How topological and geometrical cell properties instruct cells behaviors is a fundamental question in developmental biology. Despite the intrinsic relationship between cell expansion and cell differentiation, how cell expansion induces cell differentiation remains unknown. Here, by using genetic and molecular approaches, and by taking advantage of high-throughput techniques, we demonstrated that changes in the cell wall mechanical properties are translated into variations of the cell state, thus determining if a cell will divide or differentiate. Stiffer cell wall promotes cell division while a more elastic cell wall induces cell differentiation. To understand how these different cell wall mechanical properties are translated in different cell activities, we performed a transcriptomic analysis, where cell wall mechanical properties are altered in a time-controlled and zone-specific manner. These analyses established the foundation for identifying the genes that respond to these changes and subsequently influence cell activity. This represents one of the first evidence that cell wall mechanical properties can instruct cells fate.