The Alchemist (Portuguese: O Alquimista) is written by Paulo Coelho and was first published in 1988. It follows Santiago, a young spanish shepherd, on a journey to fulfill his Personal Legend. It has been hailed as a modern classic. The book was originally written in Portuguese and has since been translated into 67 languages, winning the Guinness World Record for most translated book by a living author. It has sold more than 65 million copies in more than 150 countries, becoming one of the best-selling books in history.
I just finished reading The Alchemist by Paolo Coellho recently (thanks Ayang!) and there are a few quotes that I think are worth sharing...
"It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting."
"Dreams are the language of God... if he speaks in the language of the soul, it is only you who can understand..."
"It's the simple things in life that are most extraordinary."
"When someone sees the same people everyday, they wind up becoming part of the person's life. And then they want the person to change. If someone isn't what others want him to be, the others become angry. Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own."
"At a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what's happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate. That's the world's greatest lie."
"A person's destiny... It's what you have always wanted to accomplish. Everyone, when they are young, knows what their destiny is. At that point in their lives, everything is clear and everything is possible. They are not afraid to dream, and to yearn for everything they would like to see happen to them in their lives. But, as time passes, a mysterious force begins to convince them that it will be impossible for them to realize their destiny... The mysterious force ...a force that appears to be negative, but actually shows you how to realize your destiny. It prepares your spirit and your will, because there is one great truth on this planet; whoever you are, or whatever it is you do, when you really want something; it's because that desire originated in the soul of the universe. It's your mission on earth... to realize one's destiny is a person's only real obligation. All things are one. And when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it."
"...people are capable, at any time in their lives, of doing what they dream of."
"People learn, early in their lives, what is their reason for being. Maybe that's why they give up on it so early, too. but that's the way it is."
"when each day is the same as the next... people fail to recognize the good things that happen in their lives every day the sun rises."
"That's the way it always is. It's called the principle of favorability. When you play cards the first time, you are almost sure to win. Beginner's luck... Because there is a force that wants you to realize your destiny; it whets your appetite with a taste of success... Every search begins with beginner's luck. And every search ends with the victor being severely tested... The darkest hour of the night came just before dawn."
"The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil in the spoon."
"I'm like everyone else- I see the world in terms of what I would like to see happen, not what actually does."
"Everything in life is an omen... Learn to recognize omens, and follow them.. Never stop dreaming..."
"Every blessing ignored becomes a curse."
"...there was a language in the world that everyone understood...it was the language of enthusiasm, of things accomplished with love and purpose, and as part of a search for something believed in and desired... There is a universal language, understood by everybody, but already forgotten... Courage is the quality most essential to understanding the Language of the World.."
"Making a decision was only the beginning of things. When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he had never dreamed of when he first made the decision."
"The closer one gets to realizing his destiny, the more that destiny becomes his true reason for being."
"Intuition is really a sudden immersion of the soul into the universal current of life, where the histories of all people are connected..."
"People need not fear the unknown if they are capable of achieving what they need and want."
"...I don't live in either my past or my future. I'm interested only in the present. If you can concentrate always on the present, you'll be a happy man... Because life is the moment we're living right now."
"If good things are coming, they will be a pleasant surprise. If bad things are, and you know in advance, you will suffer greatly before they even occur."
"The future belongs to God and it is only He who reveals it, under extraordinary circumstances. How do I guess the future? Based on the omens of the present. The secret is here in the present. If you pay attention to the present, you can improve upon it. And, if you improve on the present, what comes later will also be better. Forget about the future, and live each day according to the teachings.. Each day, in itself, brings with in an eternity."
"One is loved because one is loved. No reason is needed for loving."
"... this natural world is only an image and a copy of paradise. The existence of this world is simply a guarantee that there exists a world that is perfect."
"Treason is a blow that comes unexpectedly. If you know your heart well, it will never be able to do that to you. Because you'll know its dream and wishes, and will know how to deal with them. You will never be able to escape from your heart. So it's better to listen to what it has to say..."
"People are afraid to pursue their most imporatnt dreams, because they feel that they don't deserve them, or that they'll be unable to achieve them."
"One of life's simple lessons.. when you possses great treasures within you, and try to tell others of them, seldom are you believed."
"There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure."
"When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better, too."
"Everything that happens once can never happen again. But everything that happens twice will surely happen a third time."
"Be aware of the place where you are brought to tears. That's where your heart is, and that's where your treasure is."
"Life is generous to those who pursue their destiny."
“Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second’s encounter with God and with eternity.”
"It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting."
"Dreams are the language of God... if he speaks in the language of the soul, it is only you who can understand..."
"It's the simple things in life that are most extraordinary."
"When someone sees the same people everyday, they wind up becoming part of the person's life. And then they want the person to change. If someone isn't what others want him to be, the others become angry. Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own."
"At a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what's happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate. That's the world's greatest lie."
"A person's destiny... It's what you have always wanted to accomplish. Everyone, when they are young, knows what their destiny is. At that point in their lives, everything is clear and everything is possible. They are not afraid to dream, and to yearn for everything they would like to see happen to them in their lives. But, as time passes, a mysterious force begins to convince them that it will be impossible for them to realize their destiny... The mysterious force ...a force that appears to be negative, but actually shows you how to realize your destiny. It prepares your spirit and your will, because there is one great truth on this planet; whoever you are, or whatever it is you do, when you really want something; it's because that desire originated in the soul of the universe. It's your mission on earth... to realize one's destiny is a person's only real obligation. All things are one. And when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it."
