105. ANTOINE de SAINT-EXUPÉRY: If you want to build a ship
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1900-1944) was a French aviator and author, famous for writing and illustrating the philosophical picture book The Little Prince, which is the most-read and translated book in the French language and was voted France’s greatest book of the 20th century.
Saint-Exupéry began flying when he joined the French Air Force in 1921. By 1926 he had left the army and helped pioneer some of the first air-mail routes between Paris and Dakar. In 1935, while trying to break the speed record between Paris and Saigon, he crashed and was left stranded in the Sahara desert for three days with a minimum of supplies. Although the experience almost killed him, it became the inspiration for the opening scene in The Little Prince. Saint-Exupéry later flew reconnaissance missions during World War II even though he was eight years above the maximum age and, after leaving for a mission on 31 July, 1944, was never seen again.
- Thanks to Nathanial, Adam and Jacob for submitting this.
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This guy.
If you’ve never read “Le petit prince” you need to.
It’s one of the books that if everyone who read truly understood them, the world would be a better place….
If you plan to read it, you must know that the little prince is real… I don’t care what my reason says to this one, I believe Saint-Exupéry when he says that he is real… because you know, only a real person could feel the need to have a lamb or the need for fellowship…
Can you hear his laughter when you look at the stars?
I do, I truly do…
Thanks Gav, this is probably the best so far. In love with the sea, since I was a kid, and more than 25 years living far away from it… I yearn, indeed
I totally agree with you Charles. I’m french, and this was my favourite book as a child. I re-read it recently, and I felt again the power of this little book. I believe the little prince is the child sleeping within us, who only needs to be awoken.
I also believe that everyone should read this book, because it truly changes who you are and the way you look at the world.
About this quote, I think people are over-interpreting it. It is more about the sea than enslavement, about the particular power of the sea which, as Cousteau said, “once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever”.
Thank you again for this awesome art, Gav
“On ne voit bien qu’avec le coeur, l’essentiel est invisible pour les yeux.”
I don’t think I’ve read it. I might have as a little kid but I don’t remember it.
It’s one of those childrens’ books that get better as you get older. The only kind of childrens’ books worth reading, according to C.S. Lewis…
You really need to read it.
I agree with Charles Ton, if you haven’t read The Little Prince you must! You’ll find your own quotes on there as well.
Hrm…
As always, the art is spot on. However, aside from that, I have pretty mixed feelings about the message here…or at least the metaphor. Oh well, can’t love ‘em all.
I do not understand why you’ve paired this quote (whose context I don’t know, but I presume Saint-Exupery wasn’t writing the Commandments of Slaveowning) with an Egyptian slave context.
Do you think that all slaves need is a longing that is conveniently aligned with the free work that their enslavers want them to do? Is that a good result for you? The comic sure makes it seem like it.
And what were your artistic choices, exactly, when you chose to differentiate the Egyptian boat-builder in hairstyle and facial features from the slaves?
I like Zen Pencils comics, but the images accompanying this quote are really troubling.
Get over yourself!
I agree with Ellen, it should show him working with the people. Everyone has to yearn for it, including the leader, so he should be amongst them working. The way this is portrayed says, “Brain Wash” people into doing the work.
Agree with Ellen to some extent. Not just a good choice of illustration. Or it’s just really hard to put the message on the canvass. But the message is really nice.
Wait wait wait. Ellen, what makes you think those people are slaves? Because they are doing hard labor work that they might not enjoy? What makes you think they are Egyptian? The color of their skin? You have made a lot of assumptions based on YOUR stereotypes, applied them (falsely) to this illustration, and then chastised the artist for said stereotypes. You need to ask yourself why you made those assumptions about the illustration, and if you are truly offended, get over it.
Gavin– I think this is a great illustration. It is about inspiring people, being a true leader. You have captured that magnificently. Not that I have to tell you, but ignore the naysayers. I have always hated critics. It’s funny, as soon as I read this comment, i thought of one of your previous illustrations– Theodore Roosevelt’s Man In the Arena (http://zenpencils.com/comic/theodore-roosevelt-the-man-in-the-arena/).
