Commonly, people believe that defeat is characterized by a general bustle and a feverish rush. Bustle and rush are the signs of victory, not of defeat. Victory is a thing of action. It is a house in the act of being built. Every participant in victory sweats and puffs, carrying the stones for the building of the house. But defeat is a thing of weariness, of incoherence, of boredom. And above all of futility.

It would have been better to come back at the same hour,” said the fox. “If, for example, you came at four o’clock in the afternoon, then at three o’clock I shall begin to be happy. I shall feel happier and happier as the hour advances. At four o’clock, I shall already be worrying and jumping about. I shall show you how happy I am! But if you come at just any time, I shall never know at what hour my heart is to be ready to greet you . . . One must observe the proper rites . . .

There is nothing that can equal the treasure of so many shared memories.

You cannot plant an acorn in the morning, and expect that afternoon to sit in the shade of an oak.

But the conceited man did not hear him. Conceited people never hear anything but praise.

More wisdom is latent in things as they are than in all the words men use.

It is always in the midst, in the epicenter, of your troubles that you find serenity.