How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
“Eh? Are you still there? Five-hundred-and-one million—I can’t stop… I have so much to do! I am concerned with matters of consequence. I don’t amuse myself with balderdash. Two and five make seven…” (13.5)
The businessman, who is counting the stars, keeps persevering with his task. He’s millions of stars in. He thinks what he’s doing is super important and that everything else is “balderdash.” Ironically, though, by paying attention to something like this he misses out on other really important things, like human interaction. What’s really “balderdash” in this scenario?
Quote #8
“I wonder,” he said, “whether the stars are set alight in heaven so that one day each one of us may find his own again… Look at my planet. It is right there above us. But how far away it is!” (17.11)
It’s hard to figure out exactly why the stars are in the sky, isn’t it? That’s one of the great universal mysteries. The prince gives us an intriguing reason for them here—you can follow the stars to find your way back home.
Quote #9
“It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important.”
“It is the time I have wasted for my rose—” said the little prince, so that he would be sure to remember. (21.60-61)
Not all of us can remember something—whether it’s a fact or a phone number—just by hearing it one time. The more important this thing is, the more essential it becomes to make sure you hold on to it. The prince holds on by repeating. Repeating helps him make sure he’s got the important thing safely recorded.