Once when I was six years old I saw a magnificent picture in a book , called True Stories from Nature , about the primeval forest . It was a picture of a boa constrictor in the act of swallowing an animal . Here is a copy of the drawing . In the book it said : " Boa constrictors swallow their prey whole , without chewing it . After that they are not able to move , and they sleep through the six months that they need for digestion . " I pondered deeply , then , over the adventures of the jungle . And after some work with a colored pencil I succeeded in making my first drawing . My Drawing Number One . It looked like this : I showed my masterpiece to the grown - ups , and asked them whether the drawing frightened them . But they answered : " Frighten ? Why should any one be frightened by a hat ? " My drawing was not a picture of a hat . It was a picture of a boa constrictor digesting an elephant . But since the grown - ups were not able to understand it , I made another drawing : I drew the inside of the boa constrictor , so that the grown - ups could see it clearly . They always need to have things explained . My Drawing Number Two looked like this : The grown - ups ' response , this time , was to advise me to lay aside my drawings of boa constrictors , whether from the inside or the outside , and devote myself instead to geography , history , arithmetic and grammar . That is why , at the age of six , I gave up what might have been a magnificent career as a painter . I had been disheartened by the failure of my Drawing Number One and my Drawing Number Two . Grown - ups never understand anything by themselves , and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them . So then I chose another profession , and learned to pilot airplanes . I have flown a little over all parts of the world ; and it is true that geography has been very useful to me . At a glance I can distinguish China from Arizona . If one gets lost in the night , such knowledge is valuable . In the course of this life I have had a great many encounters with a great many people who have been concerned with matters of consequence . I have lived a great deal among grown - ups . I have seen them intimately , close at hand . And that hasn ' t much improved my opinion of them . Whenever I met one of them who seemed to me at all clear - sighted , I tried the experiment of showing him my Drawing Number One , which I have always kept . I would try to find out , so , if this was a person of true understanding . But , whoever it was , he , or she , would always say : " That is a hat . " Then I would never talk to that person about boa constrictors , or primeval forests , or stars . I would bring myself down to his level . I would talk to him about bridge , and golf , and politics , and neckties . And the grown - up would be greatly pleased to have met such a sensible man . So I lived my life alone , without anyone that I could really talk to , until I had an accident with my plane in the Desert of Sahara , six years ago . Something was broken in my engine . And as I had with me neither a mechanic nor any passengers , I set myself to attempt the difficult repairs all alone . It was a question of life or death for me : I had scarcely enough drinking water to last a week . The first night , then , I went to sleep on the sand , a thousand miles from any human habitation . I was more isolated than a shipwrecked sailor on a raft in the middle of the ocean . Thus you can imagine my amazement , at sunrise , when I was awakened by an odd little voice . It said : " If you please -- draw me a sheep ! " " What ! "" Draw me a sheep ! " I jumped to my feet , completely thunderstruck . I blinked my eyes hard . I looked carefully all around me . And I saw a most extraordinary small person , who stood there examining me with great seriousness . Here you may see the best potrait that , later , I was able to make of him . But my drawing is certainly very much less charming than its model . That , however , is not my fault . The grown - ups discouraged me in my painter ' s career when I was six years old , and I never learned to draw anything , except boas from the outside and boas from the inside . Now I stared at this sudden apparition with my eyes fairly starting out of my head in astonishment . Remember , I had crashed in the desert a thousand miles from any inhabited region . And yet my little man seemed neither to be straying uncertainly among the sands , nor to be fainting from fatigue or hunger or thirst or fear . Nothing about him gave any suggestion of a child lost in the middle of the desert , a thousand miles from any human habitation . When at last I was able to speak , I said to him : " But -- what are you doing here ? " And in answer he repeated , very slowly , as if he were speaking of a matter of great consequence : " If you please -- draw me a sheep . .." When a mystery is too overpowering , one dare not disobey . Absurd as it might seem to me , a thousand miles from any human habitation and in danger of death , I took out of my pocket a sheet of paper and my fountain - pen . But then I remembered how my studies had been concentrated on geography , history , arithmetic , and grammar , and I told the little chap ( a little crossly , too ) that I did not know how to draw . He answered me : " That doesn ' t matter . Draw me a sheep . .." But I had never drawn a sheep . So I drew for him one of the two pictures I had drawn so often . It was that of the boa constrictor from the outside . And I was astounded to hear the little fellow greet it with , " No , no , no ! I do not want an elephant inside a boa constrictor . A boa constrictor is a very dangerous creature , and an elephant is very cumbersome . Where I live , everything is very small . What I need is a sheep . Draw me a sheep . " So then I made a drawing . He looked at it carefully , then he said : " No . This sheep is already very sickly . Make me another . " So I made another drawing . My friend smiled gently and indulgenty . " You see yourself , " he said , " that this is not a sheep . This is a ram . It has horns . " So then I did my drawing over once more . But it was rejected too , just like the others . " This one is too old . I want a sheep that will live a long time . " By this time my patience was exhausted , because I was in a hurry to start taking my engine apart . So I tossed off this drawing . And I threw out an explanation with it . " This is only his box . The sheep you asked for is inside . " I was very surprised to see a light break over the face of my young judge : " That is exactly the way I wanted it ! Do you think that this sheep will have to have a great deal of grass ? " " Why ? "" Because where I live everything is very small . .." " There will surely be enough grass for him , " I said . " It is a very small sheep that I have given you . " He bent his head over the drawing : " Not so small that -- Look ! He has gone to sleep . .." And that is how I made the acquaintance of the little prince . < 3 > It took me a long time to learn where he came from . The little prince , who asked me so many questions , never seemed to hear the ones I asked him . It was from words dropped by chance that , little by little , everything was revealed to me . The first time he saw my airplane , for instance ( I shall not draw my airplane ; that would be much too complicated for me ) , he asked me : " What is that object ? " " That is not an object . It flies . It is an airplane . It is my airplane . " And I was proud to have him learn that I could fly . He cried out , then : " What ! You dropped down from the sky ? " " Yes , " I answered , modestly . " Oh ! That is funny ! " And the little prince broke into a lovely peal of laughter , which irritated me very much . I like my misfortunes to be taken seriously . Then he added : " So you , too , come from the sky ! Which is your planet ? " At that moment I caught a gleam of light in the impenetrable mystery of his presence ; and I demanded , abruptly : " Do you come from another planet ? " But he did not reply . He tossed his head gently , without taking his eyes from my plane : " It is true that on that you can ' t have come from very far away . .." And he sank into a reverie , which lasted a long time . Then , taking my sheep out of his pocket , he buried himself in the contemplation of his treasure . You can imagine how my curiosity was aroused by this half - confidence about the " other planets . " I made a great effort , therefore , to find out more on this subject . " My little man , where do you come from ? What is this ' where I live , ' of which you speak ? Where do you want to take your sheep ? " After a reflective silence he answered : " The thing that is so good about the box you have given me is that at night he can use it as his house . " " That is so . And if you are good I will give you a string , too , so that you can tie him during the day , and a post to tie him to . " But the little prince seemed shocked by this offer : " Tie him ! What a queer idea ! " " But if you don ' t tie him , " I said , " he will wander off somewhere , and get lost . " My friend broke into another peal of laughter : " But where do you think he would go ? " " Anywhere . Straight ahead of him . " Then the little prince said , earnestly : " That doesn ' t matter . Where I live , everything is so small ! " And , with perhaps a hint of sadness , he added : " Straight ahead of him , nobody can go very far . .." < 4 > I had thus learned a second fact of great importance : this was that the planet the little prince came from was scarcely any larger than a house ! 　 But that did not really surprise me much . I knew very well that in addition to the great planets -- such as the Earth , Jupiter , Mars , Venus -- to which we have given names , there are also hundreds of others , some of which are so small that one has a hard t ime seeing them through the telescope . When an astronomer discovers one of these he does not give it a name , but only a number . He might call it , for example , " Asteroid 325 . " I have serious reason to believe that the planet from which the little prince came is the asteroid known as B - 612 . This asteroid has only once been seen through the telescope . That was by a Turkish astronomer , in 1909 . On making his discovery , the astronomer had presented it to the International Astronomical Congress , in a great demonstration . But he was in Turkish costume , and so nobody would believe what he said . Grown - ups are like that . .. Fortunately , however , for the reputation of Asteroid B - 612 , a Turkish dictator made a law that his subjects , under pain of death , should change to European costume . So in 1920 the astronomer gave his demonstration all over again , dressed with impressive style and elegance . And this time everybody accepted his report . If I have told you these details about the asteroid , and made a note of its number for you , it is on account of the grown - ups and their ways . When you tell them that you have made a new friend , they never ask you any questions about essential matters . T hey never say to you , " What does his voice sound like ? What games does he love best ? Does he collect butterflies ? " Instead , they demand : " How old is he ? How many brothers has 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 . If you were to say to the grown - ups : " I saw a beautiful house made of rosy brick , with geraniums in the windows and doves on the roof , " they would not be able to get any idea