The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

The book with the highest number of copies printed worldwide is the *Bible*, and the second most printed book is the one we’ll be discussing today, *The Little Prince*.
It reflects everyone's journey of growth, and only after reading this book will you truly understand love and responsibility. All the events in the story take place over just 9 days, but the author spent more than 6 years thinking about it, and then wrote it in just 3 months. 

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry  was a legendary French poet, novelist, and pilot. 
He fought in World War II, and while flying a mission, he disappeared into the sky and never returned.
In honor of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, the French government printed his and *The Little Prince*'s images on their currency, and the International Astronomical Union named two asteroids after him and the Little Prince’s planet, B612.

Transcript

Let me read you a passage from the book. It says: 0:13

"When I was six years old, I once saw an amazing picture in a book called *True Stories*, about the wilderness. In the picture, a giant snake was swallowing a wild animal, and I drew a picture of it." The boy drew what he thought was a giant snake that had swallowed an elephant, with the elephant inside the snake’s belly. But when he showed it to adults, they all said it was just a hat. They didn’t see anything frightening. The boy was very disappointed; he kept explaining, but all the adults still insisted it was just a hat and that he had no talent for drawing. So the boy gave up his dream of becoming a painter, and that’s how his dream disappeared. This is how *The Little Prince* begins. This is actually very important; it introduces the first key theme of the book — understanding.

The book begins by explaining that many times, we are forced to change as we grow up because we are not understood. That’s why the boy gave up his dream, and as he grew up, he might have become someone he didn’t really like, just like you and me. He goes on to say in the book: 1:07

"I lived my life alone, without anyone I could truly talk to, until one day, about six years ago, my plane broke down in the Sahara Desert. Something had gone wrong with the engine, and there were no mechanics or passengers around. I had to fix this difficult problem myself. It was a matter of life and death — I only had enough water for eight days." So it was during this time that the story of his encounter with the Little Prince took place. How did they meet? In the middle of the empty desert, at dawn, the pilot suddenly heard a strange, small voice. You can imagine how surprised he was. The voice said, "Please, draw me a sheep." When the pilot opened his eyes, he saw a little figure — this was the Little Prince. The pilot replied, "I don't know how to draw a sheep." The only thing he knew how to draw was the picture of the hat. So he carelessly drew that picture for the Little Prince. But what did the Little Prince say? He said, "No, no! I don't want a snake swallowing an elephant. That's too dangerous, and my home is too small. I need a sheep. Please draw me a sheep!" You can imagine the pilot's shock — the Little Prince instantly understood the pilot’s childhood drawing. Understanding is so rare, and it was like a bolt of lightning for the pilot. Finally, someone understood that this was not a hat, but a snake that had swallowed an elephant. So, the pilot started taking the Little Prince seriously. Next, the pilot drew a sheep. The first one, the Little Prince said, "No, this sheep looks sick." He drew a second one, but the Little Prince said, "Look, that’s not a sheep; it's a goat. It has horns." The Little Prince had very high standards. The pilot tried again, but the Little Prince said, "This sheep is too old." The pilot was getting frustrated because he needed to focus on fixing the plane’s engine. So finally, he drew a simple box and told the Little Prince, "This is a box, and your sheep is inside." The Little Prince's face lit up with joy. 'This is perfect! Do you think this sheep will need a lot of grass?'" Something magical happened — in that moment, the two of them reached an understanding. So, the meeting between the Little Prince and the pilot started with mutual understanding. After that, the pilot worked hard to figure out where the Little Prince came from. It turned out to be a very, very small planet called asteroid B612. What was asteroid B612 like? The book says, "The Little Prince's planet was about the size of a house." The pilot wasn’t surprised at all because we know that besides the well-known planets like Venus, Jupiter, and Mars, there are countless little asteroids we don’t know about. Sometimes we spot them with telescopes — that's the universe. But asteroid B612 had only been observed once, in 1909, by a Turkish astronomer. This should have been a major discovery. However, at an international astronomy conference, no one believed him because he was wearing traditional clothing. This is how adults are. What are adults like? They judge people by appearances. So, in 1920, at another conference, the same astronomer wore an elegant suit and presented his findings again. This time, everyone believed him. What does this story mean? Saint-Exupéry is reminding us that dull adults have forgotten they were once interesting children. The difference between adults and children is that children see the world differently. I’m giving you the number and details of asteroid B612 just to show how adults are. Adults like numbers. When you tell them about a new friend, they never ask essential questions like, "What does their voice sound like? What games do they like? Instead, they ask, "How old is he? How many brothers does he have? How much does he weigh? How much does his father earn?" It’s as if only then they can understand the person. Similarly, if you tell adults, "I saw a beautiful house made of pink bricks, with geraniums in the windows and doves on the roof," they won't be able to picture it. You have to tell them, "I saw a house worth a hundred thousand francs." Then they'll say, "Wow, what a beautiful house!" Saint-Exupéry says, "That's just how adults are. Don't blame them. Children have to forgive adults because children understand life. Children laugh at numbers, but adults don’t." As he tells this story, the pilot says he's sad because he’s writing it to remember someone — the Little Prince. Forgetting a friend is a very sad thing, and adults often forget their friends. So, what kind of environment does the Little Prince live in on asteroid B612? The planet is incredibly small, only the size of a house. If he moves his chair slightly, he can watch a sunset. If he wants, he can see many sunsets in a single day. The Little Prince said, "When people are sad, they like to watch the sunset." How did he describe sadness? He said, "One time, I watched the sunset 44 times." It's a very beautiful thought.