This also made me think of a quote for one of your next illustrations– http://imgur.com/EX5v4
Regards,
Jake
Wait wait wait. What makes you think these people are slaves– they are doing hard work that they might not enjoy? What makes you say they are Egyptian– the color of their skin, their attire, their hair? Seems like you have taken YOUR prejudices and stereotypes, applied them to an illustration, then chastised the artist for said stereotypes. That is absolutely ridiculous. Figure out why you automatically made those assumptions, figure out why you got so offended, and get over it.
Gavin– I think the illustration is fabulous. It is about inspiring people that you are in charge of, and being a true leader, and I believe you captured that wonderfully. Disregard the naysayers.
It’s funny, as soon as I read Ellen’s comment I thought of your Roosevelt “Man In the Arena” rendition (http://zenpencils.com/comic/theodore-roosevelt-the-man-in-the-arena/)– Fitting, isn’t it?
I also thought of another quote for you to illustrate by Stephen Fry–
It’s now very common to hear people say, ‘I’m rather offended by that.’ As if that gives them certain rights; it’s actually nothing more….. It’s simply a whine. It’s no more than a whine. ‘I find that offensive,’ it has no meaning, it has no purpose, it has no reason to be respected as a phrase. ‘I am offended by that.’ Well so … what?
^^^^
I would love to see this one.
Your racist ba*tard, see what i did there!! Prejudice and assumptions.
I think it’s a beautiful choice of graphic – does that mean I advocate slavery? No of course not… As Jake said, and Sir Fry, if your offended, your going to have to sort that out for yourself and maybe figure why you felt that way. Amazing work Gavin as always and currently quite fitting too.
Appreciate the feedback – good and bad.
Just a thought on the whole Egyptian slavery thing. As far as I know, the Egyptians enslaved more other people than they themselves were slaves… Just sayin’
but i don’t picture those guys as slaves, just unmotivated workers… but probably the context is misleading and gav tried for a legendary scenario
I don’t find this troubling.
These people ar workers who are given what they believe is a medial, physical task. Sure – they have orders barked at them; but that doesnt make them slaves. Think of the last time you were given a ridiculous deadline!!
Then they are shown the ocean and realize there is nothing medial about the work – and they WANT to learn and work becuas now they know why they are doing what they’re doing. Their boss is no longer their ‘master’, but their leader.
I like it.
I’d love to see the bigger picture, be more passionate, and not just meet demands that other people put on me.
Thanks Gav.
Do you do your own typography? I especially love this one.
Also, went to your About page. I noticed the last line of text is a little cut off. Just thought you should know.
Thanks as always for the inspirational quotes and comics. I love getting them in my email.
Thanks Gabrielle – yes I do everything
No problem–I see it’s all fixed now.
That’s incredible that you create that aspect as well. I think it’s easy to ignore the type and focus on the images, but in this case especially the type is also integral to the message. I hope one day I can become better at hand lettering. I never learned it before but I think I’m going to start.
I like it. Nothing suggests the men are slaves, except perhaps the mistaken accounts some of us got in school. Recent evidence makes clear Egyptian pyramid workers were paid. I see everyone’s point, but I think you did a great job focusing on the quote. As with all good ideas, it inspires us to think further, the way everybody is. Thanks, Gavin.
I like the idea of expressing the idea! Its Beautiful!
I love quotes…this way its better!! Thanks!
You have put my thoughts succinctly! “I like the idea of expressing the idea!” And yes it is beautiful.
Gavin. I have enjoyed your work for quite a while now. Keep it flowing.
And this is exactly what the education system should do.
Don’t force feed us math, history or chemistry, make us WANT to learn, show us how it is useful, show us the beauty in it and then, we will start asking the right questions. Only then, we will ask you to teach us.
It is really hard to teach/explain anything to students when they are not interested in it.
Similarly to show the beauty in math, history or chemistry also an hardest one…
Another perfect hit into the park. As someone who struggled through public school and never really appreciated education until I “found the ocean” in college this hits home. Keep up the great work, and thanks!
A pdf version of The Little Prince for those who are interested.
http://cs.swan.ac.uk/~cswill/The_little_prince.pdf
Thank you, I loved it ^_^
Anyone have a link to the french version. I’d like to at least try and read it in it’s original language.
Pls
Si vous voulez construire un navire, ne racolez pas les gens pour rassembler du bois et ne leur assignez pas quelque tâche ou travail, mais plutôt apprenez-leur à désirer ardemment l’immensité infinie de la mer.
