"'Ah! Here is a subject,' exclaimed the king, when he saw the little prince coming."

The sixth asteroid is inhabited by a geographer who knows nothing about his own planet because he is too busy recording information from explorers. This satirizes the armchair intellectual who prioritizes abstract knowledge over direct experience.

Chapter 15

The Little Prince arrives on Earth and is surprised by its size and the lack of people. He encounters a snake, who speaks in riddles and hints at the power of his venom to return one to where they came from.

Chapter 16

"'Men? I believe there are six or seven of them. I saw them several years ago.'"

"'I ought to have judged her according to her actions and not according to her words.'"

"'You know--one loves the sunset, when one is so sad...'"

The narrator recounts the sudden appearance of the Little Prince in the desert. The Little Prince asks the narrator to draw a sheep, revealing his mysterious origins and his unfamiliarity with the narrator's world

Chapter 2

"'One loves the sunset when one is so sad.'"

"'Oh! I have had so much trouble!'"

The Little Prince shares more about his life on his planet, including his fascination with sunsets. The fact that he could see so many sunsets on his small planet suggests a sense of loneliness and the need for comfort.

Chapter 6

This chapter elaborates on the Little Prince's relationship with the rose, highlighting his efforts to care for her despite her flaws. It underscores the complexities of love and the difficulty of understanding others, especially when one is young and inexperienced.

Chapter 8

"'I did not know how to go about finding her heart.'"

The Little Prince describes his departure from his planet. He meticulously cleans his volcanoes and waters his rose for the last time, demonstrating his sense of duty and the bittersweet nature of leaving something he cared for.

Chapter 9

"He did not want her tears to miss him."

'So that I may forget,' replied the drunkard."

"'It is of use to me to be rich, because I am powerful.'"

"'That is the tragedy.'"

"'I am a geographer,' the old man said."

"'It is lonely in the desert...'"

"'But where are they?'""'They have no roots, and that makes it very difficult for them.'"

"'They have no roots, and that makes it very difficult for them.'"

The Little Prince meets the fox, who teaches him the meaning of "taming" and the importance of creating bonds of responsibility and affection. This is a pivotal chapter that explores the essence of true connection and the value of what is unseen.

Chapter 20

The Little Prince meets a railway switchman who explains that people rush from one place to another without knowing what they are looking for. This criticizes the aimless busyness of adults.

Chapter 22

"'Only the children know what they are looking for.'"

The narrator, a pilot stranded in the Sahara, reflects on his childhood disillusionment with adults who could not understand his drawings, particularly his drawing of a boa constrictor digesting an elephant. He laments their lack of imagination and their focus on practicality.

Chapter 1

The Little Prince tells the narrator that he must return to his planet to care for his rose. He discusses his responsibility for her and the bittersweet nature of their parting. He reveals his plan to be bitten by the snake to return.

Chapter 26

"'If you please—draw me a sheep!'"

"'But I am not an explorer. I haven't a single explorer on my planet.'"

"'I used to watch the sunsets forty-four times a day!'"

"'I have the right to require obedience because my orders are reasonable.'"

"'Ah! Ah! Here is a visitor!'"

"'I can carry you farther than any ship.'"

The Little Prince encounters a flower, who tells him that there are only a few men on Earth and that they lack roots, causing them to be blown around. This reinforces the theme of human disconnection and lack of grounding.

Chapter 17

"Whether it was thirst or fear, I did not know."

"'I was too young to know how to love her.'"

"'Authority rests first of all on reason.'"

"On his planet, he said, 'all you had to do was move your chair a few steps. And you saw the day end over and over again.'"

"'Good morning,' said the little prince."

Quotes:"It was only the body. Nothing more."

The narrator provides more details about Asteroid B-612, including the presence of baobab seeds, which could overrun the tiny planet if not tended to. This introduces the theme of responsibility and the importance of addressing small problems before they become overwhelming.

