136. the LITTLE PRINCE

Antoine de Saint-Exupery 1943
with illustrations by the author
translated from French by Richard Howard

There will always be room on my list for a simple book such as this, a gentle reminder to all of us about what truly is important. When a pilot is forced to land his plane on a desert, he meets an extraordinary Little Prince who teaches him the secret to cherishing life.  The same message keeps getting told in so many ways, I know, but are we actually getting the message? 

'Once when I was six I saw a magnificent picture in a book about the jungle, called True Stories. It showed a boa constrictor swallowing a wild beast.'(opening lines)

'Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is exhausting for children to have to provide explanations over and over again.'(2)

'Grown-ups like numbers. When you tell them about a new friend, they never ask questions about what really matters. They never ask: "What does her voice sound like?" "What games does he like best?" "Does he collect butterflies?" They ask: "How old is he? "How many brothers does he have?"..."How much money does his father make?" Only then do they think they know him.'(10)

'Authority is based first of all upon reason.'(31)

'This is the hardest thing of all. It is much harder to judge yourself than to judge others. If you succeed in judging yourself, it's because you are truly a wise man.'(32)

'Trying to be witty leads to lying, more or less.'(48)

'But my rose, all on her own, is more important than all of you together, since she's the one I've watered. Since she's the one I put under glass. Since she's the one I sheltered behind a screen. Since she's the one for whom I killed the caterpillars (except the two or three for butterflies). Since she's the one I listened to when she complained, or when she's boasted, or even sometimes when she said nothing at all. Since she's my rose.'(63)

'One sees clearly only with the heart. Anything essential is invisible to the eyes.'(63)

'What moves me so deeply about this sleeping little  prince is his loyalty to a flower -- the image of a rose shining within like the flame within a lamp, even when he's asleep...'(69)

'... if you should travel to Africa someday, in the desert. And if you happen to pass by here, I beg you not to hurry past. Wait a little, just under the star!'(85)

A Harvest Book edition
85 pages
Book owned
Book qualifies for: 100+ Reading Challenge


Thanks to Suko @ Suko's Notebook for her sidebar picture of the book, the reminder that I finally had to read it.