of that house at all . You would have to say to them : " I saw a house that cost $ 20 , 000 . " Then they would exclaim : " Oh , what a pretty house that is ! " Just so , you might say to them : " The proof that the little prince existed is that he was charming , that he laughed , and that he was looking for a sheep . If anybody wants a sheep , that is a proof that he exists . " And what good would it do to tell them th at ? They would shrug their shoulders , and treat you like a child . But if you said to them : " The planet he came from is Asteroid B - 612 , " then they would be convinced , and leave you in peace from their questions . They are like that . One must not hold it against them . Children should always show great forbearance toward grown - up people . But certainly , for us who understand life , figures are a matter of indifference . I should have liked to begin this story in the fashion of the fairy - tales . I should have like to say : " Once upon a time there was a little prince who lived on a planet that was scarcely any bigger than himself , and who had need of a sheep . .." To those who understand life , that would have given a much greater air of truth to my story . For I do not want any one to read my book carelessly . I have suffered too much grief in setting down these memories . Six years have already passed since my friend went away from me , with his sheep . If I try to describe him here , it is to make sure that I shall not forget him . To forget a friend is sad . Not every one has had a friend . And if I forget him , I may become like the grown - ups who are no longer interested in anything but figures . .. It is for that purpose , again , that I have bought a box of paints and some pencils . It is hard to take up drawing again at my age , when I have never made any pictures except those of the boa constrictor from the outside and the boa constrictor from the i nside , since I was six . I shall certainly try to make my portraits as true to life as possible . But I am not at all sure of success . One drawing goes along all right , and another has no resemblance to its subject . I make some errors , too , in the littl e prince ' s height : in one place he is too tall and in another too short . And I feel some doubts about the color of his costume . So I fumble along as best I can , now good , now bad , and I hope generally fair - to - middling . In certain more important details I shall make mistakes , also . But that is something that will not be my fault . My friend never explained anything to me . He thought , perhaps , that I was like himself . But I , alas , do not know how to see sheep through t he walls of boxes . Perhaps I am a little like the grown - ups . I have had to grow old . < 5 > As each day passed I would learn , in our talk , something about the little prince ' s planet , his departure from it , his journey . The information would come very slowly , as it might chance to fall from his thoughts . It was in this way that I heard , on the third day , about the catastrophe of the baobabs . This time , once more , I had the sheep to thank for it . For the little prince asked me abruptly -- as if seized by a grave doubt -- " It is true , isn ' t it , that sheep eat little bushes ? " " Yes , that is true . " " Ah ! I am glad ! " I did not understand why it was so important that sheep should eat little bushes . But the little prince added : " Then it follows that they also eat baobabs ? " I pointed out to the little prince that baobabs were not little bushes , but , on the contrary , trees as big as castles ; and that even if he took a whole herd of elephants away with him , the herd would not eat up one single baobab . The idea of the herd of elephants made the little prince laugh . " We would have to put them one on top of the other , " he said . But he made a wise comment : " Before they grow so big , the baobabs start out by being little . " " That is strictly correct , " I said . " But why do you want the sheep to eat the little baobabs ? " He answered me at once , " Oh , come , come ! ", as if he were speaking of something that was self - evident . And I was obliged to make a great mental effort to solve this problem , without any assistance . Indeed , as I learned , there were on the planet where the little prince lived -- as on all planets -- good plants and bad plants . In consequence , there were good seeds from good plants , and bad seeds from bad plants . But seeds are invisible . They sleep deep in the heart of the earth ' s darkness , until some one among them is seized with the desire to awaken . Then this little seed will stretch itself and begin -- timidly at first -- to push a charming little sprig inoffensively upward toward the sun . If it is only a sprout of radish or the sprig of a rose - bush , one would let it grow wherever it might wish . But when it is a bad plant , one must destroy it as soon as possible , the very first instant that one recognizes it . Now there were some terrible seeds on the planet that was the home of the little prince ; and these were the seeds of the baobab . The soil of that planet was infested with them . A baobab is something you will never , never be able to get rid of if you attend to it too late . It spreads over the entire planet . It bores clear through it with its roots . And if the planet is too small , and the baobabs are too many , they split it in pieces . .. " It is a question of discipline , " the little prince said to me later on . " When you ' ve finished your own toilet in the morning , then it is time to attend to the toilet of your planet , just so , with the greatest care . You must see to it that you pull up regularly all the baobabs , at the very first moment when they can be distinguished from the rosebushes which they resemble so closely in their earliest youth . It is very tedious work , " the little prince added , " but very easy . " And one day he said to me : " You ought to make a beautiful drawing , so that the children where you live can see exactly how all this is . That would be very useful to them if they were to travel some day . Sometimes , " he added , " there is no harm in putting off a piece of work until another day . But when it is a matter of baobabs , that always means a catastrophe . I knew a planet that was inhabited by a lazy man . He neglected three little bushes . .." So , as the little prince described it to me , I have made a drawing of that planet . I do not much like to take the tone of a moralist . But the danger of the baobabs is so little understood , and such considerable risks would be run by anyone who might get lost on an asteroid , that for once I am breaking through my reserve . " Children , " I say plainly , " watch out for the baobabs ! " My friends , like myself , have been skirting this danger for a long time , without ever knowing it ; and so it is for them that I have worked so hard over this drawing . The lesson which I pass on by this means is worth all the trouble it has cost me . Perhaps you will ask me , " Why are there no other drawing in this book as magnificent and impressive as this drawing of the baobabs ? " The reply is simple . I have tried . But with the others I have not been successful . When I made the drawing of the baobabs I was carried beyond myself by the inspiring force of urgent necessity . < 6 > Oh , little prince ! Bit by bit I came to understand the secrets of your sad little life . .. For a long time you had found your only entertainment in the quiet pleasure of looking at the sunset . I learned that new detail on the morning of the fourth day , w hen you said to me : " I am very fond of sunsets . Come , let us go look at a sunset now . " " But we must wait , " I said . " Wait ? For what ? " " For the sunset . We must wait until it is time . " At first you seemed to be very much surprised . And then you laughed to yourself . You said to me : " I am always thinking that I am at home ! " Just so . Everybody knows that when it is noon in the United States the sun is setting over France . If you could fly to France in one minute , you could go straight into the sunset , right from noon . Unfortunately , France is too far away for that . But on your tiny planet , my little prince , all you need do is move your chair a few steps . You can see the day end and the twilight falling whenever you like . .." One day , " you said to me , " I saw the sunset forty - four times ! " And a little later you added : " You know -- one loves the sunset , when one is so sad . .." " Were you so sad , then ? " I asked , " on the day of the forty - four sunsets ? " But the little prince made no reply . < 7 >　 On the fifth day -- again , as always , it was thanks to the sheep -- the secret of the little prince ' s life was revealed to me . Abruptly , without anything to lead up to it , and as if the question had been born of long and silent meditation on his problem , he demanded : " A sheep -- if it eats little bushes , does it eat flowers , too ? " " A sheep , " I answered , " eats anything it finds in its reach . " " Even flowers that have thorns ? " " Yes , even flowers that have thorns . " " Then the thorns -- what use are they ? " I did not know . At that moment I was very busy trying to unscrew a bolt that had got stuck in my engine . I was very much worried , for it was becoming clear to me that the breakdown of my plane was extremely serious . And I had so little drinking - water left that I had to fear for the worst . " The thorns -- what use are they ? " The little prince never let go of a question , once he had asked it . As for me , I was upset over that bolt . And I answered with the first thing that came into my head : " The thorns are of no use at all . Flowers have thorns just for spite ! " " Oh ! " There was a moment of complete silence . Then the little prince flashed back at me , with a kind of resentfulness : " I don ' t believe you ! Flowers are weak creatures . They are naive . They reassure themselves as best they can . They believe that their thorns are terrible weapons . .." I did not answer . At that instant I was saying to myself : " If this bolt still won ' t turn , I am going to knock it out with the hammer . " Again the little prince disturbed my thoughts . " And you actually believe that the flowers --" " Oh , no ! " I cried . " No , no no ! I don ' t believe anything . I answered you with the first thing that came into my head . Don ' t you see -- I am very busy with matters of consequence ! " He stared at me , thunderstruck . " Matters of consequence ! " He looked at me there , with my hammer in my hand , my fingers black with engine - grease , bending down over an object which seemed to him extremely ugly . .. " You talk just like the grown - ups ! " That made me a little ashamed . But he went on , relentlessly : " You mix everything up together . .. You confuse everything . .." He was really very angry . He tossed his golden curls in the breeze . " I know a planet where there is a certain red - faced gentleman . He has never smelled a flower . He has never looked at a star . He has never loved any one . He has never done anything in his life but add up figures . And all day he says over and over , just like you : ' I am busy with matters of consequence ! ' And that makes him swell up with pride . But he is not a man -- he is a mushroom ! " " A what ? " " A mushroom ! " The little prince was now white with rage . " The flowers have been growing thorns for millions of years . For millions of years the sheep