Chapter 4

"It is a question of discipline. When you've finished your own toilet in the morning, then you must tend the toilet of your planet, just so, with the greatest care."

"'But why do you want your sheep to eat the baobabs?'"

The Little Prince reveals the source of his departure from his planet: a troublesome rose. He recounts the rose's vanity and demanding nature, which ultimately led him to seek companionship and understanding elsewhere.

Chapter 7

"'Her four thorns were good for nothing, all the same.'"

The second asteroid is home to a conceited man who only wants to be admired and applauded. This chapter critiques vanity and the self-absorption that prevents genuine connection with others.

Chapter 11

"'Why are you drinking?' demanded the little prince."

"'The orders are the orders.'"

"'What does that mean--'tame'?"

"'It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important.'"

"'Not even the man at the controls knows anything about it.'"

"'Why are you selling that?' asked the little prince."

The narrator and the Little Prince find a well, and the narrator realizes the deeper meaning behind the Little Prince's words about the desert. The well symbolizes the essential things in life that are often unseen.

Chapter 25

"Tell them that he has come back--and tell them that..."

"'Good-bye,' he said to the flower. But she made no answer."

"'It is an act too often neglected,' said the fox. 'It means to establish ties.'"

"'You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.'"

The narrator witnesses the Little Prince's departure, describing it as a silent fall. He is left with sadness and the memory of the Little Prince's laughter and the responsibility he now feels for the stars, knowing the Little Prince is somewhere among them. The chapter concludes with the narrator's enduring grief and his plea for anyone who sees the Little Prince to inform him.

Chapter 27

"If I command my general to fly from one flower to another like a butterfly, or to write a tragic drama, or to change himself into a sea bird, and if the general does not carry out the order that he has received, which one of us is in the wrong?' the king demanded."

"'But I am too important to go loafing about. I do not leave my desk.'"

"He felt very unhappy. His flower had told him that she was the only one of her kind in all the universe. And here were five thousand of them, all alike, in one single garden!"

"Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them."

"'Forget what?' inquired the little prince, who was already sorry for him."

"'Good morning,' he said."

The fox reveals the secret of what is essential: it is invisible to the eye and can only be seen with the heart. He emphasizes the importance of the time and effort invested in relationships.

Chapter 21

"'What is essential is invisible to the eye.'"

"'It is a great saving of time,' said the salesman. 'With these you save fifty-three minutes in every week.'"

As the narrator's plane breaks down, he and the Little Prince are desperate for water. Their shared thirst leads them to appreciate the simple act of finding a well. This emphasizes the value of basic necessities and the beauty found in shared experiences.

Chapter 24

"'What makes the desert beautiful,' said the little prince, 'is that somewhere it hides a well...'"

"'Where are all the people?' the little prince said at last."

"'Water may indeed be good for the heart.'"

"'Tonight... you know... I shall not be able to stop myself.'"

The Little Prince climbs a high mountain, hoping to see the whole planet and find people, but only hears his own echo. This symbolizes the loneliness and lack of genuine connection he experiences on Earth.

Chapter 18

"'You are beautiful, but you are empty,' he went on. 'One could not die for you.'"

"When a mystery is too overpowering, one dare not disobey."

"So I learned a second very important thing: his planet was scarcely any larger than a house!"

The Little Prince visits the first asteroid, inhabited by a king who loves to give orders but only commands what is reasonable. This satirizes the adult obsession with authority and the emptiness of power without substance.

Chapter 10

"'I admire you,' said the little prince, shrugging his shoulders slightly, 'but what is there in that to please you so much?'"

"'I own them.'"

The fifth asteroid is the smallest and inhabited by a lamplighter who follows an absurdly strict order to light and extinguish his lamp every minute, even though his planet's day has shortened. This highlights the blind adherence to rules without questioning their meaning.

Chapter 14

This chapter further emphasizes the danger of the baobabs, using them as a metaphor for negative influences or bad habits that must be uprooted early on. The Little Prince's diligent work on his planet contrasts with the neglect often seen on larger, adult-inhabited planets.