Thank you,
but I meant a link to the french version of Le petit prince.
Beautiful lesson on leadership- Sharing vision
I absolutely love the message. I don’t know what it has to do with The Little Prince (one of my lifelong favorite books) but it resonates with the profound truth about leadership that is so lacking nowdays in a work place. If companies’ leadership embraced this thought, they would get so much more back from the employees. I love the analogy with the Egyptian slaves. That is how it feels at work when I am given assignments “on the blind” without a bigger picture or context. Well done. This is one of my favorite posters so far.
He’s the author of my favorite book!
I am a teacher at an International School in Thailand. I teach Grade 2. I love Zen Pencil comics – when the comic is appropriate I like to show my students. They always come in excited when they see a Zen Pencil comic projected up on the smart board! We have a discussion about the message, make predictions (as I scroll down to the end) and talk about new words and ideas. I really liked this comic because students don’t often know why they are working and learning about certain things. They don’t have the foresight yet to see how its going to be relevant to their future happiness. As a teacher this comic reminded me to always be as transparent as possible. School is not just a boring stand alone torturous nightmare that all kids have to endure because their parents say so – it’s the beginning of this magical journey we call life. As a teacher I believe above all, its my duty to “teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea”.
Great to hear Todd!
As usual, a great quote with great illustration ! it’s a pleasure to discover another great work every single week.
And for a French guy it’s a pleasure to read a quote from St Ex’ here.
Merci Gavin !
Brilliant! It’s all about Purpose. What do you think?
This is the second time that The Little Prince has been referenced by a web comic. Sci-ence.org was a bit less connected though, the reference was in the TEDtalk video by Phil Plait.
Which TED-Talk?
Plait did a several
The real moral of the story is at the end where the guy that inspired the men still has them slaving away. Don’t believe the hype.
I find it so interesting that the assumption is automatically that they are slaves. What makes them slaves? They aren’t even a different color from the guy leading them.
I saw this as very much like my job – where the attitude is “Do this because I tell you to.” Who likes to work like that? But give me a reason why (other than “Here’s some money at the end of the pay period”) – find some way to make me WANT to do the work I’m doing, and I’ll jump into it with a fervor that will surprise you.
But nothing in this makes them slaves. Hell, the very fact that he takes them to the water and shows them, inspiring them, leads one to believe that they are employees. (And knowing a little bit about ship building, you don’t do that with unskilled labor. And Gav is smart enough to be aware of that.) The people seeing them as slaves should check their own prejudices out before accusing someone of sharing them.
I’m not going to chide Gavin for making this as I believe his intentions were to inspire and do good. But the thing is, regardless of intent, we have represented here the same thing that many of us are going through today…ridiculously hard work while being promised a worthy pay off, only to be actually rewarded with more hard work while someone else reaps all the benefits. Look what’s happening here. We have a guy that wants a boat, and a bunch of guys (slaves or not) doing all the work for him. He takes them to the water and says…”Hey, you too can have this”. So, they do there thing, get the boat done, and look where they are…Rowing the boat, doing even more work, while the guy sits on the bow taking it all in. Sure they’re not getting beaten, but instead that Carrot is dangling in front of them always just out of reach.
Another one of your masterpieces! This one was succinct, crunchy and packed a punch… motivational punch.
Some people are too literal about the meaing, and completely thrown off track with the egyptian theme.
The message is about inspiration and leadership.
Funny, Kieth Mc says “What makes them slaves? They aren’t even a different color from the guy leading them.” And then Kieth goes on to say “people seeing them as slaves should check their own prejudices out…”
Seems that Kieth thinks about the typical black american slave history, that the slave must be a different race than the master. Native American Indians kept other indians as slaves captured from other tribes. Roman Empire had “white” caucasian slaves with any other races. African tribes captured others from other tribes and made them slaves. Chinese enslaved their own kind at times for labor. Slavery is not an American invention. But that’s all people seem to learn about.
I get it – Create the desire and the let the wave do the rest.
Great Quote; This reminds me of something I said a few days ago to the parents of a student of mine:
“teach someone science, and they’ll answer the questions you throw at them. Inspire a someone to do science, and they will lose the feeling of ignorance.”
THIS IS SO AMAZING. SO SIMPLE YET SO PROFOUND.
amazing