have been eating them just the same . And is it not a matter of consequence to try to understand why the flowers go to so much trouble to grow thorns which are never of any use to them ? Is the warfare between the sheep and the flowers not important ? Is this not of more consequence than a fat red - faced gentleman ' s sums ? And if I know -- I , myself -- one flower which is unique in the world , which grows nowhere but on my planet , but which one little sheep can destroy in a single bite some morning , without even noticing what he is doing -- Oh ! You think that is not important ! " His face turned from white to red as he continued : " If some one loves a flower , of which just one single blossom grows in all the millions and millions of stars , it is enough to make him happy just to look at the stars . He can say to himself , ' Somewhere , my flower is there . ..' But if the sheep eats the flower , in one moment all his stars will be darkened . .. And you think that is not important ! " He could not say anything more . His words were choked by sobbing . The night had fallen . I had let my tools drop from my hands . Of what moment now was my hammer , my bolt , or thirst , or death ? On one star , one planet , my planet , the Earth , there was a little prince to be comforted . I took him in my arms , and rocked him . I said to him : " The flower that you love is not in danger . I will draw you a muzzle for your sheep . I will draw you a railing to put around your flower . I will --" I did not know what to say to him . I felt awkward and blundering . I did not know how I could reach him , where I could overtake him and go on hand in hand with him once more . It is such a secret place , the land of tears . < 8 > I soon learned to know this flower better . On the little prince ' s planet the flowers had always been very simple . They had only one ring of petals ; they took up no room at all ; they were a trouble to nobody . One morning they would appear in the grass , and by night they would have faded peacefully away . But one day , from a seed blown from no one knew where , a new flower had come up ; and the little prince had watched very closely over this small sprout which was not like any other small sprouts on his planet . It might , you see , have been a new kind of baobab . The shrub soon stopped growing , and began to get ready to produce a flower . The little prince , who was present at the first appearance of a huge bud , felt at once that some sort of miraculous apparition must emerge from it . But the flower was not satisfied to complete the preparations for her beauty in the shelter of her green chamber . She chose her colours with the greatest care . She adjusted her petals one by one . She did not wish to go out into the world all rumpled , like the field poppies . It was only in the full radiance of her beauty that she wished to appear . Oh , yes ! She was a coquettish creature ! And her mysterious adornment lasted for days and days . Then one morning , exactly at sunrise , she suddenly showed herself . And , after working with all this painstaking precision , she yawned and said : " Ah ! I am scarcely awake . I beg that you will excuse me . My petals are still all disarranged . .." But the little prince could not restrain his admiration : " Oh ! How beautiful you are ! " " Am I not ? " the flower responded , sweetly . " And I was born at the same moment as the sun . .." The little prince could guess easily enough that she was not any too modest -- but how moving -- and exciting -- she was ! " I think it is time for breakfast , " she added an instant later . " If you would have the kindness to think of my needs --" And the little prince , completely abashed , went to look for a sprinkling - can of fresh water . So , he tended the flower . 　 So , too , she began very quickly to torment him with her vanity -- which was , if the truth be known , a little difficult to deal with . One day , for instance , when she was speaking of her four thorns , she said to the little prince : " Let the tigers come with their claws ! " " There are no tigers on my planet , " the little prince objected . " And , anyway , tigers do not eat weeds . " " I am not a weed , " the flower replied , sweetly . " Please excuse me . .." " I am not at all afraid of tigers , " she went on , " but I have a horror of drafts . I suppose you wouldn ' t have a screen for me ? " " A horror of drafts -- that is bad luck , for a plant , " remarked the little prince , and added to himself , " This flower is a very complex creature . .." " At night I want you to put me under a glass globe . It is very cold where you live . In the place I came from --" But she interrupted herself at that point . She had come in the form of a seed . She could not have known anything of any other worlds . Embarassed over having let herself be caught on the verge of such a na ? e untruth , she coughed two or three times , in order to put the little prince in the wrong . " The screen ? " " I was just going to look for it when you spoke to me . .." Then she forced her cough a little more so that he should suffer from remorse just the same . So the little prince , in spite of all the good will that was inseparable from his love , had soon come to doubt her . He had taken seriously words which were without importance , and it made him very unhappy . " I ought not to have listened to her , " he confided to me one day . " One never ought to listen to the flowers . One should simply look at them and breathe their fragrance . Mine perfumed all my planet . But I did not know how to take pleasure in all her grace . This tale of claws , which disturbed me so much , should only have filled my heart with tenderness and pity . " And he continued his confidences : " The fact is that I did not know how to understand anything ! I ought to have judged by deeds and not by words . She cast her fragrance and her radiance over me . I ought never to have run away from her . .. I ought to have guessed all the affection that lay behind her poor little strategems . Flowers are so inconsistent ! But I was too young to know how to love her . .." < 9 > I believe that for his escape he took advantage of the migration of a flock of wild birds . On the morning of his departure he put his planet in perfect order . He carefully cleaned out his active volcanoes . He possessed two active volcanoes ; and they were very convenient for heating his breakfast in the morning . He also had one volcano that was extinct . But , as he said , " One never knows ! " So he cleaned out the extinct volcano , too . If they are well cleaned out , volcanoes burn slowly and steadily , without any eruptions . Volcanic eruptions are like fires in a chimney . On our earth we are obviously much too small to clean out our volcanoes . That is why they bring no end of trouble upon us . The little prince also pulled up , with a certain sense of dejection , the last little shoots of the baobabs . He believed that he would never want to return . But on this last morning all these familiar tasks seemed very precious to him . And when he watered the flower for the last time , and prepared to place her under the shelter of her glass globe , he realised that he was very close to tears . " Goodbye , " he said to the flower . But she made no answer . " Goodbye , " he said again . The flower coughed . But it was not because she had a cold . " I have been silly , " she said to him , at last . " I ask your forgiveness . Try to be happy . .." He was surprised by this absence of reproaches . He stood there all bewildered , the glass globe held arrested in mid - air . He did not understand this quiet sweetness . " Of course I love you , " the flower said to him . " It is my fault that you have not known it all the while . That is of no importance . But you -- you have been just as foolish as I . Try to be happy . .. let the glass globe be . I don ' t want it any more . " " But the wind --" " My cold is not so bad as all that . .. the cool night air will do me good . I am a flower . " " But the animals --" " Well , I must endure the presence of two or three caterpillars if I wish to become acquainted with the butterflies . It seems that they are very beautiful . And if not the butterflies -- and the caterpillars -- who will call upon me ? You will be far away . .. as for the large animals -- I am not at all afraid of any of them . I have my claws . " And , na ? ely , she showed her four thorns . Then she added : " Don ' t linger like this . You have decided to go away . Now go ! " For she did not want him to see her crying . She was such a proud flower . ..< 10 > He found himself in the neighborhood of the asteroids 325 , 326 , 327 , 328 , 329 , and 330 . He began , therefore , by visiting them , in order to add to his knowledge . The first of them was inhabited by a king . Clad in royal purple and ermine , he was seated upon a throne which was at the same time both simple and majestic . " Ah ! Here is a subject , " exclaimed the king , when he saw the little prince coming . And the little prince asked himself : " How could he recognize me when he had never seen me before ? " He did not know how the world is simplified for kings . To them , all men are subjects . " Approach , so that I may see you better , " said the king , who felt consumingly proud of being at last a king over somebody . The little prince looked everywhere to find a place to sit down ; but the entire planet was crammed and obstructed by the king ' s magnificent ermine robe . So he remained standing upright , and , since he was tired , he yawned . " It is contrary to etiquette to yawn in the presence of a king , " the monarch said to him . " I forbid you to do so . " " I can ' t help it . I can ' t stop myself , " replied the little prince , thoroughly embarrassed . " I have come on a long journey , and I have had no sleep . .."" Ah , then , " the king said . " I order you to yawn . It is years since I have seen anyone yawning . Yawns , to me , are objects of curiosity . Come , now ! Yawn again ! It is an order . " " That frightens me . .. I cannot , any more . .." murmured the little prince , now completely abashed . " Hum ! Hum ! " replied the king . " Then I -- I order you sometimes to yawn and sometimes to --" He sputtered a little , and seemed vexed . For what the king fundamentally insisted upon was that his authority should be respected . He tolerated no disobedience . He was an absolute monarch . But , because he was a very good man , he made his orders reasonable . " If I ordered a general , " he would say , by way of example , " if I ordered a general to change himself into a sea bird , and if the general did not obey me , that would not be the fault of the general . It would be my fault . " " May I sit down ? " came now a timid inquiry from the little prince . " I order you to do so , " the king answered him , and majestically gathered in a fold of his ermine mantle . But the little prince was wondering . .. The planet was tiny . Over what could this king really rule ? " Sire , " he said to him , " I beg that you will excuse my asking you a question --"" I order you to ask me a question , " the king hastened to assure him . " Sire -- over what do you rule ? " " Over everything , " said the king , with magnificent simplicity . " Over everything ? " The king made a gesture , which took in his planet , the other planets , and all the stars . " Over all that ? " asked the little prince . " Over all that , " the king answered . For his rule