The Secret

And he went back to meet the fox. “Goodbye,” he said. “Goodbye,” said the fox.

“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 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

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

remember.

Excerpt from Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s Le Petit Prince