Then one day, something extraordinary happened on asteroid B612. This event introduces the second key theme of the book: 6:31

love. Why? One day, the Little Prince noticed a strange plant growing on his planet, one he had never seen before. Slowly, the plant grew, and the Little Prince realized it was a rose. He had never seen a rose before, but he fell in love with this one. How do we, the readers, know this? Saint-Exupéry wrote about a scene in which the pilot and the Little Prince had a heated argument after they met. Why? The Little Prince wanted a sheep, and the pilot drew one for him. The Little Prince was happy, but then he started worrying that the sheep might eat his rose. So he asked the pilot, "What are the thorns on a rose for?" At that moment, the pilot was sweating and working hard to fix his plane, and feeling very frustrated, he said, "They don't serve any purpose at all!" It was a thoughtless answer, much like how adults sometimes brush off children when they ask endless questions. The adult might say, "I'm busy, leave me alone," and respond harshly. The pilot did the same, telling the Little Prince, "I'm doing serious work, don't bother me." The Little Prince turned pale with anger, his golden hair shaking, and with tears in his eyes, he said one of the most moving and heartbreaking lines in the book. He said, "If someone loves a flower that grows on just one star among millions and millions of stars, looking at the stars will make him happy. He'll say to himself, 'My flower is up there somewhere.' But if the sheep eats the flower, it’s as if all the stars suddenly go dark. Don’t you think that’s important?" The Little Prince was incredibly sad. Why? Because he felt misunderstood. To him, the rose was the love of his life, and the safety of the rose was his most important concern. But the pilot didn’t understand or share his feelings. The pilot could only say, "I have important work to do."

After reading this passage, it’s easy to understand the Little Prince’s emotions. But if you put yourself in the pilot’s shoes at that moment, would you have been able to understand the Little Prince’s feelings? This touches on one of the hardest parts of human relationships: 8:37

can someone ever truly understand another person? What is empathy built on, and how far can it go? In our lives, we often face situations where people’s experiences differ. For example, only when you’ve been burned, you understand how pain can keep you from sleeping. In society, when a person is constantly misunderstood, they may gradually become insecure, sensitive, or withdrawn. Then why is understanding so difficult? Even people living under the same roof, like parents with their children. The reason is that understanding requires time, but adults often say they’re too busy, right? The first condition for understanding is that you must be willing to invest time. Once the pilot realized this, he, being a sensitive adult, was willing to listen to the Little Prince talk about his relationship with the rose. As a result, the pilot gained a deeper understanding of the Little Prince’s rose. On the Little Prince’s planet, there were simple flowers with only one petal. They didn’t take up much space or bother anyone, and they bloomed in the morning and withered by nightfall—very beautiful but short-lived. But one day, a mysterious seed drifted onto the planet and began to grow. The Little Prince watched over this unusual sprout carefully, knowing it was going to bloom. He witnessed the birth of this flower and felt that a miracle was about to happen. Yes, when you invest time, you begin to see that what you once took for granted now seems like a miracle. Even something as ordinary as the sun shining down from 30,000 feet above can feel like a beautiful experience when you truly appreciate it. That’s why time is so important. The rose that bloomed was very proud. She hid in her green chamber, constantly primping herself to look beautiful. She carefully chose her colors and slowly dressed herself, adjusting her petals one by one. She loved being beautiful. Finally, one morning, just as the sun rose, she revealed herself. But like all proud girls who take their time getting ready, she yawned and said, "I’ve just woken up. Please forgive me for not being properly groomed yet." You see, that’s her deliberate display of casualness. The Little Prince couldn’t help but compliment her, saying, "You’re so beautiful!" And the rose, softly and confidently, replied, "Am I not? I was born with the sun." The Little Prince expected her to be a little vain, but she was also incredibly charming. After that, the rose began to make demands of the Little Prince, like "I'm afraid of the wind," "I’m scared of insects," "I need water." So, the Little Prince busied himself with taking care of her. Doesn’t this sound like a couple in love, where the boy does everything he can to be thoughtful and passionate? But the rose had a bit of vanity and doubt, which led her to test and torment the Little Prince. Over time, he began to feel that the rose was a bit complicated, and gradually, he wasn’t as happy anymore. That’s what love is like—it comes in mysterious ways, and you don’t know when it will happen. But once you fall in love, you may also experience some small frustrations and difficulties. Why? Because understanding each other isn’t easy. You often don’t know what the other person is thinking, and when she says "go away," you might not know what she really means. Should you actually leave? But if you do, she might get even angrier. It’s all part of the difficulty of understanding. The Little Prince admitted, "At the time, I didn’t know how to understand my rose. I shouldn’t have listened to what she said but rather watched what she did. I was too young to know how to love her." Because of their mutual misunderstanding, even though they loved each other, they couldn’t get along well. As a result, the Little Prince left his rose behind and fled. On the day the Little Prince left his rose, they had a farewell ceremony. Filled with sadness, the Little Prince once again cleaned up asteroid B612, pulled up weeds, watered his rose, and prepared to cover her with a glass dome to protect her from insects. After doing all of this, he realized he wanted to cry. Goodbyes are always filled with sorrow. "Goodbye," he said to the rose, but she didn’t answer him. "Goodbye," he said again. The rose coughed, but it wasn’t because she was cold. This line is written so beautifully—her cough symbolizes emotions she couldn’t hide. Then the rose said to him, "I was so foolish before. Please forgive me. You must be happy." It was a touching moment, and the Little Prince was surprised. The rose didn’t blame him. He stood there holding the glass dome, stunned, unable to understand the calm gentleness she showed him. They had quarreled so much during their time together that they had forgotten how to treat each other well. Then the rose said, "Yes, I love you, but you never knew that. That’s my fault. None of this matters now. You were just as foolish as I was. Please, be happy."