was not only absolute : it was also universal . " And the stars obey you ? " " Certainly they do , " the king said . " They obey instantly . I do not permit insubordination . " Such power was a thing for the little prince to marvel at . If he had been master of such complete authority , he would have been able to watch the sunset , not forty - four times in one day , but seventy - two , or even a hundred , or even two hundred times , with out ever having to move his chair . And because he felt a bit sad as he remembered his little planet which he had forsaken , he plucked up his courage to ask the king a favor : " I should like to see a sunset . .. do me that kindness . .. Order the sun to set . .." " If I ordered a general to fly from one flower to another like a butterfly , or to write a tragic drama , or to change himself into a sea bird , and if the general did not carry out the order that he had received , which one of us would be in the wrong ? " the king demanded . " The general , or myself ? " " You , " said the little prince firmly . " Exactly . One much require from each one the duty which each one can perform , " the king went on . " Accepted authority rests first of all on reason . If you ordered your people to go and throw themselves into the sea , they would rise up in revolution . I have the right to require obedience because my orders are reasonable . " " Then my sunset ? " the little prince reminded him : for he never forgot a question once he had asked it . " You shall have your sunset . I shall command it . But , according to my science of government , I shall wait until conditions are favorable . " " When will that be ? " inquired the little prince . " Hum ! Hum ! " replied the king ; and before saying anything else he consulted a bulky almanac . " Hum ! Hum ! That will be about -- about -- that will be this evening about twenty minutes to eight . And you will see how well I am obeyed . " The little prince yawned . He was regretting his lost sunset . And then , too , he was already beginning to be a little bored . " I have nothing more to do here , " he said to the king . " So I shall set out on my way again . " " Do not go , " said the king , who was very proud of having a subject . " Do not go . I will make you a Minister ! " " Minister of what ? " " Minster of -- of Justice ! " " But there is nobody here to judge ! " " We do not know that , " the king said to him . " I have not yet made a complete tour of my kingdom . I am very old . There is no room here for a carriage . And it tires me to walk . " " Oh , but I have looked already ! " said the little prince , turning around to give one more glance to the other side of the planet . On that side , as on this , there was nobody at all . .. " 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 . " " Yes , " said the little prince , " but I can judge myself anywhere . I do not need to live on this planet . " Hum ! Hum ! " said the king . " I have good reason to believe that somewhere on my planet there is an old rat . I hear him at night . You can judge this old rat . From time to time you will condemn him to death . Thus his life will depend on your justice . But you will pardon him on each occasion ; for he must be treated thriftily . He is the only one we have . " " I , " replied the little prince , " do not like to condemn anyone to death . And now I think I will go on my way . " " No , " said the king . But the little prince , having now completed his preparations for departure , had no wish to grieve the old monarch . " If Your Majesty wishes to be promptly obeyed , " he said , " he should be able to give me a reasonable order . He should be able , for example , to order me to be gone by the end of one minute . It seems to me that conditions are favorable . .." As the king made no answer , the little prince hesitated a moment . Then , with a sigh , he took his leave . " I made you my Ambassador , " the king called out , hastily . He had a magnificent air of authority . " The grown - ups are very strange , " the little prince said to himself , as he continued on his journey < 11 > The second planet was inhabited by a conceited man . " Ah ! Ah ! I am about to receive a visit from an admirer ! " he exclaimed from afar , when he first saw the little prince coming . For , to conceited men , all other men are admirers . " Good morning , " said the little prince . " That is a queer hat you are wearing . "" It is a hat for salutes , " the conceited man replied . " It is to raise in salute when people acclaim me . Unfortunately , nobody at all ever passes this way . "" Yes ? " said the little prince , who did not understand what the conceited man was talking about . " Clap your hands , one against the other , " the conceited man now directed him . The little prince clapped his hands . The conceited man raised his hat in a modest salute . " This is more entertaining than the visit to the king , " the little prince said to himself . And he began again to clap his hands , one against the other . The conceited man against raised his hat in salute . After five minutes of this exercise the little prince grew tired of the game ' s monotony . " And what should one do to make the hat come down ? " he asked . But the conceited man did not hear him . Conceited people never hear anything but praise . " Do you really admire me very much ? " he demanded of the little prince . " What does that mean -- ' admire '?" " To admire mean that you regard me as the handsomest , the best - dressed , the richest , and the most intelligent man on this planet . " " But you are the only man on your planet ! " " Do me this kindness . Admire me just the same . " " I admire you , " said the little prince , shrugging his shoulders slightly , " but what is there in that to interest you so much ? " And the little prince went away . " The grown - ups are certainly very odd , " he said to himself , as he continued on his journey . < 12 > The next planet was inhabited by a tippler . This was a very short visit , but it plunged the little prince into deep dejection . " What are you doing there ? " he said to the tippler , whom he found settled down in silence before a collection of empty bottles and also a collection of full bottles . " I am drinking , " replied the tippler , with a lugubrious air . " Why are you drinking ? " demanded the little prince . " So that I may forget , " replied the tippler . " Forget what ? " inquired the little prince , who already was sorry for him . " Forget that I am ashamed , " the tippler confessed , hanging his head . " Ashamed of what ? " insisted the little prince , who wanted to help him . " Ashamed of drinking ! " The tippler brought his speech to an end , and shut himself up in an impregnable silence . And the little prince went away , puzzled . " The grown - ups are certainly very , very odd , " he said to himself , as he continued on his journey . < 13 >　 The fourth planet belonged to a businessman . This man was so much occupied that he did not even raise his head at the little prince ' s arrival . " Good morning , " the little prince said to him . " Your cigarette has gone out . "" Three and two make five . Five and seven make twelve . Twelve and three make fifteen . Good morning . Fifteen and seven make twenty - two . Twenty - two and six make twenty - eight . I haven ' t time to light it again . Twenty - six and five make thirty - one . Phew ! Then that makes five - hundred - and - one - million , six - hundred - twenty - two - thousand , seven - hundred - thirty - one . " " Five hundred million what ? " asked the little prince . " 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 . .." " Five - hundred - and - one million what ? " repeated the little prince , who never in his life had let go of a question once he had asked it . The businessman raised his head . " During the fifty - four years that I have inhabited this planet , I have been disturbed only three times . The first time was twenty - two years ago , when some giddy goose fell from goodness knows where . He made the most frightful noise that resounded all over the place , and I made four mistakes in my addition . The second time , eleven years ago , I was disturbed by an attack of rheumatism . I don ' t get enough exercise . I have no time for loafing . The third time -- well , this is it ! I was saying , then , five - hundred - and - one millions --" " Millions of what ? " The businessman suddenly realized that there was no hope of being left in peace until he answered this question . " Millions of those little objects , " he said , " which one sometimes sees in the sky . "" Flies ? "" Oh , no . Little glittering objects . " " Bees ? "" Oh , no . Little golden objects that set lazy men to idle dreaming . As for me , I am concerned with matters of consequence . There is no time for idle dreaming in my life . " " Ah ! You mean the stars ? " " Yes , that ' s it . The stars . " " And what do you do with five - hundred millions of stars ? " " Five - hundred - and - one million , six - hundred - twenty - two thousand , seven - hundred - thirty - one . I am concerned with matters of consequence : I am accurate . " " And what do you do with these stars ? " " What do I do with them ? " " Yes . "" Nothing . I own them . " " You own the stars ? " " Yes . "" But I have already seen a king who --" " Kings do not own , they reign over . It is a very different matter . " " And what good does it do you to own the stars ? " " It does me the good of making me rich . " " And what good does it do you to be rich ? " " It makes it possible for me to buy more stars , if any are ever discovered . "" This man , " the little prince said to himself , " reasons a little like my poor tippler . .." Nevertheless , he still had some more questions . " How is it possible for one to own the stars ? " " To whom do they belong ? " the businessman retorted , peevishly . " I don ' t know . To nobody . " " Then they belong to me , because I was the first person to think of it . " " Is that all that is necessary ? " " Certainly . When you find a diamond that belongs to nobody , it is yours . When you discover an island that belongs to nobody , it is yours . When you get an idea before any one else , you take out a patent on it : it is yours . So with me : I own the stars , because nobody else before me ever thought of owning them . " " Yes , that is true , " said the little prince . " And what do you do with them ? "" I administer them , " replied the businessman . " I count them and recount them . It is difficult . But I am a man who is naturally interested in matters of consequence . " The little prince was still not satisfied . " If I owned a silk scarf , " he said , " I could put it around my neck and take it away with me . If I owned a flower , I could pluck that flower and take it away with me . But you cannot pluck the stars from heaven . .." " No . But I can put them in the bank . " " Whatever does that mean ? " " That means that I write the number of my stars on a little paper . And then I put this paper in a drawer and lock it with a key . " " And that is all ? " " That is enough , " said the businessman . " It is entertaining , " thought the little prince . " It is rather poetic . But it is of no great consequence . " On matters of consequence , the little prince had ideas which were very different from those of the grown - ups . " I myself own a flower , " he continued his conversation with the businessman , " which I water every day . I own three volcanoes , which I clean