Post by saladfingers on Apr 2, 2005 11:35:05 GMT -5
It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.
This book was supposedly for my sister but being the lazy ass that she was, I was the one who read it instead. Don't be fooled by the cover art, it isn't as simple as it looks. Although the story is fiction it has a great deal of life-changing lessons.
The Author, Antoine De Saint-Exupery, believes that The Little Prince came from the asteroid known as B-612.
Here are some of my favourite quotes:
The Little Prince's conversation with. . . .
a King:
"If I ordered a 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 genreal did not carry out the order that he had received, which one of us would be in the wrong?" the king demanded "The general or myself?"
"You," said the prince firmly.
"Exactly. One must require form each one the duty which each one can perform," the king went on. "Accepted authority rests first of all on reason. If you ordered your people to go and throw themselves into the sea, they would rise up in revolution. I have the right to require obedience because my orders are reasonable."
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a Drunkard:
"What are you doing there?" the prince said to the tippler whom he found settled down in silence before a collection of empty bottles and full bottles.
"I am drinking," replied the tippler, with a lugubrious air.
"Why are you drinking?" demanded the little prince.
"So that I may forget," replied the tippler.
"Forget what?" inquired the little prince, who already was sorry for him.
"Forget that I am ashamed," the tippler confessed, hanging his head.
"Ashamed of what?" insisted the little prince, who wanted to help him.
"Ashamed of drinking!" the tippler brought his speech to an end, and shut himself up in an impregnable silence.
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a Businessman, who claims that he owns the stars:
"If I owned a silk scarf," the little prince said, "I could put it around my neck and take it away with me. If I owned a flower, I could pluck that flower and take it away with me. But you cannot pluck the stars from heaven. . ."
"No, ut I can put them in the bank."
"Whatever does that mean?"
"That means that I can write the number of my stars on a little paper. And then I put this paper in a drawer and lock it with a key."
"And that is all?"
"That is enough," said the businessman.
"It is entertaining," thought the little prince. "It is rather poetic. But it is of no great consequence."
"I myself own a flower," he continued his conversation with the businessman, "which I water everyday. I own three volcanoes, which I clean out every weel. It is of some use to my volcanoes, and it is of some use to my flower, that I own them. But you are of no use to the stars. . ."
The businessman opened his mouth, but he found nothing to say in answer. The little prince went away.
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a Snake:
"You are a funny animal," the little prince said. "You are no thicker than a finger."
"But I am more powerful than the finger of a king." said the snake.
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a Flower:
"Where are the men?" the little prince asked, politely. 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 life very difficult."
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a Fox:
"What does that mean--'tame' ? " asked the little prince.
"It is an act often neglected," said the fox. "It means to establish ties. 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."
"I am beginning to understand." the little prince said
"My life is very monotonous," the fox continued. I hunt chickens; men hunt me. All chickens are just alike, and all men are just alike. And, in consequence, I am a little bored. But if you tame me, it will be as if the sun came to shine on my life. I shall know the sound of your step that will be different from all the others. Other steps send me hurrying back underneath the ground. Yours will call me, like music, out of my burrow. And then look: you see the grain-fields down yonder? I do not eat bread. Wheat is of no use to me. The wheat fields have nothing to say to me. And that is sad. But you have hair that is the colour of gold. Think how wonderful that will be when you have tamed me! The grain, which is also golden, will bring me back the thought of you. And I shall love to listen to the wind in the wheat. . ."
You would appreciate it more if you read the entire book, so you could fully understand the history and personality of the little prince. So go grab a copy and read it now. As in now na!
