The Alchemist

by Paulo Coelho

It’s the simple things in life that are the most extraordinary;

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.”

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.

If you can concentrate always on the present, you’ll be a happy man.

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.

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

the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself.

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