When I read this part, I really felt that this confusion is something all of humanity faces: 14:06

If we love someone deeply, why can't we treat each other well? If we love someone deeply, why do we leave? This is the Little Prince's dilemma, and as he prepared to leave, his sadness grew heavier. The rose told him, "Don’t linger, it’s so annoying. You’ve decided to go, so go." When you hear someone say that, what do you think? Do they really want you to leave quickly, to feel relieved? No, that’s not the case. The rose didn’t want the Little Prince to see her crying because she was a very proud flower. Yes, pride often makes us hide our feelings, and this is something adults frequently do. Sometimes, adults can be very foolish.

Love made the Little Prince unhappy, so he left his rose. But after leaving, was he happy? No, he wasn’t. How would the Little Prince find his happiness again? He had to go through many experiences to understand it. It took me years to fully understand this book, and this brings us to the third key theme in the book: 14:53

growth. This is the story of the Little Prince’s growth after leaving his rose and his asteroid, B612. Only when a person truly grows up can they face the problems in front of them with courage, rather than running away. But this process takes a long time. The Little Prince’s journey of growth began when he left asteroid B612. He visited many places and met many people, which helped him grow up. These experiences allow us to see a collection of puzzling human behaviors. As we follow the Little Prince on his journey, we see him encounter various situations, and we’ll recognize people we know in these stories. During this time, the Little Prince visited many places, and we’ll skip these people he met, even all of whom are fascinating. These people include a king, who taught the Little Prince about power; a vain man, who helped the Little Prince understand desire; a drunkard, who showed us the nature of addiction; a businessman, who made us reflect on the true meaning of value; a lamplighter, who taught us about the meaning of work; and a geographer, who showed us the limitations even knowledgeable people have. After meeting these six people, the Little Prince arrived on Earth.

Earth is not just any ordinary planet because you and I live on it. It was on Earth that the Little Prince met the pilot stranded in the desert, and here, he experienced the most important part of the story. What is it? The first creature he encounters isn’t a person but a snake. This snake teaches him a powerful word: 16:26

