Even though, ‘The Little Prince‘ written by French writer and poet ‘Antoine de Saint-Exupéry‘ is a children’s book, the amount of wisdom contained in this book makes it a must read for people of all ages. It is no wonder that this book written in the year 1943 has become a modern classic. The book has been translated into over 300 languages and sells nearly two millions copies worldwide every single year!
The book has also been made into a movie.
The story basically is a dialogue between the narrator and the little prince who tells him about his home on an asteroid and his adventures visiting various planets including planet earth. Contained within his narration are several observations about life and human nature that contain deep and insightful messages.
Amazing Wisdom Filled quotes from ‘The Little Prince’
The following is a collection of the most profound and beautiful quotes from ‘The Little Prince’, presented with a little interpretation.
1. On feeling with your heart
- “The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched, they are felt with the heart.”
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“And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
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“whether it’s a house or the stars or the desert, what makes them beautiful is invisible.”
Meaning: Our minds are extremely limited in their capacity to fathom and make sense of this amazing universe we live in.
Yes, you can make sense of things that your senses can pick up (eg. what you can see, touch or hear). But there are many things that are far beyond your ability to conceive. These things cannot be thought of or made sense of; they can only be felt. It’s not possible for your mind to make complete sense of these deep feelings – why they arise, what they are, how to recreate them etc. They are essentially ‘invisible’ as stated by one of the quotes. You can call them energy or vibe or consciousness itself.
Yes, there is beauty in the tangible, but the beauty contained in the invisible is far beyond compare.
Also Read: 45 Profound Quotes By Rumi On Life.
2. On the nature of grownups
- “All grown-ups were once children… but only few of them remember it.”
- “Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them.”
- “Grown-ups love figures… When you tell them you’ve made a new friend they never ask you any questions about essential matters. Instead they demand “How old is 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.”
- “Men have no more time to understand anything. They buy things all ready made at the shops. But there is no shop anywhere where one can buy friendship, and so men have no friends anymore.”
Meaning: This is definitely one of the best quotes from ‘The Little Prince’.
As you grow up, your mind gets cluttered and conditioned with data you pick up from the external world. All the data that was imposed on you by your parents, teachers, peers and media act as a filter through which you perceive reality. You did not have this filter when you were a little child and hence you were able to experience life in the most authentic way – fully connected with your true nature. No wonder, you were joyful, carefree and complete. We often forget that we can still access this childlike nature in us as we were all little children once.
In-fact, there is a beautiful quote in the Bible where Jesus says, ‘Unless you be like little children, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven‘. This is exactly what Jesus meant when he said that. He wanted you to let go of your egoic identity and get in touch with your inner child who is free from all conditioning.
Whenever you are feeling stressed out, read or remember this quote and it will help you let go and make you feel relaxed instantly.
3. On self awareness
- “It is much more difficult to judge oneself than to judge others. If you succeed in judging yourself correctly, then you are truly a man of wisdom.”
Meaning: This quote is so simple, and yet it holds such a powerful and profound message on self awareness!
It’s easy to judge others. In-fact, anyone can do it and most people do. But judging others is not going to be of any use to us. In-fact, we are just wasting our energy by focusing it on others. A more prudent thing to do is to develop the quality to judge our own selves. In other words, become aware of your own thoughts, behaviors and actions.
It is only by becoming aware of yourself that you can begin to bring positive changes in your life by discarding negative and limiting beliefs, behaviors and actions and replacing them with things that empower you.
There is a reason why all the greatest thinkers in history have stressed on ‘self awareness’ cause that is the only way to growth and liberation.
4. On taking it easy
- “Sometimes, there is no harm in putting off a piece of work until another day.”
Meaning: Almost everywhere you read the message that procrastination is bad and that you should keep hustling day in and day out. But in reality, too much hustling will only make you way less productive. History is proof that some of the most creative people were chronic procrastinators.
It is only when your mind is fresh, calm and well rested that ideas flow into you. A jaded mind only makes errors. So remember this quote whenever you are feeling overworked or stressed. Don’t feel guilty to let go and relax. Give your rest as much priority as your work.
