I was eleven the first time I read 'The Little Prince' and I didn't think it was the wonderful book they recommended so much. I didn't understand it, but there was something about him that appealed to me. I kept it always at hand and every so often I read a fragment again, looked at the drawings, I kept thinking and eventually fell in love with that little pocket book that I still have and read with my daughters.
'The little Prince', the novel written by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, the most read non-religious book in the world and translated into three hundred languages, turns 76 these days. Today it has become a classic and a essential reading for children (and not so children) by the life lessons he teaches us and the values it transmits.
A book for children (and not so children)
Although it was conceived as a children's book, 'The Little Prince' is a children's book for all ages.
Is a philosophical writing about life that like all great works does not lose its validity and transcends generation after generation. The boy who travels the planets with his handkerchief around his neck makes us reflect on universal issues such as love, friendship and loneliness.
No matter how old you are when you read it, it is a book that leaves your messages etched through inspiring phrases.
It doesn't matter if you read at ten, thirty or sixty, 'The Little Prince' always has something new to teach us.
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The value of friendship
The chapter on the friendship of 'The Little Prince' and the fox is one of the longest and most beautiful in the book. When the fox asks him to I tamed him to be friends, look for a way to create links, to have each other.
“If you tame me, then we will have the need of each other, you will be unique to me, unique in the world and I will be to you”True friendship is above material issues:
"Men no longer have time to know anything; they buy things already made from merchants; but since there is no merchant of friends, men no longer have friends."Cultivate true friendship
Creating a relationship with a person implies dedication and responsibility for what we have tamed. "All men look alike ... But if you tame me, my life will be filled with sun," the fox tells the Little Prince. Rescue true friendship over time and distance.
"It doesn't matter how much, but the quality of time we spend with a friend. Some need days and others only five minutes."
Value people for their essence
Beyond appearances, it highlights the importance of seeing within people, the true essence of each one, what makes it special above the rest.
"Here is my secret, which cannot be simpler: only with the heart can one see well; the essential is invisible to the eyes"It teaches us not stay on the surface and look beyond what the eyes see.
"He fell in love with his flowers and not his roots, and in the autumn he didn't know what to do"Spend time with the people we want
It seems incredible that a book written 75 years ago is so relevant today when technology prevents us from cultivating personal relationships, speaking in the eyes, devoting time to those we love and especially to our children.
The love for his rose, symbol of love, must be cultivated and attended day by day, with patience. One of my favorite quotes, which as a mother especially excites me:
"The time you spent on your rose is what makes her so important to you."Spirit of overcoming
Not be defeated for the difficulties or faint when life gives us a setback. That something goes wrong does not mean you should not keep trying.
"It's crazy to hate all the roses just because one pricked you. Give up all your dreams just because one of them was not fulfilled" "It will be necessary to support two or three caterpillars, if I want to know the butterflies"
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If there is a constant in the work of Saint-Exupéry it is the praise to childhood. Parents want our children to be happy adults and we forget that for that to happen, they must first be happy children.
"All older people were initially children, although few of them remember it" "Older people can never understand something on their own and it is very boring for children to have to give them explanations again and again"Pure and selfless love
Seeing life through the prism of love towards others, is what makes us full as people. 'The Little Prince' gives us a great lesson in selfless love:
"To love is the full confidence that whatever happens you will be, not because you owe me anything, not with selfish possession, but to be, in silent company"
Chase dreams
Obstacles are not impediments to always pursue the dreams we have set ourselves. Follow the signs and look for your star.
"I wonder if the stars light up so that one day, everyone can find their own"Cultivate self-knowledge
Cultivate the gaze towards ourselves, learn to look inward or stop judging others by appearances.
"It is much harder to judge yourself than to judge others. If you manage to judge yourself well you are a true sage"Value the little things
We should take more time to enjoy the truly important things in life and find happiness in them, such as watching a sunset, contemplating a flower or, for parents, sharing time with our children.
"You should never listen to flowers. You should only contemplate and smell them. Mine perfumed my planet, but I was not able to rejoice in it."