loneliness. The snake’s appearance is dangerous, and let’s take a closer look at this moment. The Little Prince arrived on Earth and was surprised to find no people in sight. He was shocked and worried that he had landed on the wrong planet. Just then, he saw something white, ring-shaped, move in the sand. “Good evening,” the Little Prince greeted, hoping to take a chance. The snake responded, “Good evening.” “What planet have I landed on?” the Little Prince asked. “On Earth, in Africa,” replied the snake. “Isn’t there anyone on Earth?” “This is the desert. There’s no one here. But Earth is very big.” Then the snake asked, “What are you doing here? Your planet is beautiful.” The snake, like a prophet, immediately recognized that the Little Prince didn’t belong to Earth. The Little Prince replied, “I had a disagreement with a flower.” The snake said nothing, and they both fell silent. The Little Prince continued, “Where are all the people? It’s lonely here in the desert.” The snake said, “You can be lonely even among people.” This is a profound truth. Even when we stand in a crowd of thousands, we can still feel utterly alone. The snake revealed a truth about life, and the Little Prince stared at it for a long time. The following exchange is full of meaning. The Little Prince said, “You’re so thin, like a finger. You look strange.” The snake replied, “I am more powerful than a king’s finger.” The Little Prince said, “What makes you so powerful? You don’t even have feet. Where can you go?” The snake answered, “I can send you far, far away, to places you can’t imagine.” Doesn’t the snake seem mysterious and filled with an aura of danger? The Little Prince asked, “Why do you always speak in riddles?” The snake replied, “I solve all riddles.” And then they both fell silent. Here, Saint-Exupéry is leaving us with a clue. Later in the story, we’ll understand that the snake plays a significant role in the fate of the Little Prince and the conclusion of the book. But for now, we won’t get into that. Let’s continue with the story. After the Little Prince met the snake, he began to cross the desert and encountered a flower. This flower had very little imagination because it had never seen much of the world—it had barely even seen any people. So, it believed that humans were unfortunate creatures since they didn’t have roots and were always on the move, and hadn’t appeared for a long time. A lack of imagination limits our understanding of the world. Next, the Little Prince came across some high mountains. When he shouted, all he heard was the echo of his own voice, making him feel that Earth was even more desolate. As he walked through the desert, cliffs, and snow, after a long time, he finally found a road. This is the turning point in the story—all roads lead to places where people live. Eventually, the Little Prince arrived at a garden full of roses. At this moment, he felt utterly devastated. Do you remember why the Little Prince left his planet, asteroid B612? It was because of a disagreement with a rose, right? To the Little Prince, that rose was the only one of its kind in the universe. But now, he had discovered a garden filled with 5,000 roses, all with the same name—"rose." The Little Prince was crushed. He had always believed his rose was unique, but now he saw thousands of roses exactly like it. What should he do now? The Little Prince stared at the roses, utterly bewildered because they all looked just like his rose. “What kind of flowers are you?” he asked. The roses replied, “We are roses.” The Little Prince felt deeply sad because his rose had always told him, “I am the only one of my kind in the universe.” Yet here, in one garden, there were 5,000 roses just like her. So, the Little Prince thought to himself, “Oh no, I thought I was rich because I owned the only rose of its kind in the world, but she’s just an ordinary flower.” And with that, he lay down on the grass and cried. What should the Little Prince do now? This is a dilemma that many of us face. When I was young, I believed I was a unique girl, but then I realized I was quite ordinary. I thought I would have a one-of-a-kind destiny, but as I grew up, I found that no matter how hard I tried, I still ended up living an ordinary life. It’s a moment of crisis that we all experience at some point. So, how would the Little Prince heal himself? The most beautiful part of the book is about to unfold. At that moment, a fox appeared. This fox would teach the Little Prince one of the most important lessons in life—something we all need to learn. Let’s look at this story.“Hello,” said the fox. The Little Prince politely replied, “Hello.” He looked around but saw nothing. Then the voice said, “I’m here, under the apple tree.” The Little Prince saw the fox. He didn’t know who it was, so he said, “Who are you? You’re very beautiful.” Have you noticed what makes something "unique"? Before you see it, you think it’s new and exciting. But if you’ve seen many foxes, then it’s no longer unique, right? The fox replied, “I am a fox.” The Little Prince said, “I’m very sad. Come and play with me.” The fox said, “I can’t play with you. I haven’t been tamed yet.” If you’ve heard of *The Little Prince*you likely know this word—“tame.” But what does it really mean? The Little Prince asked, “What does ‘tame’ mean?” He had the same question. The fox explained, “It’s something that people have forgotten. ‘Tame’ means to establish ties.” What does it mean to establish ties? The fox said, “To me, you’re just a little boy, like a hundred thousand other little boys. I don’t need you, and you don’t need me. To you, I’m just a fox, like a hundred thousand other foxes. We’re all ordinary. But if you tame me, we’ll need each other. To me, you’ll be the only boy in the world, and to you, I’ll be the only fox in the world.” This is the second key meaning of the word “unique.” The Little Prince said, “I think I’m beginning to understand. I have a flower,” and he thought of his rose on asteroid B612, “and she has tamed me.” The fox said, “That’s possible. On Earth, anything can happen.” The Little Prince replied, “Oh, but she’s not on Earth.” The fox was surprised, “Is she on another planet?” “Yes,” said the Little Prince. The following conversation is quite funny. The fox asked, “Are there hunters on your planet?” The Little Prince replied, “No.” The fox was immediately delighted, “That’s interesting. Are there chickens on your planet?” The Little Prince said, “No, there aren’t.” “Ah,” sighed the fox, “nothing is perfect.” This part is very charming. Then they returned to the topic of taming, which is very important. “If you tame me, my life will be filled with sunshine. I’ll recognize the sound of your footsteps—they’ll be different from everyone else’s. Other footsteps will make me hide underground, but your footsteps will call me out of my burrow, like music. And look, do you see that field of wheat? I don’t eat bread, so wheat is of no use to me. The wheat fields mean nothing to me. But if you tame me, things will change. The golden wheat will remind me of your golden hair, and I’ll love the sound of the wind in the wheat fields.” The fox fell silent and gazed at the Little Prince for a long time. This part is incredibly moving. If we truly understand this book, we’ll know what it means to form bonds with others. If you don’t have feelings for someone, eating ice cream is just eating ice cream. Watching the ocean waves is just watching waves. But when your heart holds someone special, you’ll feel that if you could share that ice cream with them, or watch the waves together, it would be the most beautiful experience. This is what emotions are all about.