Chapter 5

"'I did not know how to love her...'"

"'I am going,' he said again. But the flower did not cough."

"'And what do you do with five hundred million stars?'"

"'Men have forgotten this truth,' said the fox. 'But you must not forget it. You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.'"

The Little Prince meets a salesman who sells pills that quench thirst, supposedly saving people time. This satirizes the adult desire for quick fixes and their lack of appreciation for the simple pleasures of life.

Chapter 23

"I ought to have guessed all the affection that lay behind her poor little strategems. Flowers are so inconsistent! But I was too young to know how to love her.'"

"'Admire me!'"

"'Perhaps this man is absurd. But he is less absurd than the king, the conceited man, the drunkard, and the businessman. For at least his work has some meaning.'"

"'They are pills that quench thirst,' said the salesman."

"'The stars are beautiful, because of a flower that cannot be seen.'"

"'It will be as if I had a pain a little... almost as if I were dead. It won't be true...'"

"'You understand... it is too far. I cannot carry this body. It is too heavy.'"

'Children,' I say plainly, 'watch out for the baobabs!'"

The Little Prince visits a third asteroid inhabited by a drunkard who drinks to forget that he is ashamed of drinking. This portrays the self-destructive nature of escapism and the illogical cycles people can get trapped in.

Chapter 12

"And now that I am tamed, you will cry."

"'They are hurrying along,' said the switchman. 'What are they looking for?'"

"I did not answer his question. I simply felt an inexplicable joy."

The Little Prince encounters a garden full of roses, which initially disappoints him because he thought his rose was unique. This leads him to question the value of his rose and his own understanding of her.

Chapter 19

...Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince is a timeless allegory about childhood wonder, love, and human connection. Through the journey of a young prince exploring different planets, the story critiques adult priorities and celebrates imagination and curiosity. With poetic storytelling and profound lessons, it reminds readers to see with their hearts and embrace life’s simple yet powerful truths. A masterpiece of philosophy and self-discovery, it continues to inspire generations...

A pilot stranded in the desert awakes one morning to see, standing before him, the most extraordinary little fellow. "Please," asks the stranger, "draw me a sheep." And the pilot realizes that when life's events are too difficult to understand, there is no choice but to succumb to their mysteries. He pulls out pencil and paper...Thus begins this wise and enchanting fable that, in teaching the secret of what is really important in life, has changed the world forever for its readers. Often seen as a symbol of childhood innocence, Antoine de Saint-Exupery's best-selling book The Little Prince is cherished by children and adults alike across the globe. It is ideal for children aged 7 and up. This beautiful edition contains the definitive translation and all the original illustrations. The Little Prince joins the ranks of A Little Princess, The Secret Garden & Peter Pan as a genuine children's classic of the twentieth century. Antoine De Saint-Exupery was born in 1900 in Lyon. In 1921, he began his training as a pilot By 1926, he had became one of the pioneers of international postal flight. In 1945 he embarked on a record-breaking attempt to fly from Paris to Saigon. Nineteen hours into the flight, his plane crashed in the Sahara desert. He survived the crash but spent three days battling dehydration, limited food and hallucinations. On the fourth day, the was rescued. In part, this experience was the inspiration for 'The Little Prince'. He continued to fly until World War II, during which he took self-imposed exile. On 31 July 1944, he disappeared over the Mediterranean while flying a reconnaissance mission.

philosophy

Philosophy

history

History

motivationandinspiration

Motivation & Inspiration

creativity

Creativity

books

Books

Antoine Marie Jean-Baptiste Roger, comte de Saint-Exupéry, simply known as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, was a French writer, poet, journalist and pioneering aviator. He became a laureate of several of France's highest literary awards and also won the United States National Book Award.

ANTOINE DE SAINT-EXUPÉRY

Similar ideas

Short Zen Stories: The Moon Cannot Be Stolen

Galactic Colonization

How the Diderot Effect was named