A pilot's business is with the wind, and with the stars, with night, with sand, with the sea. He strives to outwit the forces of nature. He stares with expectancy for the coming of the dawn the way a gardener awaits the coming of spring. He looks forward to port as a promised land, and truth for him is what lives in the stars.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the relationship between a pilot and the natural elements they navigate, highlighting the anticipation and connection to nature.
In this quote, Antoine De Saint-Exupery draws a vivid parallel between the life of a pilot and the forces of nature, portraying the pilot's journey as a constant struggle against external elements such as wind and sea, much like a gardener eagerly awaits the change of seasons. The pilot's journey represents a quest for truth and fulfillment, looking beyond immediate challenges towards a greater purpose, much like seeking the promise of dawn after a long night.
In practice
This quote would be perfect for a speech about resilience in the face of challenges.
Grown-ups love figures... When you tell them you've made a new friend they never ask you any questions about essential matters. They never say to you "What does his voice sound like? What games does he love best? Does he collect butterflies? " Instead they demand "How old is he? How much does he weigh? How much money does his father make? " Only from these figures do they think they have learned anything about him.
Attitude is a paintbrush. It colors everything!
Water, thou hast no taste, no color, no odor; canst not be defined, art relished while ever mysterious. Not necessary to life, but rather life itself, thou fillest us with a gratification that exceeds the delight of the senses.
In those days, I didn't understand anything. I should have judged her according to her actions, not her words. She perfumed my planet and lit up my life. I should never have run away! I ought to have realized the tenderness underlying her silly pretensions. Flowers are so contadictory! But I was too young to know how to love her.
When a mystery is too overpowering, one dare not disobey.
When the body sinks into death, the essence of man is revealed. Man is a knot, a web, a mesh into which relationships are tied. Only those relationships matter. The body is an old crock that nobody will miss. I have never known a man to think of himself when dying. Never.
People don't want to go to the dump and have a picnic, they want to go out to a beautiful place and enjoy their day. And so I think our job is to try to take the environment, take what the good Lord has given us, and expand upon it or enhance it, without destroying it.
What a friend we have in a tree, the tree is the symbol of hope, self improvement and what people can do for themselves.
When asked what he would do if he knew the world would end tomorrow, Martin Luther said, "I would plant a tree."
I know there is pain when sawmills close and people lose jobs, but we have to make a choice. We need water and we need these forests.
Nature has given women so much power that the law has very wisely given them little.
Africa is mystic; it is wild; it is a sweltering inferno; it is a photographer's paradise, a hunter's Valhalla, an escapist's Utopia. It is what you will, and it withstands all interpretations. It is the last vestige of a dead world or the cradle of a shiny new one. To a lot of people, as to myself, it is just 'home'. It is all these things but one thing - it is never dull.
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