The Alchemist

by Paulo Coelho

It was as if some mysterious energy bound his life to that of the sheep, with whom he had spent the past two years,

and—once in a while—their meat. If I became a monster today, and decided to kill them, one by one, they would become aware only after most of the flock had been slaughtered, thought the boy. They trust me, and they’ve forgotten how to rely on their own instincts, because I lead them to nourishment.

The heat lasted until nightfall, and all that time he had to carry his jacket. But when he thought to complain about the burden of its weight, he remembered that, because he had the jacket, he had withstood the cold of the dawn.

It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting,

When someone sees the same people every day, as had happened with him at the seminary, they wind up becoming a part of that person’s life.

Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own.

“It’s this: that 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.”

Sometimes it’s better to leave things as they are, he thought to himself, and decided to say nothing.

when each day is the same as the next, it’s because people fail to recognize the good things that happen in their lives every day that the sun rises. I

it whets your appetite with a taste of success.”

‘The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon.’”

when you really want something, the universe always conspires in your favor. He

shop. 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.

Soul of the World, the Philosopher’s Stone, and the Elixir of Life.

“When I’m eating, that’s all I think about. If I’m on the march, I just concentrate on marching. If I have to fight, it will be just as good a day to die as any other.

this kind of life cannot be captured in pictures or words.

Because people become fascinated with pictures and words, and wind up forgetting the Language of the World.

The silence of the desert was a distant dream;

At that moment, it seemed to him that time stood still, and the Soul of the World surged within him. When he looked into her dark eyes, and saw that her lips were poised between a laugh and silence, he learned the most important part of the language that all the world spoke—the language that everyone on earth was capable of understanding in their heart. It was love. Something older than humanity, more ancient than the desert.

whether it’s in the middle of the desert or in some great city. And when two such people encounter each other, and their eyes meet, the past and the future become unimportant. There is only that moment, and the incredible certainty that everything under the sun has been written by one hand only.

It is the hand that evokes love, and creates a twin soul for every person in the world.

Without such love, one’s dreams would have no meaning. Maktu...

realizing that he had loved her before he even knew she existed.

“The day after we met,” Fatima said, “you told me that you loved me. Then, you taught me something of the universal language and the Soul of the World. Because of that, I have become a part of you.”

The boy listened to the sound of her voice, and thought it to be more beautiful than the sound of the wind in the date palms. “I have been waiting for you here at this oasis for a long time. I have forgotten about my past, about my traditions, and the way in which men of the desert expect women to behave. Ever since I was a child, I have dreamed that the desert would bring me a wonderful present. Now, my present has arrived, and it’s you.” The boy wanted to take her hand. But Fatima’s hands held to the handles of her jug.

“You have told me about your dreams, about the old king and your treasure. And you’ve told me about omens. So now, I fear nothing, because it was those omens that brought you to me. And I am a part of your dream, a part of your Personal Legend, as you call it. “That’s why I want you to continue toward your goal. If you have to wait until the ...

The dunes are changed by the wind, but the desert never changes. That’s the way it will be wi...

It was my fear of failure that first kept me from attempting the Master Work.

“Always heed the omens,”

The tribesmen preferred the taste of battle, and the thrill of not knowing what the outcome would be;

“If good things are coming, they will be a pleasant surprise,” said the seer. “If bad things are, and you know in advance, you will suffer greatly before they even occur.”

to die tomorrow was no worse than dying on any other day. Every day was there to be lived or to mark one’s departure from this world. Everything depended on one word: “Maktub.”

In his heart, he felt a strange sense of joy: he was about to die in pursuit of his Personal Legend. And for Fatima.

Everything has been written by the same hand,”

“Courage is the quality most essential to understanding the Language of the World.” The

“You must love the desert, but never trust it completely. Because the desert tests all men: it challenges every step, and kills those who become distracted.”

“When a person really desires something, all the universe conspires to help that person to realize his dream,”

“It’s not what enters men’s mouths that’s evil,”

Camels are traitorous: they walk thousands of paces and never seem to tire. Then suddenly, they kneel and die. But horses tire bit by bit.

“Life attracts life,”

“You must understand that love never keeps a man from pursuing his Personal Legend. If he abandons that pursuit, it’s because it wasn’t true love . . . the love that speaks the Language of the World.”

“One is loved because one is loved. No reason is needed for loving.”

“Before this, I always looked to the desert with longing,” said Fatima. “Now it will be with hope.

She would have to send her kisses on the wind, hoping that the wind would touch the boy’s face,

“Don’t think about what you’ve left behind,”

“Men dream more about coming home than about leaving,”

“If what one finds is made of pure matter, it will never spoil. And one can always come back. If what you had found was only a moment of light, like the explosion of a star, you would find nothing on your return.”

Maybe the alchemist has never been in love, the boy thought.

“There is only one way to learn,” the alchemist answered. “It’s through action. Everything you need to know you have learned through your journey. You need to learn only one thing more.”

“They were seeking the treasure of their Personal Legend, without wanting actually to live out the Personal Legend.”