Then the fox suddenly said something very powerful to the Little Prince: 25:31

“Please, tame me.” When I read this passage, I was deeply moved. I didn’t fully understand why the fox would make such a request, because asking to be tamed implies a serious commitment. When the fox asked, “Tame me,” I felt a kind of softness. If we dare to trust others, to give ourselves to someone, that is the beginning of everything changing. It means entering into a new relationship. But at that moment, the Little Prince didn’t fully grasp the weight of the fox’s request. He was hesitant and said, “I’d like to, but I don’t have much time. I still want to make new friends and learn many things.” You see, his heart wasn’t fully committed. He wasn’t ready to fully enter into a relationship, so he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to follow through. The fox responded, “Humans don’t have the time to understand anything anymore. They go to stores to buy everything ready-made. But there is no store where you can buy friends, so people don’t have friends anymore. If you want a friend, tame me.” This moved the Little Prince because after arriving on Earth, the first word the snake taught him was “loneliness.” Because of loneliness, he wanted a friend. We are the same way—due to loneliness, we want to get closer to others and form deep connections. But because of our own flaws, we struggle to be loyal, to focus, and we lack confidence. Often, we can’t maintain our relationships properly and make many mistakes. So, the Little Prince asked the fox, “What do I need to do?” This is a crucial question because when we fall in love with someone, with something, or with a rose, we are often too young to know how to love them well. Learning how to do that becomes a lifelong lesson. The fox said, “You need to be patient. First, sit at a distance from me. I’ll watch you out of the corner of my eye, and you don’t need to say anything because words are the source of misunderstandings.” This is exactly what happened with the Little Prince and his rose—he never truly understood what the rose was trying to tell him, and that’s why he became unhappy and left her. “But every day, you can sit a little closer to me. That’s how the taming begins.” As they began the process of taming each other, the next day the Little Prince returned, and the fox told him, “It’s best if you come at the same time every day.” Why? Because this is what we call “rituals.” The fox explained, “If you come at 4 o’clock, then from 3 o’clock, I’ll start feeling happy.” This line left a deep impression on me, and it’s one of the reasons I’ve always remembered *The Little Prince.* When I first read it late at night, it brought me to tears. You know, rituals are such an important part of life. We often wait for someone or something important, but during that wait, we feel anxious, nervous, or impatient. But if we can say, “From 3 o’clock, I’ll already start feeling happy because I know you’ll arrive at 4,” and if we can express that feeling, both people will realize how meaningful that moment is. The fox continued, “The closer the time gets, the happier I’ll feel. By 4 o’clock, I’ll be too excited to sit still. I’ll feel nervous—this is the price of happiness.” To the fox, happiness comes with a price, and rituals are a way to pay that price. The Little Prince asked, “What is a ritual?” The fox explained, “It’s something people have forgotten, just like friendships. A ritual is what makes one day different from other days, one hour different from other hours. For example, the hunters have a ritual. Every Thursday, they dance with the village girls. So on Thursdays, they don’t hunt. For me, Thursday becomes a wonderful day because I can go for a walk in the vineyard without worrying about being hunted.” So what does this mean? When we have rituals, the person becomes unique to us—they are irreplaceable. The same is true for special moments—they become irreplaceable. The Little Prince and the fox completed this process, called “taming each other.” But once the taming is done, the next challenge is that the Little Prince still has to move on and say goodbye to the fox. How do they deal with that? Everything comes with a price, and happiness is no exception. The fox said, “I will cry.” The Little Prince replied, “It’s your fault. I didn’t want to make you sad, but you asked me to tame you.” The fox said, “That’s true.” The Little Prince said, “But you’re going to cry!” The fox answered, “Yes, I will.” So, how does this conversation continue? The Little Prince asked, “Then what do you gain from it?” The fox said, “I do gain something—like the color of the wheat fields.” Then the fox told the Little Prince, “Go back and look at the roses again, and you’ll see that your rose really is the only one of its kind in the world. When you return to say goodbye to me, I will share a secret with you.” This secret is the secret of love—the secret of all feelings in the world.

So, the Little Prince went back to the garden of roses, where 5,000 roses were blooming. But now, he understood what taming meant, what it meant to be unique. He spoke to the roses, saying, “You are nothing like my rose. You’re nothing yet. No one has tamed you, and you haven’t tamed anyone. You’re just like the fox was before we became friends. Back then, the fox was just like any of a hundred thousand other foxes. But now, it’s the only fox in the world because it’s my friend.” The Little Prince continued, “You’re all very beautiful, but you’re empty.” What does he mean by “empty”? His next sentence is very powerful: 31:02

“No one would die for you. Of course, to a passerby, my rose might look just like you. But I know that my rose is different from all of you.” Why? “Because my rose is more important than all of you. I’ve watered her, put her under a glass dome, protected her with a screen, and killed the caterpillars for her. I’ve listened to her complaints, her boasting, and even her silences. Because she’s *my* rose—that’s the biggest secret in all relationships.” Every time I read this passage, I’m deeply touched. If we don’t understand this, we become numb and disconnected adults who can’t truly connect with others. If we don’t understand the price of love, we’ve never truly experienced love, and that’s even more tragic.

After saying this to the roses, the Little Prince returned to the fox and said goodbye. The fox also said goodbye and shared his secret: “Here is my secret. It’s very simple: 32:39

It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eye.” The Little Prince repeated this. Remember it because the time you’ve spent on your rose is what makes it so important. The time and care you invest in anyone or anything is what makes them unique. That’s the secret.

The fox said, “Humans have forgotten this truth, but you must not forget it. If you tame someone, you are forever responsible for them. You are responsible for your rose, Little Prince.” The Little Prince repeated this, trying to remember it well. This is the greatest wisdom in the book: 33:15

time. Wherever you spend your time, that’s where things become important. When you spend enough time, that person or thing becomes unique. This is the most important truth, and important things are invisible to the eye—you must see them with your heart. After reading many classic stories, you come to understand the meeting between the Little Prince and the fox as one of the greatest encounters on Earth. It teaches us what is truly important, reveals the secret of all feelings, and explains what taming really means—responsibility.

