Peace is present when things form part of a whole greater than their sum, as the diverse minerals in the ground collect to become the tree.
Interpretation
Peace arises when individual elements contribute to a greater unity, similar to how minerals collectively support a tree.
In this quote, Antoine De Saint-Exupery suggests that true peace is found in the harmony of diverse parts working together to form a greater whole. Just as the minerals in the ground combine to nourish and support a tree, the interactions and relationships among individuals or elements can create a sense of unity and tranquility that transcends mere addition of individual contributions.
In practice
During a community meeting, I could use this quote to emphasize the importance of collective effort.
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 lose fifty million skin cells every day. The cells get scraped off and turn into invisible dust, and disappear into the air. Maybe we are nothing but skin cells as far as the world is concerned.
As soon as any man says of the affairs of the State "What does it matter to me?" the State may be given up for lost.
There are two kinds of rebellion. The first is one in which the slave demands something that the tyrant has got. The second is one in which he demands something that the tyrant has not got.
Few are open to conviction, but the majority of men are open to persuasion
As you know, when Star Trek was canceled after the second season, it was the activism of the fans that revived it for a third season.
There is my father whispering in my ear, Be still still still. And yet you change everything. What was the marsh like, waiting for the storm before you came and kneeled in the water? It was nothing. Watch after you leave the water, now cold and regretful, miles from home, certain of the belt on your backside, the cold shoulder, the extra chores; watch. Watch the water heal itself of your presence--not to repair injury but to offer itself again should you care to risk another strapping [...].
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