Also Read: 18 Relaxing Quotes To Help You Destress (With Beautiful Images).
5. On what makes things valuable
- “It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important.”
Meaning: What makes a thing valuable is the energy we invest in it. And energy is nothing but time and attention. The more time you spend focusing on something, the more valuable it becomes.
7. On individualistic perception
- “All men have stars, but they are not the same things for different people. For some, who are travelers, the stars are guides. For others they are no more than little lights in the sky. For others, who are scholars, they are problems… But all these stars are silent.”
Meaning: This quote presents two great messages.
Our perception of reality is entirely subjective. The core nature of our mind and the beliefs it contains form the filter through which we perceive reality. So even though the object is the same (in this case, stars), they are perceived differently by different people. But how someone perceives a star does not effect it in any way. The stars just are; they remain silent and ever luminous. They are undisturbed by how they are perceived by anyone.
So this quote can be viewed in two ways. One, that perception of reality is subjective and another that no matter what one perceives of you, you need to be like a star – ever shining and unperturbed.
Also Read: 101 quotes on being yourself.
On the power of imagination
- “A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.”
Meaning: This is a really beautiful and profound quote on the power of imagination.
Imagination is the most powerful tool we posses as human beings. In-fact, imagination is the basis of creation. You cannot create something unless you envision it in the eye of your mind. Where everyone sees a pile of rock, one man uses his imagination to envision these rocks arranged to build a beautiful monument.
8. On sadness
- “You know…when one is so terribly sad, one loves sunsets.”
Meaning: We are automatically attracted to energy that has a similar vibe to ours. When feeling down, we find solace in things that carry a more mellow energy like sunsets, slow songs etc. This basically helps us find an outlet to express and release our energy.
9. On being yourself
- “I am who I am and I have the need to be.”
Meaning: Simple yet powerful quote on being yourself. The moment you decide to accept and believe in yourself completely, things begin to change in your favor.
10. On solitude
- “I have always loved the desert. One sits down on a desert sand dune, sees nothing, hears nothing. Yet through the silence something throbs, and gleams…”
Meaning: This is a beautiful quote about the power of silence and solitude.
When we sit in silence and there is not much to engage our senses, we start to get in touch with our inner self. And through this inner self we start to sense things that are otherwise hidden to our senses.
So make it a point to spend time alone with yourself.
Also Read: The Quieter You Become, The More You Are Able To Hear – Rumi.
11. On the reason for misunderstanding
- “Words are the source of misunderstandings.”
Meaning: Words are a source of misunderstandings as words need to be interpreted by individual minds. And each mind interprets these words based on its own conditioning. This is a limitation that we need to live with as human beings.
12. On the beauty of stars
- “I love to listen to the stars at night. It is like listening to five hundred million little bells.”
Meaning: Beauty is all around us. All that we need to do is become conscious of it by coming to the present moment. By consciously paying attention to the world around you, you can discover the magical essence of the universe.
13. On the nature of conceited people
- “Conceited people never hear anything but praise.”
Meaning: When someone is completely identified with their ego (or their mind generated sense of self), they always look on the outside for things that can sustain and validate their ego. Their mind filters out all external input so that they hear nothing but praise for their self. Such people obviously have no opportunity for growth as they remain stuck in their mind generated sense of self.
14. On the nature of children
- “Only the children know what they are looking for.”
Meaning: Children are free of conditioning and are completely in tune with their true authentic nature. Their beliefs are not clouded by some preconceived notions and hence they are fully guided by their intuition. This is the true state of liberation.
15. On taking care of the planet
- “When you’ve attended to your own needs in the morning, you’ve got to attend carefully to the needs of the planet.”
Meaning: The universe and more specifically the planet we live on is simply an extension of who we are. So by taking care of the planet, we essentially take care of ourselves and this quote from The Little Prince expresses it beautifully.
If you liked these quotes from ‘The Little Prince’, then you will love the book. Reading the book will help you make even more sense of the quotes presented here. You can check out the book here.