It's not a question of "if," but rather a certainty: 34:08

each of us must love someone. So, whom should we love? We must love someone who is responsible. What happens next in *The Little Prince*? We reach the story’s ending, which is both sad and beautiful. It’s the eighth day since the pilot’s plane broke down in the desert. He said, “After hearing the Little Prince’s story, I drank the last drop of water.” So, they decided to go out and search for a well. The pilot thought it was absurd to wander through the vast desert looking for a well, but they set out anyway. The story slowly begins to wind down during their journey, but it’s full of beautiful moments.“We walked in silence for several hours. Night fell, and the stars began to twinkle. I looked at the stars, feeling like I was dreaming. Because I was thirsty, I felt feverish, and the Little Prince’s words were dancing in my head.” “Are you thirsty too?” I asked him. The Little Prince didn’t answer directly but said, “Water is good for the soul.” I believe this reflects Saint-Exupéry’s real experience in the desert. Exhausted, thirsty, and possibly ill, he began to experience a slight delirium. But during this time, all the wondrous things happened—they began to talk about what truly matters.“The stars are beautiful because of a flower we cannot see.” The Little Prince thought of his rose again. “The desert is beautiful too,” he added. The Little Prince said, “The desert is beautiful because somewhere it hides a well.” This sentence seems simple, right? But for the pilot, it was like being struck by something profound. It was a moment of enlightenment. He suddenly understood the mysterious beauty of the desert.“When I was a child, I lived in an old house, and there was a legend that a treasure was buried inside. Of course, no one knew where the treasure was, and no one ever searched for it. But the mere idea of the treasure made the whole house seem magical. I believed that deep within the house, a secret was hidden. What is this? It’s the sparkle in the ordinary moments of life. We can call it a ‘magic moment.’ If you believe that within any effort lies a hidden secret, you’ll feel that everything is worthwhile, won’t you? You’ll feel that life can turn around and shine. Even an ordinary person can become extraordinary. Then the pilot told the Little Prince, “Yes, whether it’s a house, stars, or the desert, what makes them beautiful is invisible.” The Little Prince said, “I’m glad you agree with my fox friend.” Then the Little Prince fell asleep. The pilot held him in his arms and continued walking. “I felt deeply moved, as if I were holding a fragile treasure. I even thought that there was nothing more fragile on Earth than this. In the moonlight, I looked at his pale forehead, his closed eyes, and the strands of hair trembling in the wind. I told myself that what I was seeing was just a body. The most important things are invisible.”

There’s an important description next: “What touched me most about the sleeping Little Prince was his loyalty to his rose. The image of the rose was like a flame glowing within him, even while he slept.” This is what the Little Prince teaches us: 37:31

the last key word—loyalty. When the Little Prince understood that his rose was unique because he had invested time and love in her, he realized that even if there were 5,000 other roses that looked just like her, or even 10,000 more roses in the world, they held no value to him. He only cared about his own rose. This is loyalty. A loyal relationship means a serious, long-term, and stable commitment. The Little Prince didn’t fall in love with any other rose. When you choose to be loyal, the price you’re willing to pay defines who you become. So, what is the Little Prince’s choice? Let’s continue, as the story reaches its climax. At dawn, the Little Prince and the pilot finally found a well. This well didn’t seem like a typical one in the Sahara Desert—it felt like a dream. They pulled the rope, and the pulley creaked as if it were waking up from a deep sleep. The Little Prince said, “Listen, we’ve awakened the well, and it’s singing.” Slowly, the pilot pulled the bucket to the edge of the well. On the trembling surface of the water, he saw the reflection of the sun. It was beautiful. Then the Little Prince said, “I want to drink this water, give me some.” The pilot suddenly understood what the Little Prince had been searching for. What was it? As the Little Prince closed his eyes and drank, the water tasted sweet, like a holiday. This water was different from any other—it was born from their long journey under the stars, the song of the pulley, and the effort of their hands. You see, it’s the time, the emotion, and the struggle that make things different when we truly grow. “This water is good for the soul. It’s like a gift,” the Little Prince said. “People in your world grow 5,000 roses in one garden and still don’t find what they’re looking for.” That’s because they’re not really searching. Yes, what they’re looking for could be found in a single rose or a little water. Why is there a difference? Because the eyes are blind—you must search with your heart. They drank the water and began to rest, regaining their strength. Everything seemed peaceful. But the pilot said, “Why do I feel a little sad?” Here, the story takes a turn. Sensitive readers will notice that a sense of sadness is beginning to fill the air.

The Little Prince sat down beside the pilot and softly said, “You have to keep your promise. Keeping promises is the first rule of loyalty—it’s called a promise.” “What promise?” I asked. The Little Prince replied, “You know, you have to draw a muzzle for my sheep, so it won’t eat my rose. I have to take care of my rose. I’m responsible for her.” This brings us to the second condition of loyalty: 40:13

responsibility.

