10 lessons from The Little Prince that are still relevant nowadays

Some fairy tales, along with their lessons, are simply timeless. This means their stories and the lessons contained within them were relevant both at the time of publication and then decades or even hundreds of years later. The Little Prince is the perfect example. They often call it “the children’s fable for adults”. Not only will your children fall in love with it, it still has a lot to offer even to us adults. ‍

The Little Prince is a great story that you can read with your child while taking time out to speak about the hidden lessons within the tale. We have picked the 10 most important ones.

#1 Listen to your heart

Surely, if you’ve read the Little Prince, you know the famous quote from it: “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye”. The Little Prince was different from most people nowadays. His heart was pure. Neither wealth or beauty interested him. He knew the biggest treasures are hidden deep in our hearts. 

#2 Appreciate the simple things

His perception of the world was so simple, which is what made it so beautiful. And this is regardless of how smart he was. That’s why his story should be a friendly reminder for us that long before becoming trapped in our consumerist world, each of us was a playful and joyful child. We loved games, riddles, and really small things that could make us happy. 

#3 Nip it in the bud

Do you remember how the Little Prince described baobabs? He notes in the tale that before they grow up, they are small – and that this is why he pulls out sprouts that seem harmless at the first glance. If he didn’t do so, the baobabs would overgrow his whole tiny planet. This piece of advice is a model that we can follow in addressing our own problems. It is important to solve them at the very beginning so that they don’t overgrow and become impossible to deal with. 

#4 Keep an open mind

Is it a hat or a boa constrictor eating an elephant? You surely remember the hat/elephant problem from the story. But if we think about it more deeply, we find that both statements might be true, and that in life there are in fact plenty of situations in which there is simply no “universal truth”. That’s why one ought always to keep an open mind regarding the opinions of others. 

#5 Everyone has different priorities

Do you remember how the Little Prince explained to the pilot what the stars mean to different people? We can say the same about our values which are different. The stars in the story can be seen as metaphorical stand-ins for our dreams, ambitions, and goals. Don’t let anyone else’s stars light your own way onwards. 

#6 There’s much more to life than money

We mustn’t forget to mention The Businessman who appears on one of the planets. It happens a lot in life that we end up serving money as a master, rather than having the ability to make it serve under us, and he provides a great example of this. Of course money is important - it can give us a sense of stability and security. However, don’t let it rule your life. 

#7 Love is the most important

Everyone who's read the story remembers how the Little Prince loved his rose. Despite the fact that it obviously had the ability to hurt him, he gave it all the love in the world and took care of it as no one else could. This is also a lesson for us: even in our relationships, not everything in the garden will be rosy, and sometimes we may even have to think hard about whether a person deserves our love. Always listen to your heart. In most cases it will say yes.

#8 Any addiction leads to hell

Certainly, you also remember The Drunkard, who would drink to forget how ashamed he was of everything, and who was then left ashamed of the drinking itself. But one experiences such vicious circles with every single addiction: whether it’s addictive substances, computer games or anything else. Covering despair with even greater despair is the surest road to perdition. 

#9 Every problem has a solution

The Little Prince said: What makes the desert beautiful is knowing that somewhere within it hides a well. We can apply this to anything that bothers us in life. After all, when we feel that we are in a hopeless situation, we do not believe that we will get out of it. However, we must always remember that the solution exists. We just keep on looking. 

#10 Don’t lump people together

The Little Prince said that it is madness to hate all roses because you got scratched with one thorn. So if someone has hurt us or if something has not worked for us, it does not mean that we should give up completely. There are a lot of people in the world who deserve your trust, and it would be a shame to lose them because of someone who let you down.