Thursday, 4 July 2024

Thoughts on Le Petit Prince


In high school, I took French all the way to OAC (Ontario Academic Credit) only to say "je parle un peu de francais".  But those skills did get my sister and I to and from the downtown core in Venezuela by taxi, so perhaps plus de juste un peu.

I had no idea what I was going to do this ISP on (Independent Study Project) but with the help of our absolutely amazing French teacher, I decided upon this book titled Le Petit Prince.  My mom searched Eastern Ontario and found a book for me to attempt to read, study, and write an essay on.  This was an amazing feat to be honest as back then, you couldn't simply email a library or search their inventory.  Oh no, you had to call and talk to people which my mom did while I was at school.  

After finding this portion of the book and reading it, I can honestly say that I didn't comprehend the book way back then.  My french wasn't as strong as it could've been.  However, somehow this book turned out to be one of great endurance when it comes to practicing love for one another and I can definitely get behind that.

Now, when I see a quote by Le Petit Prince, I giggle at my own lack of french comprehension but I also remember how my mom came through once again, way back then.


“It's madness to hate all roses because you got scratched with one thorn,

to give up all dreams because one of them didn't come true,

to give up all attempts because one of them failed.

It's folly to condemn all your friends because one has betrayed you,

to no longer believe in love just because someone was unfaithful or didn't love you back,

to throw away all your chances to be happy because something went wrong.

There will always be another opportunity, another friend, another love, a new strength.

For every end, there is always a new beginning..... 

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."

~ Antoine de Saint-Exupéry,

The Little Prince

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