steiner emphasized that children’s souls are more directly connected to spiritual forces, as they have not yet developed the strong sense of ego and self-reflection that characterizes adult consciousness. Therefore, their sleep experience is purer and more cosmic in nature.

Interpretation

• “Adults process their waking experiences during sleep” — mature consciousness integrates daily experiences and emotions through the subconscious during rest.

• “Children cannot yet carry their waking experiences into sleep” — young children lack the developed self-awareness to process waking life in the same way.

• “They settle into the general cosmic order” — their sleep connects them more freely with spiritual or universal harmony, untouched by worldly concerns.

Summary

Rudolf Steiner’s quote offers a mystical and developmental view of sleep: that while adults use sleep to digest daily life, children return to a spiritual state of unity each night, unhindered by ego or experience. This perspective fits within Steiner’s broader philosophy — blending psychology, spirituality, and education — in which the stages of human consciousness mirror a gradual awakening from cosmic innocence to individual awareness.