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A civilization is built on what is required of men, not on that which is provided for them.

— Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Citadelle or The Wisdom of the Sands (1948)

[...] Car une civilisation repose sur ce qui est exigé des hommes, non sur ce qui leur est fourni.

Original text (French)

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More quotes by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.

Pilote de Guerre (1942)

Your task is not to foresee the future, but to enable it.

Citadelle or The Wisdom of the Sands (1948)

Transport of the mails, transport of the human voice, transport of flickering pictures — in this century, as in others, our highest accomplishments still have the single aim of bringing men together.

Terre des Hommes (1939)

Human drama does not show itself on the surface of life. It is not played out in the visible world, but in the hearts of men.

Terre des Hommes (1939)

It seems to me that those who complain of man's progress confuse ends with means.

Terre des Hommes (1939)

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.