Memorial to Antoine de Saint-Exupery in the Pantheon

Memorial to Antoine de Saint-Exupery in the Pantheon, originally uploaded by Pip.

Everything I Need to Know I Learned from The Little Prince


Grown-ups never understand anything but themselves.  Rams have horns, sheep do not.  To forget a friend is sad.  One can never be sure about volcanoes.  One loves the sunset, when one is so sad.  The land of tears is such a secret place.  Tigers do not eat weeds.  Flowers are so inconsistent.  One must endure the presence of two or three caterpillars if one wishes to become acquainted with the butterflies.  Some flowers are very proud.  Absolute monarchs tolerate no disobedience.  It is more difficult to judge oneself than to judge others.  Ephemeral means "which is in danger of speedy disappearance."  Planet Earth has a good reputation.  When one wishes to play the wit, he sometimes wanders a little from the truth.  It is lonely among men.  The snake always speaks in riddles because he solves them all.  You cannot play with a fox that is not tamed.  If you tame someone, you will need each other.  Sometimes you just don't have time; you have friends to discover, and a great many things to understand.  One only understands the things that one tames.  Words are the source of misunderstandings.  You are responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.  If one is about to die, it's a good thing to have a friend.  The eyes are blind; one must look with the heart.  Children understand.  One runs the risk of weeping a little, if one lets himself be tamed.  Time soothes all sorrows.  But most importantly:
It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.