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The Little Prince

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One of the books we were required to read during high school was The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery.

Antoine de Saint-Exupery is a French writer and pilot. It was said that the novella was based on his experiences in the Sahara desert.

I was wondering back then on why did our teachers assign a novella for us to read while they were already giving us uber-thick novels like Les Miserables, The Good Earth, Jane Eyre, etc. Little did I know that this book would have a great impact on me.

Let me share with you lines from the book, and I hope you will see why I recommend this book to adults.

"Grown-ups love figures. When you tell them that you have made a new friend, they never ask you any questions about essential matters. They never say to you, “What does his voice sound like? What games does he love best? Does he collect butterflies?” Instead, they demand: “How old is he? How many brothers has he? How much does he weigh? How much money does his father make?” Only from these figures do they think they have learned anything about him.

" The fact is that I did not know how to understand anything! I ought to have judged by deeds and not by words. She cast her fragrance and her radiance over me. I ought never to have run away from her...I ought to have guessed all the affection that lay behind her poor little stratagems. Flowers are so inconsistent! But I was too young to know how to love her..."

"To conceited men, all other men are admirers."

“When he lights his streetlamp, it is as if he brought one more star to life or one flower. When he puts out his lamp, he sends the flower, or the star, to sleep. That is a beautiful occupation. And since it is beautiful, it is truly useful.”

The flower had once seen a caravan passing. “Men?” she echoed. “I think there are six or seven of them in existence. I saw them, several years ago. But one never knows where to find them. The wind blows them away. They have no roots, and that makes their lives very difficult.”

“To me, you are still nothing more than a little boy who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys. And I have no need of you. And you, on your part, have no need of me. To you, I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world…”

“If you tame me, it will be as if the sun came to shine on my life.”

“You are beautiful, but you are empty,” he went on. “One could not die for you. To be sure, an ordinary passerby would think that my rose looked just like you--the rose that belongs to me.”

“I shall look as if I were suffering. I shall look a little as if I were dying. It is like that. Do not come to see that. It is not worth the trouble…”

“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”

Comments

  1. Little Prince seems an ordinary children's story but really, it's not. Honestly, it took me I think three times to fully understand the story and I was doubting, am i that stupid?haha turns out even some of my classmates when I was still taking educ units also suffer the same fate.

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  2. Hi madie! Yes, it really takes a while for the whole thing to sink in. I'm still having the same problem, and I think I have to do some re-reading. :D

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  3. Love the book and I still have a copy of it (I was forced to have a copy when I was in HS) Someday i'll read it to Travis while bonding with him :-)

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    1. Hi manong calbo! :) we were also required to buy a copy during HS. :) I hope Travis will learned from The Little Prince too. :)

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  4. This is my favorite book! :) I think the author was brilliant in creating metaphors of reality. I know for a fact that I am personally touched by the illustrations about friendship and love. And the last part made me tear-up too many times too.

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    1. Hi Ile Odarod! Same here. This book melts my heart. :)

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