Warrior of the Light

by Paulo Coelho

The Warrior, however, transforms his thinking into action.

A Warrior of the Light thinks about both war and peace and knows how to act in accordance with the circumstances.

A Warrior of the Light who trusts too much in his intelligence will end up underestimating the power of his opponent. It is important not to forget that sometimes strength is more effective than strategy.

the Warrior never underestimates brute force. When it proves too violent, he withdraws from the battlefield until his enemy has exhausted himself.

The Warrior of the Light knows when the enemy is stronger.

he uses diplomacy to resolve the difficult situation in which he finds himself. When the enemy behaves childishly, he does the same. When he challenges him to a fight, he pretends not to understand.

In such situations, the Warrior remains patient—the enemy will soon go off in search of others to provoke.

A Warrior of the Light is never indifferent to injustice. He knows that all are one and that each individual action affects everyone on the planet. That is why, when confronted by the suffering of others, he uses his sword to restore order. But even though he fights against oppression, at no point does he attempt to judge the oppressor. Each person will answer for his actions before God and so, once the Warrior has completed his task, he makes no further comment.

A Warrior of the Light is in the world in order to help his fellow man, not to condemn his neighbor.

In difficult and painful times, the Warrior faces overwhelming odds with heroism, resignation, and courage.

A Warrior of the Light is never in a hurry. Time works in his favor; he learns to master his impatience and avoids acting without thinking.

he needs to change himself before he can transform the world.

A Warrior never picks fruit while it is still green.

A Warrior of the Light needs both patience and speed.

A Warrior of the Light often loses heart.

Then, when he least expects it, a new door opens.

A Warrior of the Light always keeps his heart free of any feelings of hatred.

he knows that the act of forgiveness does not mean that he must accept everything; a Warrior cannot bow his head, for if he did he would lose sight of the horizon of his dreams.

He accepts that his opponents are there to test his valor, his persistence, and his ability to make decisions. They force him to fight for his dreams.

It is the experience of battle that strengthens the War...

The Warrior remembers the past. He knows about man’s Spiritual Quest and that this Quest has been responsible for some of history’s finest pages.

But also some of history’s worst chapters: massacres, sacrifices, and obscurantism. It was used for personal ends and has seen its ideas used to defend the most terrible of intentions.

The Warrior has heard people ask: “How am I to know that the path I am on is the right one?” And he has seen many people abandon their quest beca...

The Warrior of the Light knows the importance of intuition.

the Warrior knows that intuition is God’s language and he continues listening to the wind and talking to the stars.

The Warrior of the Light sits around a fire with his companions.

The Warrior speaks enthusiastically about the path, about how he resisted a particular challenge or the solution he found to one especially difficult situation. When he tells stories, he invests his words with passion and romance.

The Warrior hears someone say: “I need to understand everything before I can make a decision. I want to have the freedom to change my mind.”

The Warrior regards these words suspiciously. He too enjoys that freedom, but this does not prevent him from taking on a commitment, even if he does not know quite why he does so.

To engage in any activity the Warrior needs to know what to expect, how to achieve the objective, and whether or not he is capable of carrying out the proposed task.

The Warrior is attentive to small things. Sometimes he is hard on himself, but he prefers to act in this way.