out every week ( for I also clean out the one that is extinct ; one never knows ) . It is of some use to my volcanoes , and it is of some use to my flower , that I own them . But you are of no use to the stars . .." The businessman opened his mouth , but he found nothing to say in answer . And the little prince went away . " The grown - ups are certainly altogether extraordinary , " he said simply , talking to himself as he continued on his journey . < 14 > The fifth planet was very strange . It was the smallest of all . There was just enough room on it for a street lamp and a lamplighter . The little prince was not able to reach any explanation of the use of a street lamp and a lamplighter , somewhere in the heavens , on a planet which had no people , and not one house . But he said to himself , nevertheless : " It may well be that this man is absurd . But he is not so absurd as the king , the conceited man , the businessman , and the tippler . For at least his work has some meaning . When he lights his street lamp , it is as if he brought one more star to life , or one flower . When he puts out his lamp , he sends the flower , or the star , to sleep . That is a beautiful occupation . And since it is beautiful , it is truly useful . " When he arrived on the planet he respectfully saluted the lamplighter . " Good morning . Why have you just put out your lamp ? " " Those are the orders , " replied the lamplighter . " Good morning . " " What are the orders ? " " The orders are that I put out my lamp . Good evening . " And he lighted his lamp again . " But why have you just lighted it again ? " " Those are the orders , " replied the lamplighter . " I do not understand , " said the little prince . " There is nothing to understand , " said the lamplighter . " Orders are orders . Good morning . " And he put out his lamp . Then he mopped his forehead with a handkerchief decorated with red squares . " I follow a terrible profession . In the old days it was reasonable . I put the lamp out in the morning , and in the evening I lighted it again . I had the rest of the day for relaxation and the rest of the night for sleep . " " And the orders have been changed since that time ? " " The orders have not been changed , " said the lamplighter . " That is the tragedy ! From year to year the planet has turned more rapidly and the orders have not been changed ! " " Then what ? " asked the little prince . " Then -- the planet now makes a complete turn every minute , and I no longer have a single second for repose . Once every minute I have to light my lamp and put it out ! " " That is very funny ! A day lasts only one minute , here where you live ! " " It is not funny at all ! " said the lamplighter . " While we have been talking together a month has gone by . " " A month ? " " Yes , a month . Thirty minutes . Thirty days . Good evening . " And he lighted his lamp again . As the little prince watched him , he felt that he loved this lamplighter who was so faithful to his orders . He remembered the sunsets which he himself had gone to seek , in other days , merely by pulling up his chair ; and he wanted to help his friend . " You know , " he said , " I can tell you a way you can rest whenever you want to . .." " I always want to rest , " said the lamplighter . For it is possible for a man to be faithful and lazy at the same time . The little prince went on with his explanation : " Your planet is so small that three strides will take you all the way around it . To be always in the sunshine , you need only walk along rather slowly . When you want to rest , you will walk -- and the day will last as long as you like . " " That doesn ' t do me much good , " said the lamplighter . " The one thing I love in life is to sleep . " " Then you ' re unlucky , " said the little prince . " I am unlucky , " said the lamplighter . " Good morning . " And he put out his lamp . " That man , " said the little prince to himself , as he continued farther on his journey , " that man would be scorned by all the others : by the king , by the conceited man , by the tippler , by the businessman . Nevertheless he is the only one of them all who does not seem to me ridiculous . Perhaps that is because he is thinking of something else besides himself . " He breathed a sigh of regret , and said to himself , again : " That man is the only one of them all whom I could have made my friend . But his planet is indeed too small . There is no room on it for two people . .." What the little prince did not dare confess was that he was sorry most of all to leave this planet , because it was blest every day with 1440 sunsets ! < 15 > The sixth planet was ten times larger than the last one . It was inhabited by an old gentleman who wrote voluminous books . " Oh , look ! Here is an explorer ! " he exclaimed to himself when he saw the little prince coming . The little prince sat down on the table and panted a little . He had already traveled so much and so far ! " Where do you come from ? " the old gentleman said to him . " What is that big book ? " said the little prince . " What are you doing ? " " I am a geographer , " the old gentleman said to him . " What is a geographer ? " asked the little prince . " A geographer is a scholar who knows the location of all the seas , rivers , towns , mountains , and deserts . " " That is very interesting , " said the little prince . " Here at last is a man who has a real profession ! " And he cast a look around him at the planet of the geographer . It was the most magnificent and stately planet that he had ever seen . " Your planet is very beautiful , " he said . " Has it any oceans ? " " I couldn ' t tell you , " said the geographer . " Ah ! " The little prince was disappointed . " Has it any mountains ? " " I couldn ' t tell you , " said the geographer . " And towns , and rivers , and deserts ? " " I couldn ' t tell you that , either . " " But you are a geographer ! " " Exactly , " the geographer said . " But I am not an explorer . I haven ' t a single explorer on my planet . It is not the geographer who goes out to count the towns , the rivers , the mountains , the seas , the oceans , and the deserts . The geographer is much too important to go loafing about . He does not leave his desk . But he receives the explorers in his study . He asks them questions , and he notes down what they recall of their travels . And if the recollections of any one among them seem interesting to him , the geographer orders an inquiry into that explorer ' s moral character . " " Why is that ? " " Because an explorer who told lies would bring disaster on the books of the geographer . So would an explorer who drank too much . " " Why is that ? " asked the little prince . " Because intoxicated men see double . Then the geographer would note down two mountains in a place where there was only one . " " I know some one , " said the little prince , " who would make a bad explorer . "" That is possible . Then , when the moral character of the explorer is shown to be good , an inquiry is ordered into his discovery . " " One goes to see it ? " " No . That would be too complicated . But one requires the explorer to furnish proofs . For example , if the discovery in question is that of a large mountain , one requires that large stones be brought back from it . " The geographer was suddenly stirred to excitement . " But you -- you come from far away ! You are an explorer ! You shall describe your planet to me ! " And , having opened his big register , the geographer sharpened his pencil . The recitals of explorers are put down first in pencil . One waits until the explorer has furnished proofs , before putting them down in ink . " Well ? " said the geographer expectantly . " Oh , where I live , " said the little prince , " it is not very interesting . It is all so small . I have three volcanoes . Two volcanoes are active and the other is extinct . But one never knows . " " One never knows , " said the geographer . " I have also a flower . " " We do not record flowers , " said the geographer . " Why is that ? The flower is the most beautiful thing on my planet ! " " We do not record them , " said the geographer , " because they are ephemeral . "" What does that mean -- ' ephemeral '?" " Geographies , " said the geographer , " are the books which , of all books , are most concerned with matters of consequence . They never become old - fashioned . It is very rarely that a mountain changes its position . It is very rarely that an ocean empties itself of its waters . We write of eternal things . " " But extinct volcanoes may come to life again , " the little prince interrupted . " What does that mean -- ' ephemeral '?" " Whether volcanoes are extinct or alive , it comes to the same thing for us , " said the geographer . " The thing that matters to us is the mountain . It does not change . " " But what does that mean -- ' ephemeral '?" repeated the little prince , who never in his life had let go of a question , once he had asked it . " It means , ' which is in danger of speedy disappearance . '" " Is my flower in danger of speedy disappearance ? " " Certainly it is . " " My flower is ephemeral , " the little prince said to himself , " and she has only four thorns to defend herself against the world . And I have left her on my planet , all alone ! " That was his first moment of regret . But he took courage once more . " What place would you advise me to visit now ? " he asked . " The planet Earth , " replied the geographer . " It has a good reputation . " And the little prince went away , thinking of his flower . < 16 > So then the seventh planet was the Earth . The Earth is not just an ordinary planet ! One can count , there 111 kings ( not forgetting , to be sure , the Negro kings among them ) , 7000 geographers , 900 , 000 businessmen , 7 , 500 , 000 tipplers , 311 , 000 , 000 conceited men -- that is to say , about 2 , 000 , 000 , 000 grown - ups . To give you an idea of the size of the Earth , I will tell you that before the invention of electricity it was necessary to maintain , over the whole of the six continents , a veritable army of 462 , 511 lamplighters for the street lamps . Seen from a slight distance , that would make a splendid spectacle . The movements of this army would be regulated like those of the ballet in the opera . First would come the turn of the lamplighters of New Zealand and Australia . Having set their lamps alight , these would go off to sleep . Next , the lamplighters of China and Siberia would enter for their steps in the dance , and then they too would be waved back into the wings . After that would come the turn of the lamplighters of Russia and the Indies ; then those of Africa and Europe , then those of South America ; then those of South America ; then those of North America . And never would they make a mistake in the order of their entry upon the stage . It would be magnificent . Only the man who was in charge of the single lamp at the North Pole , and his colleague who was responsible for the single lamp at the South Pole -- only these two would live free from toil and care : they would be busy twice a year . < 17 > When one wishes to play the wit , he sometimes wanders a little from the truth . I have not been altogether honest in what I have told you about the lamplighters . And I realize that I run the risk of giving a false idea of our planet to those who do not k now it . Men occupy a very small place upon the Earth . If the two billion inhabitants who people its surface were all to stand upright and somewhat