---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What a queer planet!\" he thought. \"It is…"
description: "\"“What a queer planet!\" he thought. \"It is altogether dry, and altogether pointed, and altogether harsh and forbidding. And the people have no imaginati..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25a/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry-174_echo_what-a-queer-planet-he-thought-it-is-alt_1577228.png"
---

#  What a queer planet!" he thought. "It is altogether dry…

![“What a queer planet!&quot; he thought. &quot;It is altogether dry, and altogether pointed, and altogether harsh and forbidding. And the people have no imagination. They repeat whatever one says to them . . . On my planet I had a flower; she always was the first to speak . . .” quote by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25a/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry-174_echo_what-a-queer-planet-he-thought-it-is-alt_1577228.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25a/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry-174_echo_what-a-queer-planet-he-thought-it-is-alt_1577228.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25a/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry-174_echo_what-a-queer-planet-he-thought-it-is-alt_1577228.png)

> ““What a queer planet!" he thought. "It is altogether dry, and altogether pointed, and altogether harsh and forbidding. And the people have no imagination. They repeat whatever one says to them . . . On my planet I had a flower; she always was the first to speak . . .””

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

He perceives his world as harsh and unimaginative, contrasting it with a personal memory of a expressive, imaginative flower.

**In simple terms:** He sees his world as bleak, remembering a vivid, creative flower.

Key Takeaway

Value imagination over conformity.

Themes

imagination conformity harshness creativity

Mood

thoughtful poetic

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- creative work
- education
- personal growth
- social critique

Key Concepts

literature philosophy existentialism

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you nurture imagination?
- What does the flower symbolize for you?

A Different Perspective

Imagination may be dismissed by society.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[The-little-prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/the-little-prince/)

## Related quotes

> [“Without a sound the flower's speak.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bert-mccoy/without-a-sound-the-flower-s-speak/)

[Bert McCoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bert-mccoy/)

> [Astronomers have discovered a planet that is twice the size of earth and made of diamonds. President Obama says the planet may be inhabited…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/astronomers-have-discovered-a-planet-that-is-twice-the-size-of-earth/)

[Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/)

> [“The Peace Panda Says...The whole planet we call Earth is our home and it's inhabitants...all our neighbors!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-pina/the-peace-panda-says-the-whole-planet-we-call-earth-is-our-home-and/)

[Timothy Pina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-pina/)

> [“That was how the little prince tamed the fox. And when the time was near: "Ah!" the fox said. "I shall weep." "It's your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/that-was-how-the-little-prince-tamed-the-fox-and-when-the-time-was/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [“It is such a mysterious place, the land of tears.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/it-is-such-a-mysterious-place-the-land-of-tears/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [“No one is ever satisfied where he is…Only the children know what they’re looking for…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/no-one-is-ever-satisfied-where-he-is-only-the-children-know-what-they/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [“This is, to me, the loveliest and saddest landscape in the world. It is the same as that on the preceding page, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/this-is-to-me-the-loveliest-and-saddest-landscape-in-the-world-it-is/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [“The little prince went back to look at the roses again. "You're not at all like my rose. You're nothing at all yet," he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/the-little-prince-went-back-to-look-at-the-roses-again-you-re-not-at/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [“It's all a great mystery. For you, who love the little prince, too. As for me, nothing in the universe can be the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/it-s-all-a-great-mystery-for-you-who-love-the-little-prince-too-as/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [“You are beautiful, but you are empty", he went on. "One could not die for you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/you-are-beautiful-but-you-are-empty-he-went-on-one-could-not-die-for/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [“Supposing I know of a flower that is absolutely unique, that is nowhere to be found except on my planet, and any minute that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/supposing-i-know-of-a-flower-that-is-absolutely-unique-that-is/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [“I own a flower myself,” he (The Little Prince) continued, “which I water every day. I own three volcanoes, which I rake out every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/i-own-a-flower-myself-he-the-little-prince-continued-which-i-water/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [“One only understands the things that one tames,” said the fox. “Men have no more time to understand anything. They buy things all ready…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/one-only-understands-the-things-that-one-tames-said-the-fox-men-have/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [“The thing that is important usually is the thing that is not seen”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/the-thing-that-is-important-usually-is-the-thing-that-is-not-seen/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [“For me you're only a little boy just like a hundred thousand other little boys. And I have no need of you. And you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/for-me-you-re-only-a-little-boy-just-like-a-hundred-thousand-other/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

