The Alchemist

by Paulo Coelho

ever since he had been a child, he had wanted to know the world, and this was much more important to him than knowing God and learning about man’s sins.

“They come in search of new things, but when they leave they are basically the same people they were when they arrived.

The problem is that they don’t even realize that they’re walking a new road every day. They don’t see that the fields are new and the seasons change. All they think about is food and water.

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

dreams are the language of God. When he speaks in our language, I can interpret what he has said. But 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 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.”

People say strange things, the boy thought. Sometimes it’s better to be with the sheep, who don’t say anything.

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

He had to choose between something he had become accustomed to and something he wanted to have.

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.

‘You cannot trust a man if you don’t know his house.’

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

whoever has money is never really alone.

I’m going to become bitter and distrustful of people because one person betrayed me.

I see the world in terms of what I would like to see happen, not what actually does.”

This wasn’t a strange place; it was a new one.

He sat there, staring blankly through the door of the café, wishing that he had died, and that everything would end forever at that moment.

We have to take advantage when luck is on our side, and do as much to help it as it’s doing to help us. It’s called the principle of favorability. Or beginner’s luck.”

every blessing ignored becomes a curse.

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.

“When you want something, all the universe conspires to help you achieve it,”

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.

It was something that I thought could happen only to others, never to me.

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

when you can’t go back, you have to worry only about the best way of moving forward.

“It’s only those who are persistent, and willing to study things deeply, who achieve the Master Work.

“Everyone has his or her own way of learning things,”

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

life is the moment we’re living right now.”

“Don’t be impatient,”

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.”

to die tomorrow was no worse than dying on any other day.

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

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

The existence of this world is simply a guarantee that there exists a world that is perfect.

“My heart is a traitor,”

it’s afraid that, in pursuing your dream, you might lose everything you’ve won.”

People are afraid to pursue their most important dreams, because they feel that they don’t deserve them, or that they’ll be unable to achieve them. We, their hearts, become fearful just thinking of loved ones who go away forever, or of moments that could have been good but weren’t, or of treasures that might have been found but were forever hidden in the sands. Because, when these things happen, we suffer terribly.”

Most people see the world as a threatening place, and, because they do, the world turns out, indeed, to be a threatening place.

“Every search begins with beginner’s luck. And every search ends with the victor’s being severely tested.”

the darkest hour of the night came just before the dawn.

“When you possess great treasures within you, and try to tell others of them, seldom are you believed.”

“Your eyes show the strength of your soul,”

“Don’t give in to your fears,”

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.”