crowded together , as they do for some big public assembly , they could easily be put into one public square twenty miles long and twenty miles wide . All humanity could be piled up on a small Pacific islet . The grown - ups , to be sure , will not believe you when you tell them that . They imagine that they fill a great deal of space . They fancy themselves as important as the baobabs . You should advise them , then , to make their own calculations . They adore fig ures , and that will please them . But do not waste your time on this extra task . It is unnecessary . You have , I know , confidence in me . When the little prince arrived on the Earth , he was very much surprised not to see any people . He was beginning to be afraid he had come to the wrong planet , when a coil of gold , the color of the moonlight , flashed across the sand . " Good evening , " said the little prince courteously . " Good evening , " said the snake . " What planet is this on which I have come down ? " asked the little prince . " This is the Earth ; this is Africa , " the snake answered . " Ah ! Then there are no people on the Earth ? " " This is the desert . There are no people in the desert . The Earth is large , " said the snake . The little prince sat down on a stone , and raised his eyes toward the sky . " 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 ! " " It is beautiful , " the snake said . " What has brought you here ? " " I have been having some trouble with a flower , " said the little prince . " Ah ! " said the snake . And they were both silent . " Where are the men ? " the little prince at last took up the conversation again . " It is a little lonely in the desert . .." " It is also lonely among men , " the snake said . The little prince gazed at him for a long time . " You are a funny animal , " he said at last . " You are no thicker than a finger . .." " But I am more powerful than the finger of a king , " said the snake . The little prince smiled . " You are not very powerful . You haven ' t even any feet . You cannot even travel . .." " I can carry you farther than any ship could take you , " said the snake . He twined himself around the little prince ' s ankle , like a golden bracelet . " Whomever I touch , I send back to the earth from whence he came , " the snake spoke again . " But you are innocent and true , and you come from a star . .." The little prince made no reply . " You move me to pity -- you are so weak on this Earth made of granite , " the snake said . " I can help you , some day , if you grow too homesick for your own planet . I can --" " Oh ! I understand you very well , " said the little prince . " But why do you always speak in riddles ? " " I solve them all , " said the snake . And they were both silent . < 18 > The little prince crossed the desert and met with only one flower . It was a flower with three petals , a flower of no account at all . " Good morning , " said the little prince . " Good morning , " said the flower . " Where are the men ? " the little prince asked , politely . The flower had once seen a caravan passing . " Men ? " she echoed . " I think there are six or seven of them in existence . I saw them , several years ago . But one never knows where to find them . The wind blows them away . They have no roots , and that makes their life very difficult . " " Goodbye , " said the little prince . " Goodbye , " said the flower . < 19 > After that , the little prince climbed a high mountain . The only mountains he had ever known were the three volcanoes , which came up to his knees . And he used the extinct volcano as a footstool . " From a mountain as high as this one , " he said to himself , " I shall be able to see the whole planet at one glance , and all the people . .." But he saw nothing , save peaks of rock that were sharpened like needles . " Good morning , " he said courteously . " Good morning -- Good morning -- Good morning , " answered the echo . " Who are you ? " said the little prince . " Who are you -- Who are you -- Who are you ? " answered the echo . " Be my friends . I am all alone , " he said . " I am all alone -- all alone -- all alone , " answered the echo . " What a queer planet ! " he thought . " It is altogether dry , and altogether pointed , and altogether harsh and forbidding . And the people have no imagination . They repeat whatever one says to them . .. On my planet I had a flower ; she always was the first to speak . .." < 20 > But it happened that after walking for a long time through sand , and rocks , and snow , the little prince at last came upon a road . And all roads lead to the abodes of men . " Good morning , " he said . He was standing before a garden , all a - bloom with roses . " Good morning , " said the roses . The little prince gazed at them . They all looked like his flower . " Who are you ? " he demanded , thunderstruck . " We are roses , " the roses said . And he was overcome with sadness . His flower had told him that she was the only one of her kind in all the universe . And here were five thousand of them , all alike , in one single garden ! " She would be very much annoyed , " he said to himself , " if she should see that . .. she would cough most dreadfully , and she would pretend that she was dying , to avoid being laughed at . And I should be obliged to pretend that I was nursing her back to life -- for if I did not do that , to humble myself also , she would really allow herself to die . .." Then he went on with his reflections : " I thought that I was rich , with a flower that was unique in all the world ; and all I had was a common rose . A common rose , and three volcanoes that come up to my knees -- and one of them perhaps extinct forever . .. that doesn ' t make me a very great prince . .." And he lay down in the grass and cried . < 21 > It was then that the fox appeared . " Good morning , " said the fox . " Good morning , " the little prince responded politely , although when he turned around he saw nothing . " I am right here , " the voice said , " under the apple tree . " " Who are you ? " asked the little prince , and added , " You are very pretty to look at . " " I am a fox , " said the fox . " Come and play with me , " proposed the little prince . " I am so unhappy . " " I cannot play with you , " the fox said . " I am not tamed . " " Ah ! Please excuse me , " said the little prince . But , after some thought , he added : " What does that mean -- ' tame '?" " You do not live here , " said the fox . " What is it that you are looking for ? "" I am looking for men , " said the little prince . " What does that mean -- ' tame '?" " Men , " said the fox . " They have guns , and they hunt . It is very disturbing . They also raise chickens . These are their only interests . Are you looking for chickens ? " " No , " said the little prince . " I am looking for friends . What does that mean -- ' tame '?" " It is an act too often neglected , " said the fox . It means to establish ties . " "' To establish ties '?" " Just that , " said the fox . " To me , you are still nothing more than a little boy who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys . And I have no need of you . And you , on your part , have no need of me . To you , I am nothing more than a fox like a hu ndred thousand other foxes . But if you tame me , then we shall need each other . To me , you will be unique in all the world . To you , I shall be unique in all the world . .." " I am beginning to understand , " said the little prince . " There is a flower . .. I think that she has tamed me . .." " It is possible , " said the fox . " On the Earth one sees all sorts of things . "" Oh , but this is not on the Earth ! " said the little prince . The fox seemed perplexed , and very curious . " On another planet ? " " Yes . "" Are there hunters on this planet ? " " No . "" Ah , that is interesting ! Are there chickens ? " " No . "" Nothing is perfect , " sighed the fox . But he came back to his idea . " My life is very monotonous , " the fox said . " I hunt chickens ; men hunt me . All the chickens are just alike , and all the men are just alike . And , in consequence , I am a little bored . But if you tame me , it will be as if the sun came to shine on my life . I shall know the sound of a step that will be different from all the others . Other steps send me hurrying back underneath the ground . Yours will call me , like music , out of my burrow . And then look : you see the grain - fields down yonder ? I do not ea t bread . Wheat is of no use to me . The wheat fields have nothing to say to me . And that is sad . But you have hair that is the colour of gold . Think how wonderful that will be when you have tamed me ! The grain , which is also golden , will bring me bac k the thought of you . And I shall love to listen to the wind in the wheat . .." The fox gazed at the little prince , for a long time . " Please -- tame me ! " he said . " I want to , very much , " the little prince replied . " But I have not much time . I have friends to discover , and a great many things to understand . " " 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 . .." " What must I do , to tame you ? " asked the little prince . " You must be very patient , " replied the fox . " First you will sit down at a little distance from me -- like that -- in the grass . I shall look at you out of the corner of my eye , and you will say nothing . Words are the source of misunderstandings . But yo u will sit a little closer to me , every day . .." The next day the little prince came back . " It would have been better to come back at the same hour , " said the fox . " If , for example , you come at four o ' clock in the afternoon , then at three o ' clock I shall begin to be happy . I shall feel happier and happier as the hour advances . At four o ' cloc k , I shall already be worrying and jumping about . I shall show you how happy I am ! But if you come at just any time , I shall never know at what hour my heart is to be ready to greet you . .. One must observe the proper rites . .." " What is a rite ? " asked the little prince . " Those also are actions too often neglected , " said the fox . " They are what make one day different from other days , one hour from other hours . There is a rite , for example , among my hunters . Every Thursday they dance with the village girls . So Thursday is a wonderful day for me ! I can take a walk as far as the vineyards . But if the hunters danced at just any time , every day would be like every other day , and I should never have any vacation at all . " 　 So the little prince tamed the fox . And when the hour of his departure drew near -- " Ah , " said the fox , " I shall cry . " " It is your own fault , " said the little prince . " I never wished you any sort of harm ; but you wanted me to tame you . .." " Yes , that is so , " said the fox . " But now you are going to cry ! " said the little prince . " Yes , that is so , " said the fox . " Then it has done you no good at all ! " " It has done me good , " said the fox , " because of the color of the wheat fields . " And then he added : " Go and look again at the roses . You will understand now that yours is unique in all the world . Then come back to say goodbye to me , and I will make you a present of a secret . " 　 The little prince went away , to look again at the roses . " You are not at all like my rose , " he said . " As yet you are nothing . No one has tamed you , and you have tamed no one . You are like my fox when I first knew him . He was only a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes . But I have made him my friend , and now he is unique in all the world . " And the roses were very much embarrassed . " You are beautiful , but you are empty , " he went on . " One could not die for you . To be sure , an ordinary passerby would think that my rose looked just like you -- the rose that belongs to me . But in herself alone she is more important than all the hundre ds of you other roses : because it is she that I have watered ; because it is she that I have put under the glass globe ; because it is she that I have sheltered behind the screen ; because it is for her that I have killed the caterpillars ( except the two or three that we saved to become butterflies ) ; because it is she that I have listened to , when she grumbled , or boasted , or even sometimes when she said nothing . Because she is my rose . 　 