Story by Numbers

Grown-ups like numbers. When you tell them about a new friend, they never ask questions about what really matters. They never ask: “What does his voice sound like?” “What games does he like best?” “Does he collect butterflies?” They ask: “How old is he?” “How many brothers does he have?” “How much does he weigh?” “How much money does he have?” Only then do they think they know him. If you tell grown-ups, “I saw a beautiful red brick house, with geraniums at the windows and doves at the roof…,” they won’t be able to imagine such a house. You have to tell them, “I saw a house worth a thousand francs.” Then they exclaim, “What a pretty house!”

— Antoine de Saint-Exupery