## More by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

> [“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/if-you-want-to-build-a-ship-don-t-drum-up-the-men-to-gather-wood/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/a-rock-pile-ceases-to-be-a-rock-pile-the-moment-a-single-man/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [Treason implies responsibility for something, control over something, influence upon something, knowledge of something. Treason in our time is a proof of genius. Why,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/treason-implies-responsibility-for-something-control-over-something/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [“perfection is finally attained not when there is no longer anything to add, but when there is no longer anything to take away”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/perfection-is-finally-attained-not-when-there-is-no-longer-anything/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [“But for fear of disheartening them, we also spoke to them of disappointments and the bitter taste that rest has after a useless action.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/but-for-fear-of-disheartening-them-we-also-spoke-to-them-of/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [“If you come at four in the afternoon, I'll begin to be happy by three.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/if-you-come-at-four-in-the-afternoon-i-ll-begin-to-be-happy-by-three/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [Once we are bound together to our brothers by a common good that is outside us, then we can breathe. Experience teaches us that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/once-we-are-bound-together-to-our-brothers-by-a-common-good-that-is/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [“The stars are beautiful, because of a flower that cannot be seen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/the-stars-are-beautiful-because-of-a-flower-that-cannot-be-seen/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [“You are beautiful but you are empty. One could not die for you”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/you-are-beautiful-but-you-are-empty-one-could-not-die-for-you/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [“And the fox said to the little prince: men have forgotten this truth, but you must not forget it. You become responsible, forever, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/and-the-fox-said-to-the-little-prince-men-have-forgotten-this-truth/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [And now here is my secret, a very simple secret; it is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/and-now-here-is-my-secret-a-very-simple-secret-it-is-only-with-the/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [Flying is a man's job and its worries are a man's worries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/flying-is-a-man-s-job-and-its-worries-are-a-man-s-worries/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [“You are not at all like my rose," he said. "As yet you are nothing. No one has tamed you, and you have tamed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/you-are-not-at-all-like-my-rose-he-said-as-yet-you-are-nothing-no-one/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [Loneliness is bred of a mind that has grown earth-bound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/loneliness-is-bred-of-a-mind-that-has-grown-earth-bound/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [“Stretched out before the fire I looked at the glowing fruit and said to myself that men did not know what an orange was.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/stretched-out-before-the-fire-i-looked-at-the-glowing-fruit-and-said/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

[Explore all 719 Antoine de Saint-Exupéry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

## More Echo quotes

> [To write is to make oneself the echo of what cannot cease speaking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-bennett/to-write-is-to-make-oneself-the-echo-of-what-cannot-cease-speaking/)

[Arnold Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-bennett/)

> [Tyranny sets up its own echo-chamber.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-chatwin/tyranny-sets-up-its-own-echo-chamber/)

[Bruce Chatwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-chatwin/)

> [“I echo like a mynah, that’s why.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-dunnett/i-echo-like-a-mynah-that-s-why/)

[Dorothy Dunnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-dunnett/)

> [“Be the voice, not the echo.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-sprankle/be-the-voice-not-the-echo/)

Pete Sprankle

> [Tell me now in what hidden way isLady Flora the lovely Roman?Where's Hipparchia, and where is Thais,Neither of them the fairer woman?Where is Echo,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-gabriel-rossetti/tell-me-now-in-what-hidden-way-islady-flora-the-lovely-roman-where-s/)

[Dante Gabriel Rossetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-gabriel-rossetti/)

> [“You could not believe I was more than your echo.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/you-could-not-believe-i-was-more-than-your-echo/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [There is no word or action but has its echo in Eternity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pythagoras/there-is-no-word-or-action-but-has-its-echo-in-eternity/)

[Pythagoras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pythagoras/)

> [“Come here, baby." And with my words, Echo leaned into me soft, pliant, broken. "You're not alone," I whispered into her hair as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-mcgarry/come-here-baby-and-with-my-words-echo-leaned-into-me-soft-pliant/)

[Katie McGarry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-mcgarry/)

> [“Words never fade away but echo on for eternity. Let your echo ring sweet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/words-never-fade-away-but-echo-on-for-eternity-let-your-echo-ring/)

[Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/)

> [Better be a nettle in the side of your friend than his echo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/better-be-a-nettle-in-the-side-of-your-friend-than-his-echo/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [“The world's a mountain, actions like a shout, your echo will return to you, watch out!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jawid-mojaddedi/the-world-s-a-mountain-actions-like-a-shout-your-echo-will-return-to/)

Jawid Mojaddedi

> [“love is but an echo in her head”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cantor/love-is-but-an-echo-in-her-head/)

David Cantor

> [Empty words almost echo within themselves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecelia-ahern/empty-words-almost-echo-within-themselves/)

[Cecelia Ahern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecelia-ahern/)

> [“I thought I saw you today, but that was just hope. I heard the sound of your voice in the last wave of an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/broms-the-poet/i-thought-i-saw-you-today-but-that-was-just-hope-i-heard-the-sound-of/)

[Broms The Poet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/broms-the-poet/)

> [When I was little, I made up my own fairy tales, and the ghostly echo of Once upon a time shapes all the fiction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justine-larbalestier/when-i-was-little-i-made-up-my-own-fairy-tales-and-the-ghostly-echo/)

[Justine Larbalestier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justine-larbalestier/)

Browse all 177 Echo quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“What a queer planet!\" he thought. \"It is altogether dry, and altogether pointed, and altogether harsh and forbidding. And the people have no imagination. They repeat whatever one says to them . . . On my planet I had a flower; she always was the first to speak . . .”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Antoine de Saint-Exupéry"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/what-a-queer-planet-he-thought-it-is-altogether-dry-and-altogether/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Echo"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/what-a-queer-planet-he-thought-it-is-altogether-dry-and-altogether/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25a/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry-174_echo_what-a-queer-planet-he-thought-it-is-alt_1577228.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25a/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry-174_echo_what-a-queer-planet-he-thought-it-is-alt_1577228.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25a/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry-174_echo_what-a-queer-planet-he-thought-it-is-alt_1577228.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“What a queer planet!\" he thought. \"It is altogether dry, and altogether pointed, and altogether harsh and…” — Antoine de Saint-Exupéry",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Antoine de Saint-Exupéry",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“What a queer planet!\" he thought....",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/what-a-queer-planet-he-thought-it-is-altogether-dry-and-altogether/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/what-a-queer-planet-he-thought-it-is-altogether-dry-and-altogether/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