And he went back to meet the fox . " Goodbye , " he said . " Goodbye , " said the fox . " 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 . " " What is essential is invisible to the eye , " the little prince repeated , so that he would be sure to remember . " 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 . " Men have forgotten this truth , " said the fox . " But you must not forget it . You become responsible , forever , for what you have tamed . You are responsible for your rose . .." " I am responsible for my rose , " the little prince repeated , so that he would be sure to remember . < 22 >　" Good morning , " said the little prince . " Good morning , " said the railway switchman . " What do you do here ? " the little prince asked . " I sort out travelers , in bundles of a thousand , " said the switchman . " I send off the trains that carry them ; now to the right , now to the left . " And a brilliantly lighted express train shook the switchman ' s cabin as it rushed by with a roar like thunder . " They are in a great hurry , " said the little prince . " What are they looking for ? " " Not even the locomotive engineer knows that , " said the switchman . And a second brilliantly lighted express thundered by , in the opposite direction . " Are they coming back already ? " demanded the little prince . " These are not the same ones , " said the switchman . " It is an exchange . " " Were they not satisfied where they were ? " asked the little prince . " No one is ever satisfied where he is , " said the switchman . And they heard the roaring thunder of a third brilliantly lighted express . " Are they pursuing the first travelers ? " demanded the little prince . " They are pursuing nothing at all , " said the switchman . " They are asleep in there , or if they are not asleep they are yawning . Only the children are flattening their noses against the windowpanes . " " Only the children know what they are looking for , " said the little prince . " They waste their time over a rag doll and it becomes very important to them ; and if anybody takes it away from them , they cry . .." " They are lucky , " the switchman said . < 23 >　" Good morning , " said the little prince . " Good morning , " said the merchant . This was a merchant who sold pills that had been invented to quench thirst . You need only swallow one pill a week , and you would feel no need of anything to drink . " Why are you selling those ? " asked the little prince . " Because they save a tremendous amount of time , " said the merchant . " Computations have been made by experts . With these pills , you save fifty - three minutes in every week . " " And what do I do with those fifty - three minutes ? " " Anything you like . .." " As for me , " said the little prince to himself , " if I had fifty - three minutes to spend as I liked , I should walk at my leisure toward a spring of fresh water . " < 24 >　 It was now the eighth day since I had had my accident in the desert , and I had listened to the story of the merchant as I was drinking the last drop of my water supply . " Ah , " I said to the little prince , " these memories of yours are very charming ; but I have not yet succeeded in repairing my plane ; I have nothing more to drink ; and I , too , should be very happy if I could walk at my leisure toward a spring of fresh water ! " " My friend the fox --" the little prince said to me . " My dear little man , this is no longer a matter that has anything to do with the fox ! " " Why not ? " " Because I am about to die of thirst . .." He did not follow my reasoning , and he answered me : " It is a good thing to have had a friend , even if one is about to die . I , for instance , am very glad to have had a fox as a friend . .." " He has no way of guessing the danger , " I said to myself . " He has never been either hungry or thirsty . A little sunshine is all he needs . .." But he looked at me steadily , and replied to my thought : " I am thirsty , too . Let us look for a well . .." I made a gesture of weariness . It is absurd to look for a well , at random , in the immensity of the desert . But nevertheless we started walking . When we had trudged along for several hours , in silence , the darkness fell , and the stars began to come out . Thirst had made me a little feverish , and I looked at them as if I were in a dream . The little prince ' s last words came reeling back into my memory : " Then you are thirsty , too ? " I demanded . But he did not reply to my question . He merely said to me : " Water may also be good for the heart . .." I did not understand this answer , but I said nothing . I knew very well that it was impossible to cross - examine him . He was tired . He sat down . I sat down beside him . And , after a little silence , he spoke again : " The stars are beautiful , because of a flower that cannot be seen . " I replied , " Yes , that is so . " And , without saying anything more , I looked across the ridges of sand that were stretched out before us in the moonlight . " The desert is beautiful , " the little prince added . And that was true . 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 . .. " What makes the desert beautiful , " said the little prince , " is that somewhere it hides a well . .." I was astonished by a sudden understanding of that mysterious radiation of the sands . When I was a little boy I lived in an old house , and legend told us that a treasure was buried there . To be sure , no one had ever known how to find it ; perhaps no one had ever even looked for it . But it cast an enchantment over that house . My home was hiding a secret in the depths of its heart . .. " Yes , " I said to the little prince . " The house , the stars , the desert -- what gives them their beauty is something that is invisible ! " " I am glad , " he said , " that you agree with my fox . " As the little prince dropped off to sleep , I took him in my arms and set out walking once more . I felt deeply moved , and stirred . It seemed to me that I was carrying a very fragile treasure . It seemed to me , even , that there was nothing more fragile on all Earth . In the moonlight I looked at his pale forehead , his closed eyes , his locks of hair that trembled in the wind , and I said to myself : " What I see here is nothing but a shell . What is most important is invisible . .." As his lips opened slightly with the suspicious of a half - smile , I said to myself , again : " What moves me so deeply , about this little prince who is sleeping here , is his loyalty to a flower -- the image of a rose that shines through his whole being like the flame of a lamp , even when he is asleep . .." And I felt him to be more fragile still . I felt the need of protecting him , as if he himself were a flame that might be extinguished by a little puff of wind . .. And , as I walked on so , I found the well , at daybreak . < 25 >" Men , " said the little prince , " set out on their way in express trains , but they do not know what they are looking for . Then they rush about , and get excited , and turn round and round . .." And he added : " It is not worth the trouble . .." The well that we had come to was not like the wells of the Sahara . The wells of the Sahara are mere holes dug in the sand . This one was like a well in a village . But there was no village here , and I thought I must be dreaming . .. " It is strange , " I said to the little prince . " Everything is ready for use : the pulley , the bucket , the rope . .." He laughed , touched the rope , and set the pulley to working . And the pulley moaned , like an old weathervane which the wind has long since forgotten . " Do you hear ? " said the little prince . " We have wakened the well , and it is singing . .." I did not want him to tire himself with the rope . " Leave it to me , " I said . " It is too heavy for you . " I hoisted the bucket slowly to the edge of the well and set it there -- happy , tired as I was , over my achievement . The song of the pulley was still in my ears , and I could see the sunlight shimmer in the still trembling water . " I am thirsty for this water , " said the little prince . " Give me some of it to drink . .." And I understood what he had been looking for . I raised the bucket to his lips . He drank , his eyes closed . It was as sweet as some special festival treat . This water was indeed a different thing from ordinary nourishment . Its sweetness was born of the walk under the stars , the song of the pulley , the effort of my arms . It was good for the heart , like a present . When I was a little boy , the lights of the Christmas tree , the music of the Midnight Mass , the tenderness of smiling faces , used to make up , so , the radiance of the gifts I received . " The men where you live , " said the little prince , " raise five thousand roses in the same garden -- and they do not find in it what they are looking for . " " They do not find it , " I replied . " And yet what they are looking for could be found in one single rose , or in a little water . " " Yes , that is true , " I said . And the little prince added : " But the eyes are blind . One must look with the heart . .." 　 