The Little Prince is my favorite book. It has been my favorite book since I read it as a sophomore in high school, learning that a) I can read b) books can be good c) books can change people.
A few years ago I read somewhere that people should read The Little Prince once a year as a way to reignite something within themselves, to caution against becoming a tippler, a geographer, a king, or a lamplighter, and to remind themselves of the beauty and wisdom of the youth. With this in mind, I just completed my 3rd reading of The Little Prince (it's not an annual thing yet, but I'm working on it). Here are some words of wisdom on which to chew:
Then you shall judge yourself," the king answered. "that is the most difficult thing of all. It is much more difficult to judge oneself than to judge others. If you succeed in judging yourself rightly, then you are indeed a man of true wisdom.
"Where are the people?" resumed the little prince at last. "It's a little lonely in the desert..."
"It is lonely when you're among people, too," said the snake.
Language is the source of misunderstandings.
You risk tears if you let yourself be tamed.
What is essential is invisible to the eye.
"One only understands the things that one tames," said the fox. " 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 any more. If you want a friend, tame me. . ."
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