By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept

by Paulo Coelho

Lovers need to know how to lose themselves and then how to find themselves again.

LOVE IS A TRAP. When it appears, we see only its light, not its shadows.

I am always better than I think and stronger than I believe.

Thy will be done, my Lord. Because you know the weakness in the heart of your children, and you assign each of them only the burden they can bear. May you understand my love—because it is the only thing I have that is really mine, the only thing that I will be able to take with me into the next life. Please allow it to be courageous and pure; please make it capable of surviving the snares of the world.

Only a man who is happy can create happiness in others.’

‘Follow your dreams, transform your life, take the path that leads to God. Perform your miracles. Cure. Make prophecies. Listen to your guardian angel. Transform yourself. Be a warrior, and be happy as you wage the good fight. Take risks.’”

“Look at this table,” he said. “The Japanese call it shibumi, the true sophistication of simple things. Instead, people fill their bank accounts with money and travel to expensive places in order to feel they’re sophisticated.”