I had drunk the water . I breathed easily . At sunrise the sand is the color of honey . And that honey color was making me happy , too . What brought me , then , this sense of grief ? " You must keep your promise , " said the little prince , softly , as he sat down beside me once more . " What promise ? " " You know -- a muzzle for my sheep . .. I am responsible for this flower . .." I took my rough drafts of drawings out of my pocket . The little prince looked them over , and laughed as he said : " Your baobabs -- they look a little like cabbages . " " Oh ! " I had been so proud of my baobabs ! " Your fox -- his ears look a little like horns ; and they are too long . " And he laughed again . " You are not fair , little prince , " I said . " I don ' t know how to draw anything except boa constrictors from the outside and boa constrictors from the inside . "" Oh , that will be all right , " he said , " children understand . " So then I made a pencil sketch of a muzzle . And as I gave it to him my heart was torn . " You have plans that I do not know about , " I said . But he did not answer me . He said to me , instead : " You know -- my descent to the earth . .. Tomorrow will be its anniversary . " Then , after a silence , he went on : " I came down very near here . " And he flushed . And once again , without understanding why , I had a queer sense of sorrow . One question , however , occurred to me : " Then it was not by chance that on the morning when I first met you -- a week ago -- you were strolling along like that , all alone , a thousand miles from any inhabited region ? You were on the your back to the place where you landed ? " The little prince flushed again . And I added , with some hesitancy : " Perhaps it was because of the anniversary ? " The little prince flushed once more . He never answered questions -- but when one flushes does that not mean " Yes "? " Ah , " I said to him , " I am a little frightened --" But he interrupted me . " Now you must work . You must return to your engine . I will be waiting for you here . Come back tomorrow evening . .." But I was not reassured . I remembered the fox . One runs the risk of weeping a little , if one lets himself be tamed . .. < 26 > Beside the well there was the ruin of an old stone wall . When I came back from my work , the next evening , I saw from some distance away my little price sitting on top of a wall , with his feet dangling . And I heard him say : " Then you don ' t remember . This is not the exact spot . " Another voice must have answered him , for he replied to it : " Yes , yes ! It is the right day , but this is not the place . " I continued my walk toward the wall . At no time did I see or hear anyone . The little prince , however , replied once again : "-- Exactly . You will see where my track begins , in the sand . You have nothing to do but wait for me there . I shall be there tonight . " I was only twenty metres from the wall , and I still saw nothing . After a silence the little prince spoke again : " You have good poison ? You are sure that it will not make me suffer too long ? " I stopped in my tracks , my heart torn asunder ; but still I did not understand . " Now go away , " said the little prince . " I want to get down from the wall . " I dropped my eyes , then , to the foot of the wall -- and I leaped into the air . There before me , facing the little prince , was one of those yellow snakes that take just thirty seconds to bring your life to an end . Even as I was digging into my pocked to g et out my revolver I made a running step back . But , at the noise I made , the snake let himself flow easily across the sand like the dying spray of a fountain , and , in no apparent hurry , disappeared , with a light metallic sound , among the stones . I reached the wall just in time to catch my little man in my arms ; his face was white as snow . " What does this mean ? " I demanded . " Why are you talking with snakes ? " I had loosened the golden muffler that he always wore . I had moistened his temples , and had given him some water to drink . And now I did not dare ask him any more questions . He looked at me very gravely , and put his arms around my neck . I felt his hea rt beating like the heart of a dying bird , shot with someone ' s rifle . .. " I am glad that you have found what was the matter with your engine , " he said . " Now you can go back home --" " How do you know about that ? " I was just coming to tell him that my work had been successful , beyond anything that I had dared to hope . He made no answer to my question , but he added : " I , too , am going back home today . .." Then , sadly -- " It is much farther . .. it is much more difficult . .." I realised clearly that something extraordinary was happening . I was holding him close in my arms as if he were a little child ; and yet it seemed to me that he was rushing headlong toward an abyss from which I could do nothing to restrain him . .. His look was very serious , like some one lost far away . " I have your sheep . And I have the sheep ' s box . And I have the muzzle . .." And he gave me a sad smile . I waited a long time . I could see that he was reviving little by little . " Dear little man , " I said to him , " you are afraid . .." He was afraid , there was no doubt about that . But he laughed lightly . " I shall be much more afraid this evening . .." Once again I felt myself frozen by the sense of something irreparable . And I knew that I could not bear the thought of never hearing that laughter any more . For me , it was like a spring of fresh water in the desert . " Little man , " I said , " I want to hear you laugh again . " But he said to me : " Tonight , it will be a year . .. my star , then , can be found right above the place where I came to the Earth , a year ago . .." " Little man , " I said , " tell me that it is only a bad dream -- this affair of the snake , and the meeting - place , and the star . .." But he did not answer my plea . He said to me , instead : " The thing that is important is the thing that is not seen . .." " Yes , I know . .." " It is just as it is with the flower . If you love a flower that lives on a star , it is sweet to look at the sky at night . All the stars are a - bloom with flowers . .." " Yes , I know . .." " It is just as it is with the water . Because of the pulley , and the rope , what you gave me to drink was like music . You remember -- how good it was . " " Yes , I know . .." " And at night you will look up at the stars . Where I live everything is so small that I cannot show you where my star is to be found . It is better , like that . My star will just be one of the stars , for you . And so you will love to watch all the stars in the heavens . .. they will all be your friends . And , besides , I am going to make you a present . .." He laughed again . " Ah , little prince , dear little prince ! I love to hear that laughter ! " " That is my present . Just that . It will be as it was when we drank the water . .." " What are you trying to say ? " " All men have the stars , " he answered , " 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 . For my businessman they were wealth . But all these stars are silent . You -- you alone -- will have the stars as no one else has them --"" What are you trying to say ? " " In one of the stars I shall be living . In one of them I shall be laughing . And so it will be as if all the stars were laughing , when you look at the sky at night . .. you -- only you -- will have stars that can laugh ! " And he laughed again . " And when your sorrow is comforted ( time soothes all sorrows ) you will be content that you have known me . You will always be my friend . You will want to laugh with me . And you will sometimes open your window , so , for that pleasure . .. and your friends w ill be properly astonished to see you laughing as you look up at the sky ! Then you will say to them , ' Yes , the stars always make me laugh ! ' And they will think you are crazy . It will be a very shabby trick that I shall have played on you . .." And he laughed again . " It will be as if , in place of the stars , I had given you a great number of little bells that knew how to laugh . .." And he laughed again . Then he quickly became serious : " Tonight -- you know . .. do not come , " said the little prince . " I shall not leave you , " I said . " I shall look as if I were suffering . I shall look a little as if I were dying . It is like that . Do not come to see that . It is not worth the trouble . .."" I shall not leave you . " But he was worried . " I tell you -- it is also because of the snake . He must not bite you . Snakes -- they are malicious creatures . This one might bite you just for fun . .." " I shall not leave you . " But a thought came to reassure him : " It is true that they have no more poison for a second bite . " 　 That night I did not see him set out on his way . He got away from me without making a sound . When I succeeded in catching up with him he was walking along with a quick and resolute step . He said to me merely : " Ah ! You are there . .." And he took me by the hand . But he was still worrying . " It was wrong of you to come . You will suffer . I shall look as if I were dead ; and that will not be true . .." I said nothing . " You understand . .. it is too far . I cannot carry this body with me . It is too heavy . " I said nothing . " But it will be like an old abandoned shell . There is nothing sad about old shells . .." I said nothing . He was a little discouraged . But he made one more effort : " You know , it will be very nice . I , too , shall look at the stars . All the stars will be wells with a rusty pulley . All the stars will pour out fresh water for me to drink . .." I said nothing . " That will be so amusing ! You will have five hundred million little bells , and I shall have five hundred million springs of fresh water . .." And he too said nothing more , becuase he was crying . .. " Here it is . Let me go on by myself . " And he sat down , because he was afraid . Then he said , again : " You know -- my flower . .. I am responsible for her . And she is so weak ! She is so na ? e ! She has four thorns , of no use at all , to protect herself against all the world . .." I too sat down , because I was not able to stand up any longer . " There now -- that is all . .." He still hesitated a little ; then he got up . He took one step . I could not move . There was nothing but a flash of yellow close to his ankle . He remained motionless for an instant . He did not cry out . He fell as gently as a tree falls . There was not even any sound , because of the sand . < 27 > 　 And now six years have already gone by . .. I have never yet told this story . The companions who met me on my return were well content to see me alive . I was sad , but I told them : " I am tired . " Now my sorrow is comforted a little . That is to say -- not entirely . But I know that he did go back to his planet , because I did not find his body at daybreak . It was not such a heavy body . .. and at night I love to listen to the stars . It is like five hundred million little bells . .. But there is one extraordinary thing . .. when I drew the muzzle for the little prince , I forgot to add the leather strap to it . He will never have been able to fasten it on his sheep . So now I keep wondering : what is happening on his planet ? Perhaps th e sheep has eaten the flower . .. At one time I say to myself : " Surely not ! The little prince shuts his flower under her glass globe every night , and he watches over his sheep very carefully . .." Then I am happy . And there is sweetness in the laughter of all the stars . But at another time I say to myself : " At some moment or other one is absent - minded , and that is enough ! On some one evening he forgot the glass globe , or the sheep got out , without making any noise , in the night . .." And then the little bells are changed to tears . .. 　 Here , then , is a great mystery . For you who also love the little prince , and for me , nothing in the universe can be the same if somewhere , we do not know where , a sheep that we never saw has -- yes or no ? -- eaten a rose . .. Look up at the sky . Ask yourselves : is it yes or no ? Has the sheep eaten the flower ? And you will see how everything changes . .. And no grown - up will ever understand that this is a matter of so much importance ! 　 This is , to me , the loveliest and saddest landscape in the world . It is the same as that on the preceding page , but I have drawn it again to impress it on your memory . It is here that the little prince appeared on Earth , and disappeared . Look at it carefully so that you will be sure to recognise it in case you travel some day to the African desert . And , if you should come upon this spot , please do not hurry on . Wait for a time , exactly under the star . Then , if a little man appears who laughs , who has golden hair and who refuses to answer questions , you will know who he is . If this should happen , please comfort me . Send me word that he has come back .