For some reason, the pilot felt an unusual sadness. Sensitive readers, did you notice what the Little Prince was trying to tell the pilot? Yes, it was a farewell. After all his travels, meeting so many different people, the Little Prince had been searching for an answer: 40:44

"I love my rose deeply, but why am I unhappy?" So the Little Prince left his rose. But now that he had learned what it means to be unique and to truly grow, he wanted to return to his asteroid B612. He was saying goodbye to the pilot. He reminded him, “Don’t forget to draw the muzzle for my sheep because I am responsible for my rose.” The Little Prince was trying to find a way to return to his rose, even though he didn’t know exactly how. Then the pilot said, “Suddenly, a question came to my mind. On the morning eight days ago, when I first met you, you were walking alone, far from any inhabited place. That wasn’t a chance meeting, was it? You were trying to return to the place where you landed.” The Little Prince blushed. When someone’s thoughts are guessed, they blush. So, once again, it was time for goodbyes.

The pilot thought of the fox. After reading this book, we all think of the fox. Why? Because if we’ve been tamed, parting will bring tears. When real feelings are involved, saying goodbye becomes one of the hardest choices. This brings us to the third condition of loyalty: 41:57

choice. We’ve talked about three conditions. What is the price of loyalty? First, you must keep your promises. Second, you must take responsibility for those promises. And third, you must make choices because responsibility always involves some sacrifice. What was the Little Prince’s choice? Let’s continue. Near the well, there was an old, abandoned stone wall. The next evening, after finishing his work, the pilot returned to the wall. From a distance, the pilot saw the Little Prince sitting on top of the stone wall, his legs dangling in the air, and he heard him speaking. The Little Prince said, “You don’t remember—this isn’t exactly the right place.” But who was the Little Prince talking to? Certainly not the pilot. Then the pilot heard another voice respond, “Yes, yes, the day is right, but the place isn’t here.” The pilot couldn’t see anyone and didn’t know where the voice was coming from. After a moment of silence, he heard the Little Prince say, “Do you have good poison? Are you sure it won’t hurt me too much?” The pilot froze, his heart tightening, but he still didn’t fully understand what the Little Prince was talking about. Dear reader, do you understand what’s happening? By now, you’ve followed the story from the beginning to this point. Who is the Little Prince talking to? Yes, it’s the snake. The same snake that had venom, the one that had appeared before like a mysterious prophet, telling the Little Prince that it could send him far, far away, solving all the mysteries. The snake had returned. What does this mean? The pilot looked around the corner of the wall and was startled to see a yellow snake standing upright in front of the Little Prince. This type of snake’s venom could kill a person in 30 seconds. The pilot began to run toward them, fumbling for his gun. But upon hearing the pilot’s voice, the snake slipped silently into the sand, like a falling drop of water, disappearing without hurry. The pilot rushed to the Little Prince’s side and found his face pale and frightening. He picked him up in his arms, saying, “What’s going on? Were you talking to the snake?” What had happened to the Little Prince?“I felt something extraordinary happening,” the pilot recalled. “I held him tightly in my arms, like holding a baby, but he seemed to be slipping away, like falling into an endless abyss that I couldn’t stop. His heartbeat was like a bird shot down in its last moments. Then he said to me, ‘I’m glad you’ve fixed your engine. You’ll be able to go home soon.’” “How do you know?” the pilot wondered, just about to tell the Little Prince that he had finally fixed his plane, though he had nearly lost hope. But the Little Prince continued, “I’m going home today too.” At this point, we understand—this is the Little Prince’s farewell to the pilot and to Earth. He had chosen to let the snake bite him, believing this was the way to return to his rose, to return to his asteroid B612. Was this the right choice? No one knows. After being bitten by the snake, he would certainly die, but would his soul return to his rose? This is a mystery. But the Little Prince believed that only by doing this could he go back to his rose. The Little Prince’s journey was nearing its end. The pilot said goodbye to the Little Prince, saying, “Dear little man, I can’t bear the thought of never hearing your laughter again.” But the Little Prince replied, “Tonight, it will be exactly one year.” It had almost been a full year since he left his planet and his rose, and he had decided it was time to return. He said, “People have different stars. For travellers, stars are guides. For others, they’re just tiny lights. For scholars, they’re subjects of study. For the businessman I met, stars are gold. But all these stars remain silent. But for you,” the Little Prince said to the pilot, “you will have something different. You will have stars that can laugh.” What does that mean? Because the Little Prince and the pilot had tamed each other, they were friends. When you look up at the stars at night, because I will be living on one of them, because I will be laughing on one of them, it will seem to you as if all the stars are laughing. You will have stars that know how to laugh. For those of us who have read *The Little Prince*, if we have been “tamed” by this book, when we look up at the stars during a night walk, we will feel something different. We will have become unique, unlike the people who have never read *The Little Prince*. The Little Prince smiled and said, “The pain will pass. When you are no longer sad, you will be glad to have known me.” This was the moment of their final goodbye. The Little Prince took the pilot’s hand and said, “It will look as if I’ve died, but that won’t be true.” The pilot remained silent. The Little Prince added, “You understand. The journey is too long. I can’t take this body with me—it’s too heavy.” The pilot still said nothing. The Little Prince went on, “It will be like shedding an old shell. Old shells aren’t worth being sad over.” The pilot remained silent. Saint-Exupéry wrote three moments of silence here. Why? When you repeat a detail, like a refrain, it gains special meaning. You understand that behind this silence lies great sorrow. So, the Little Prince began to feel discouraged. He had tried to comfort his friend during their farewell, but it didn’t seem to work. So, the Little Prince said, “You know, it’s a good thing. I will look up at the stars too. Every star will have a well and a rusty pulley. Every star will give me water to drink.” He continued trying to console the pilot, but the pilot remained silent.“How fun it will be. You will have 500 million little bells, and I will have 500 million springs of fresh water.” Then the Little Prince said nothing more because he had started to cry. And then, nothing happened—only a flash of yellow near the Little Prince’s ankle. He stood there motionless for a moment. He didn’t cry out. Like a tree, he slowly fell to the ground, and because of the sand, he didn’t even make a sound. This was the moment the Little Prince left Earth, or more precisely, left life itself. Many readers, when they reach this part of the story, can’t believe it. So they keep asking, “Did the Little Prince really die?” Saint-Exupéry, the author, doesn’t give a clear answer—did he return to asteroid B612? Did he reunite with his rose? At this moment, it seems like the end of life, and it’s a profound challenge that we all must face. The most confusing and sorrowful thing is not necessarily losing a loved one, not earning enough money, or not visiting a place you’ve long dreamed of, but watching the person you love most and can’t bear to part with say goodbye to the world. This is called a final farewell. What does a final farewell mean? It means that, whether you want it or not, you will never see that person again. This kind of loss is a devastating blow because it’s irreversible.

