r/bookquotes

It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.

I first encountered The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry when I was around 11/12 y/o. It was stashed in a shelf that most kids wouldn't even look at. But I loved being in the library and there was nothing more I enjoyed than discovering interesting reads that were not on display upfront and centre in our elementary library.

To be honest, I did not fully grasp it at first. I was at the cusp of an ending but also a beginning. But it stayed with me. Never went away. I reread the book as a working adult and it finally made more sense. Not just this quote but the entire book.

This is from “ In Blackwater woods”

To live in this world, you must be able to do three things: to love what is mortal; to hold it against your bones knowing your own life depends on it; and, when the time comes to let it go, to let it go.

Okay, so when I was maybe in my late teens or early twenties, Oprah had her book club thing. Not a fan of her anymore.
*BUT* I vividly remember one of her book recommendations, and she loved the book so much that she interviewed the author in her home.
She told the author that one of her favorite lines from the book was (and this is not totally accurate because it’s been over 20 years) “I pushed pain away all day and the moment I let my arms down, it walked into me and had a seat.” (??) At least that’s how i remember it.

I’ve scoured the internet for any and all sentences that vaguely resemble this and I’ve come up with absolutely nothing. Does anyone know what book I’m talking about?