Grown Ups Like Numbers
Grown-ups like numbers. When you tell them about a new friend, they never ask questions about what really matters. They never ask: “What does his voice sound like?” “What games does he like best?” “Does he collect butterflies?” They ask: “How old is he?” “How many brothers does he have?” “How much does he weigh?” “How much money does his father make?” Only then do they think they know him. If you tell grown-ups, “I saw a beautiful red brick house, with geraniums at the windows and doves on the roof…,” they won’t be able to imagine such a house. You have to tell them, “I saw a house worth a hundred francs.” Then they exclaim, “What a pretty house!”
So if you tell them: “The proof of the little prince’s existence is that he was delightful, that he laughed, and that he wanted a sheep. When someone wants a sheep, that proves he exists,” they shrug their shoulders and treat you like a child! But if you tell them, “The planet he came from is Asteroid B-612,” then they’ll be convinced, and they won’t bother you with their questions. That’s the way they are. You must not hold it against them. Children should be very understanding of grown-ups.
But, of course, those who understand life couldn’t care less about numbers! I should have liked to begin this story like a fairy tale. I should have liked to say:
“Once upon a time there was a little prince who lived on a planet hardly any bigger than he was, and who needed a friend…” For those who understand life, that would sound much truer.
The fact is, I don’t want my book to be taken lightly. Telling these memories is so painful for me. It’s already been six years since my friend went away, taking his sheep with him. If I try to describe him here, it’s so I won’t forget him. And I might become like the grown-ups who are no longer interested in anything but numbers.
Extract from the book The Little Prince
By Antoine de Saint-Exupery
All Rights Reserved.
San Diego: Harcourt, 2000
Call Number: J English SAI
Extract submitted by Norlizah Mohd Juffri
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Do you think grown-ups never understand anything by themselves?
June 10th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
I think grown ups think they know everything and very opinionated - they need time to just listen.
June 20th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
The strange thing is that the older you grow, the more you think you know and because you think you know more, you become blind to new learning areas especially from those younger than you.
Actually i think this applies specially to teachers. Because they are so used to teaching, they forget that they need to learn from their students too!
August 21st, 2008 at 11:50 am
It’s a bit of a misnomer to call this a children book as the themes and different stereotypes encountered by the Little Prince on his travels will definitely reasonate with adults. My favourite book which has timeless appeal for children, children-at-heart and adults.