We often struggle with questions like: why was someone here yesterday, but gone today? Why was someone with me last year, but not anymore this year? Why did someone love me once, but now they’ve left me? After reading *The Little Prince*, we realize that this book is far from simple. It explores a deep truth: life is limited. Since life is so limited, we must live each day well. But how do we live each day well? We must grapple with questions like: 49:56

Who is the most important person in my life? What is the most important thing in my life? And how should I spend my time with this most important person and on this most important thing to live a fulfilling life? In the book, the Little Prince tamed his rose with all his heart, and because of that, the universe had a beautiful love. The fox tamed the Little Prince, so the color of wheat became special to him, and they both learned what friendship truly means. And through the taming between the pilot and the Little Prince, they understood that, because of their deep bond, every star in the sky became unique—different from what they were before.

There is a very moving line in the book that says, “The mystery may lie here.” Why do we love *The Little Prince* so much? and why has it touched so many? For those of us who love *The Little Prince*, the answer is this: if somewhere, in a place we don’t know, there is a sheep we don’t recognize, and it may or may not have eaten a rose, the entire universe would be different. Look up at the sky, and ask yourself: 51:01

did that sheep eat the flower? You’ll realize everything has changed. The Little Prince appeared on Earth and then disappeared, but some things were forever changed by his presence. No adult will ever truly understand how important this is. Saint-Exupéry criticizes adults again here. Throughout the book, what are adults portrayed as? They’re busy, their hearts have died, they are numb, incapable of connecting with others, and unable to recognize what is truly important. So why did Saint-Exupéry write *The Little Prince*, and why did he arrange the ending this way? To understand that, we have to go back to the historical context. When life approaches its end, and when even eternal things seem to fade, what should we do to live well? Saint-Exupéry wrote *The Little Prince* during World War II. What did that mean? It meant the world was engulfed in war. He was a pilot who had flown many missions, but after retiring, he took up a job flying mail to people. Saint-Exupéry said delivering mail brought him far more joy than flying missions. Why? Because when you deliver mail, what you bring is happiness. But what does war bring? Endless pain. This shows what a kind person he was. But during World War II, we know that Germany occupied France, and Saint-Exupéry was forced into exile in the United States. It was during his time in exile that he wrote *The Little Prince*, which was first published in the U.S. Saint-Exupéry deeply loved his homeland and peace. So, at the age of 43, he gave up his relatively safe life and rejoined the fight against the Germans. He became a pilot again and was stationed in North Africa. On July 31, 1944, Saint-Exupéry flew over southern France on a mission, and like the Little Prince, he disappeared into the sky, never to return. His plane was never found, and neither was his body. Many people didn’t want to believe he had died and instead said that, like the Little Prince, he had returned to his own planet. After finishing this book, we realize that everything is fleeting. The Little Prince will die, the rose will die, the fox will die, and even Saint-Exupéry is no longer with us. It’s because life is short that it becomes so important. Even in today’s world, people still feel lonely, insecure, and struggle with being loyal. We often feel burdened by responsibilities, which makes us unhappy and causes us pain. So where is the solution? In my view, perhaps the author wanted to tell us that because the world can be so harsh, and because life can become so difficult, people need dreams, deep emotions, and the act of taming one another more than ever. Only through these things can we find the strength to keep going. And what is the path forward? Perhaps it lies in learning to understand ourselves, to recognize the essence of life, and to discover the true value of love. Only then can we live out the important parts of our limited lives.