The Little Prince

by

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on The Little Prince makes teaching easy.

Stars Symbol Analysis

Stars Symbol Icon
Stars take on different meanings throughout the book—as the little prince says before his final departure, "All men have stars, but they are not the same things for different people." For explorers, the stars are guiding lights; for the businessman, stars are a number to count and own; for the king, the stars are subjects to rule; and for the pilot, the stars represent the little prince's presence on another planet. For the pilot, the stars contain the laughter of the little prince, and when he watches the stars, only he will be able to hear them laughing. The stars in The Little Prince represent what each character holds most dear.

Stars Quotes in The Little Prince

The The Little Prince quotes below all refer to the symbol of Stars. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Relationships Theme Icon
).
Chapter 7 Quotes

"If someone 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!"

Related Characters: The Little Prince (speaker), The Pilot/Narrator, The Rose/Flower
Related Symbols: Stars
Page Number: 29-30
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 13 Quotes

"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."

Related Characters: The Businessman (speaker)
Related Symbols: Stars
Page Number: 54
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire The Little Prince LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Little Prince PDF

Stars Symbol Timeline in The Little Prince

The timeline below shows where the symbol Stars appears in The Little Prince. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1
The True and the Essential Theme Icon
Childhood vs. Adulthood Theme Icon
...result, the pilot brings himself down to their level, talking of sensible matters instead of stars, boa constrictors, or primeval forests. (full context)
Chapter 13
Relationships Theme Icon
The True and the Essential Theme Icon
Childhood vs. Adulthood Theme Icon
The little prince understands that the businessman is counting the stars and asks what one does with five hundred millions of stars. The businessman replies that... (full context)
Chapter 14
The True and the Essential Theme Icon
...After all, each time the lamplighter lights the street lamp, it is as if another star is brought into the world, and this is a thing of beauty—and because his job... (full context)
Chapter 25
Relationships Theme Icon
The True and the Essential Theme Icon
Exploration vs. Narrowmindedness Theme Icon
...little prince a drink, realizing that the water is sweeter for their walk beneath the stars and for his effort acquiring it from the well. (full context)
Chapter 26
Relationships Theme Icon
The True and the Essential Theme Icon
...will make the pilot a gift of his laughter. Every time the pilot sees the stars, he shall hear the little prince's laughter. (full context)
Chapter 27
Relationships Theme Icon
The True and the Essential Theme Icon
Exploration vs. Narrowmindedness Theme Icon
...landscape of the little prince's site of arrival and departure—two desert hills and a single star—and beseeches readers to pay attention should they find themselves in this spot in Africa. If... (full context)