The Alchemist

by Paulo Coelho

The boy could see in his father’s gaze a desire to be able, himself, to travel the world—a desire that was still alive, despite his father’s having had to bury it, over dozens of years, under the burden of struggling for water to drink, food to eat, and the same place to sleep every night of his life.

I couldn’t have found God in the seminary, he thought, as he looked at the sunrise.

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

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 Personal Legend.”

“And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”

He never realized that people are capable, at any time in their lives, of doing what they dream of.”

“If you start out by promising what you don’t even have yet, you’ll lose your desire to work toward getting it.”

A shepherd may like to travel, but he should never forget about his sheep.

in money there was magic; whoever has money is never really alone.

“I’m like everyone else—I see the world in terms of what I would like to see happen, not what actually does.”

He looked around at the empty plaza again, feeling less desperate than before. This wasn’t a strange place; it was a new one.

I’m afraid that if my dream is realized, I’ll have no reason to go on living.

But I’m afraid that it would all be a disappointment, so I prefer just to dream about it.”

Today, I understand something I didn’t see before: every blessing ignored becomes a curse.

There had been a time when he thought that his sheep could teach him everything he needed to know about the world. But they could never have taught him Arabic.

I can always go back to being a shepherd, the boy thought. I learned how to care for sheep, and I haven’t forgotten how that’s done. But maybe I’ll never have another chance to get to the Pyramids in Egypt.

The hills of Andalusia were only two hours away, but there was an entire desert between him and the Pyramids. Yet the boy felt that there was another way to regard his situation: he was actually two hours closer to his treasure . . . the fact that the two hours had stretched into an entire year didn’t matter.

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.

Creatures like the sheep, that are used to traveling, know about moving on.”

no matter how many detours and adjustments it made, the caravan moved toward the same compass point. Once obstacles were overcome, it returned to its course, sighting on a star that indicated the location of the oasis.

people need not fear the unknown if they are capable of achieving what they need and want.

When you want something with all your heart, that’s when you are closest to the Soul of the World. It’s always a positive force.”

He still had a long way to go to reach the Pyramids, and someday this morning would just be a memory.

Maybe God created the desert so that man could appreciate the date trees, he thought.

Now, I’m beginning what I could have started ten years ago. But I’m happy at least that I didn’t wait twenty years.”

“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.”

as the camel driver had said, 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.

“It’s not what enters men’s mouths that’s evil,” said the alchemist. “It’s what comes out of their mouths that is.”

“Tomorrow, sell your camel and buy a horse. 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. You always know how much you can ask of them, and when it is that they are about to die.”

“I’m going away,” he said. “And I want you to know that I’m coming back. I love you because . . .” “Don’t say anything,” Fatima interrupted. “One is loved because one is loved. No reason is needed for loving.”

“And what went wrong when other alchemists tried to make gold and were unable to do so?” “They were looking only for gold,” his companion answered. “They were seeking the treasure of their Personal Legend, without wanting actually to live out the Personal Legend.”

“You will never be able to escape from your heart. So it’s better to listen to what it has to say. That way, you’ll never have to fear an unanticipated blow.”

“Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself.

one ‘dies of thirst just when the palm trees have appeared on the horizon.’

It said that the darkest hour of the night came just before the dawn.

“This desert was once a sea,” he said. “I noticed that,” the boy answered.

“You gave them everything I had!” the boy said. “Everything I’ve saved in my entire life!” “Well, what good would it be to you if you had to die?” the alchemist answered. “Your money saved us for three days. It’s not often that money saves a person’s life.”

There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.”

“Usually the threat of death makes people a lot more aware of their lives.”

“That’s what alchemists do. They show that, when we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better, too.”

“No matter what he does, every person on earth plays a central role in the history of the world. And normally he doesn’t know it.”