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Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves and it is rather tedious for children to have to explain things to them time and again.
If you were to mention to grown-ups: ‘I’ve seen a beautiful house built with pink bricks, with geraniums on the windowsills and doves on the roof…’ they would not be able to imagine such a house. You would have to say to them: ‘I saw a house worth a hundred thousand pounds.’ Then they would exclaim: ‘Oh! How lovely.’
That is the way they are. One must not hold it against them. Children should show great understanding towards grown-ups.
It is sad to forget a friend. Not every one has had a friend.
‘At the time, I was unable to understand anything! I should have based my judgement upon deeds and not words. She cast her fragrance and her radiance over me. I should never have run away from her! I should have guessed at the affection behind her poor little tricks. Flowers are so inconsistent! But I was too young to know how to love her.’
‘I shall have to put up with a few caterpillars if I want to see butterflies.
One must demand of each and every one what he or she is capable of. Authority is first and foremost based on reason.
‘Then you shall judge yourself,’ answered the king. ‘That is the most difficult thing of all. It is far more difficult to judge oneself than to judge others. If you succeed in judging yourself rightly, then indeed you are very wise.’
‘Aha! Here comes an admirer!’ he exclaimed as, from afar, he caught sight of the little prince. For conceited men see all other men as admirers.
‘Kings own nothing. They reign over. It is quite different.’
For one can be both faithful and lazy.
They have no roots which makes their life rather trying.’
‘I am looking for friends. What does “tame” mean?’ ‘It is something which is too often forgotten,’ said the fox. ‘It means to establish ties…’ ‘“To establish ties”?’ ‘That’s right,’ said the fox. ‘To me, you are still just a little boy like a hundred other little boys. And I have no need of you. And you have no need of me, either. To you, I am just a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you tame me, we shall need one another. To me, you will be unique. And I shall be unique to you.’
But if you tame me, my life will be full of sunshine. I shall recognise the sound of a step different from all others. The other steps send my hurrying underground. Yours will call me out of my burrow like the sound of music.
‘It is your own fault,’ said the little prince. ‘I wished you no harm but you wanted me to tame you.’
And it is she I have listened to complaining or boasting or sometimes remaining silent. Because she is my rose.’
It is only with one’s heart that one can see clearly. What is essential is invisible to the eye.’
‘Men have forgotten this basic truth,’ said the fox. ‘But you must not forget it. For what you have tamed, you become responsible forever. You are responsible for your rose…’
‘Yes.’ I said to the little prince, ‘be it a house, the stars or the desert, the source of their beauty cannot be seen!’
‘What I see here is nothing but a shell. What is most important is invisible…’
‘But the eyes are blind. One must look with the heart.’
One runs the risk of crying a bit if one allows oneself to be tamed…
“Yes, stars always make me laugh.”
Look at the sky. Ask yourselves: Has the sheep eaten the flower, yes or no? And you will see how everything changes… And no grown-ups will ever understand why it is so important!
