- “In the face of an overpowering mystery, you don’t dare disobey” (II, p. 4).The narrator has been in a plane wreck in the Sahara desert, a thousand miles from anywhere. Suddenly, the little prince appears from nowhere and demands the pilot draw him a sheep.
- “The fact is, I don’t want my book to be taken lightly” (IV, p. 12).The narrator is telling the story of meeting the little prince six years before, and the memories are still poignant to him. Although it is told as a sort of fairytale, the book has a serious message.
- “So the little prince, despite all the goodwill of his love, had soon come to mistrust her” (VIII, p. 24).The little prince’s beloved rose is rather vain and complicated, demanding all sorts of attention. She is too proud to confess her love until he leaves her.
- “To vain men, other people are admirers” (XI, p. 33).The little prince visits other planets hoping to find friends. The king thinks of the little prince as a subject, and the vain man thinks of him as an admirer. No real relationship is possible.
- “The little prince had very different ideas about serious things from those of the grown-ups” (XIII, p. 39).The businessman believes making money from counting the stars is too important and “serious” to be interrupted by the little prince. The little prince thinks friendship and love are the only serious things in life.
- "I thought I was rich because I had just one flower, and all I own is an ordinary rose . . . It doesn’t make me much of a prince” (XX, p. 56).The little prince is disillusioned on his travels when he discovers a whole garden of roses on earth. His rose had convinced him she was unique. He suddenly feels cheated.
- “But if you tame me, we’ll need each other. You’ll be the only boy in the world for me. I’ll be the only fox in the world for you” (XXI, p. 59).The fox convinces the little prince to be his friend and explains what friendship is.
- “One sees clearly only with the heart. Anything essential is invisible to the eyes” (XXI, p. 63).This is the most famous quote from the book. It is the secret of life the little prince learns from the fox and then passes on to the narrator.
- “You become responsible forever for what you’ve tamed” (XXI, p. 64).This is the fox’s final teaching to the little prince, making him anxious to find his rose again, for which he is responsible.
- “Then if a child comes to you, if he laughs, if he has golden hair, if he doesn’t answer your questions, you’ll know who he is” (Epilogue).The narrator says if you happen to be in the desert under the little prince’s star, and if that child happens to come to you as it did to him, please be kind enough to send word to him.
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