"...people are capable, at any time in their lives, of doing what they dream of."
"People learn, early in their lives, what is their reason for being. Maybe that's why they give up on it so early, too. but that's the way it is."
"when each day is the same as the next... people fail to recognize the good things that happen in their lives every day the sun rises."
"That's the way it always is. It's called the principle of favorability. When you play cards the first time, you are almost sure to win. Beginner's luck... Because there is a force that wants you to realize your destiny; it whets your appetite with a taste of success... Every search begins with beginner's luck. And every search ends with the victor being severely tested... The darkest hour of the night came just before dawn."
"The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil in the spoon."
"I'm like everyone else- I see the world in terms of what I would like to see happen, not what actually does."
"Everything in life is an omen... Learn to recognize omens, and follow them.. Never stop dreaming..."
"Every blessing ignored becomes a curse."
"...there was a language in the world that everyone understood...it was the language of enthusiasm, of things accomplished with love and purpose, and as part of a search for something believed in and desired... There is a universal language, understood by everybody, but already forgotten... Courage is the quality most essential to understanding the Language of the World.."
"Making a decision was only the beginning of things. When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he had never dreamed of when he first made the decision."
"The closer one gets to realizing his destiny, the more that destiny becomes his true reason for being."
"Intuition is really a sudden immersion of the soul into the universal current of life, where the histories of all people are connected..."
"People need not fear the unknown if they are capable of achieving what they need and want."
"...I don't live in either my past or my future. I'm interested only in the present. If you can concentrate always on the present, you'll be a happy man... Because life is the moment we're living right now."
"If good things are coming, they will be a pleasant surprise. If bad things are, and you know in advance, you will suffer greatly before they even occur."
"The future belongs to God and it is only He who reveals it, under extraordinary circumstances. How do I guess the future? Based on the omens of the present. The secret is here in the present. If you pay attention to the present, you can improve upon it. And, if you improve on the present, what comes later will also be better. Forget about the future, and live each day according to the teachings.. Each day, in itself, brings with in an eternity."
"One is loved because one is loved. No reason is needed for loving."
"... this natural world is only an image and a copy of paradise. The existence of this world is simply a guarantee that there exists a world that is perfect."
"Treason is a blow that comes unexpectedly. If you know your heart well, it will never be able to do that to you. Because you'll know its dream and wishes, and will know how to deal with them. You will never be able to escape from your heart. So it's better to listen to what it has to say..."
"People are afraid to pursue their most imporatnt dreams, because they feel that they don't deserve them, or that they'll be unable to achieve them."
"One of life's simple lessons.. when you possses great treasures within you, and try to tell others of them, seldom are you believed."
"There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure."
"When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better, too."
"Everything that happens once can never happen again. But everything that happens twice will surely happen a third time."
"Be aware of the place where you are brought to tears. That's where your heart is, and that's where your treasure is."
"Life is generous to those who pursue their destiny."
“Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second’s encounter with God and with eternity.”
Reading the book made me think about what my dream and ultimately what my destiny really is. Sadly, till this day, the answer evades me. I have a lot of things that I want to do, but somehow I don't know whether I should pursue it or not. And I don't know whether that really my destiny.
I know that courage is imperative to make your dreams come true and also to be able to accept the changes that comes along the way. Some people might just be content with only dreaming, as they take it as their means to go on living their mundane lives. Am I becoming like that? The expectations of society is too much a burden. I found myself thinking recently, what am I doing with my life? To the point where I was actually wishing to take a break friom it all and just go someplace. In search of the true me.
In general, people are scared to take chances because they are scared of the "what if"'s and are prepared to lead ordinary and unexciting lives which are comfortable. In short the fear of the unknown drives people away from fulfilling their true destiny. We are all confined in this thinking that everybody should be living the same life. Go to school, get a job, get married, have babies.. But is that all there is to it? When do we start enjoying our life? What about our passions? When do we start to realize that everybody has their own path and no one ever walks in the same direction. Some might make the right decision but some might take the longer path to realize their dreams. And is it ever too late to start chasing your dream? Questions questions...
Anyways, back to the book. Seeing that it was quite short (I managed to finish it in one day), it was a pleasure to read but I found the ending a bit confusing.. Maybe I'm not enlightened enough to find the meaning behind it. However, it did raise questions about the direction and what I want to do in my life, as discussed earlier.
I know that courage is imperative to make your dreams come true and also to be able to accept the changes that comes along the way. Some people might just be content with only dreaming, as they take it as their means to go on living their mundane lives. Am I becoming like that? The expectations of society is too much a burden. I found myself thinking recently, what am I doing with my life? To the point where I was actually wishing to take a break friom it all and just go someplace. In search of the true me.
In general, people are scared to take chances because they are scared of the "what if"'s and are prepared to lead ordinary and unexciting lives which are comfortable. In short the fear of the unknown drives people away from fulfilling their true destiny. We are all confined in this thinking that everybody should be living the same life. Go to school, get a job, get married, have babies.. But is that all there is to it? When do we start enjoying our life? What about our passions? When do we start to realize that everybody has their own path and no one ever walks in the same direction. Some might make the right decision but some might take the longer path to realize their dreams. And is it ever too late to start chasing your dream? Questions questions...
Anyways, back to the book. Seeing that it was quite short (I managed to finish it in one day), it was a pleasure to read but I found the ending a bit confusing.. Maybe I'm not enlightened enough to find the meaning behind it. However, it did raise questions about the direction and what I want to do in my life, as discussed earlier.
Wanna go on a vacay with the boys..
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