The Archer Quotes

“People always judge others by taking as a model their own limitations, and other people’s opinions are often full of prejudice and fear. Join with all those who experiment, take risks, fall, get hurt and then take more risks. Stay away from those who affirm truths, who criticise those who do not think like them, people who have never once taken a step unless they were sure they would be respected for doing so, and who prefer certainties to doubts.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Way of the Bow

“If you never take a risk, you will never know what changes you need to make. Each arrow leaves a memory in your heart, and it is the sum of those memories that will make you shoot better and better.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Archer

“Join with those who sing, tell stories, take pleasure in life, and have joy in their eyes, because joy is contagious and can prevent others from becoming paralyzed by depression, loneliness, and difficulties.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Archer

“But never hold back from firing the arrow if all that paralyses you is fear of making a mistake. If you have made the right movements, open your hand and release the string. Even if the arrow fails to hit the target, you will learn how to improve your aim next time.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Way of the Bow

“Serenity comes from the heart. Although the heart is often tormented by thoughts of insecurity, it knows that - through correct posture - it will be able to do its best.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Way of the Bow

“Use your bad moments to discover what makes you tremble. Use your good moments to find your road to inner peace. But do not stop either out of fear or joy: the way of the bow has no end.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Way of the Bow

“Use your bad moments to discover what makes you tremble. Use your good moments to find your road to inner peace.

But do not stop either out of fear or out of joy.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Archer

“What is a master? I would say that he is not someone who teaches something, but someone who inspires the student to do his best to discover a knowledge he already has in his soul.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Way of the Bow

“We should never judge people without first learning to hear and to respect them.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Way of the Bow

“Therefore, before you begin anything, seek out your allies, people who are interested in what you are doing. I'm not saying 'seek out other archers'.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Way of the Bow

“Continue in the way of the bow, for it is a whole life’s journey, but remember that a good, accurate shot is very different from one made with peace in your soul.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Way of the Bow

“A prayer without a deed is an arrow without a bow-string; A deed without a prayer is a bow-string without an arrow. ELLA WHEELER WILCOX”
― Paulo Coelho, The Way of the Bow

“Each arrow flies differently. You can shoot a thousand arrows and each one will follow a different trajectory: that is the way of the bow.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Way of the Bow

“Now, a few minutes ago, you called me master. What is a master: I would say that he is not someone who teaches something, but someone who inspires the student to do his best to discover a knowledge he already has in his soul.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Archer

“The bow is life: the source of all energy. The arrow will leave one day. The target is a long way off. But the bow will stay with you, and you must know how to look after it. It requires periods of inaction - a bow that is always armed and braced loses its strength. Therefore, allow it to rest, to recover its firmness; then, when you draw the bow-string, the bow will be content, with all its strength intact.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Way of the Bow

“Each arrow leaves a memory in your heart, and it is the sum of those memories that will make you shoot better and better.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Way of the Bow

“They have the qualities of water: flowing around rocks, adapting to the course of the river, sometimes forming into a lake until the hollow fills to overflowing, and they can continue on their way, because water never forgets that the sea is its destiny and that sooner or later it must be reached.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Way of the Bow

“But never hold back from firing the arrow if all that paralyzes you is fear of making a mistake. If you ave made the right movements, open your hand and release the string. Even if the arrow fails to hit the target, you will learn how to improve your aim next time.

If you never take a risk, you will never know what changes you need to make.

Each arrow leaves a memory in your heart, and it is the sum of those memories that will make you shoot better and better.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Archer

“Join with all those who experiment, take risks, fall, get hurt, and then take more risks. Stay away from those who affirm truths, who criticize those who do not think like them, people who have never once taken a step unless they were sure they would be respected for doing so, and who prefer certainties to doubts.

Join with those who are open and not afraid to be vulnerable: they understand that people can improve only once they start looking at what their fellows are doing, not in order to judge them, but to admire them for their dedication and courage.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Archer

“On a day when you are out of love with life, your aim will be confused, difficult.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Archer

“Elegance is achieved when everything superfluous has been discarded,”
― Paulo Coelho, The Archer

“The gesture is the incarnation of the verb; that is, an action is a thought made manifest.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Archer

“Serenity comes from the heart. Although the heart is often tormented by thoughts of insecurity, it knows that —through correct posture— it will be able to do its best.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Way of the Bow

“Every second since then has been a struggle against my vices and against self-pity. I need to remain focused and calm, to do the work I chose to do with love, and never to cling to the present moment, because death is still very close, the abyss is there beside me, and I am walking along the edge.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Way of the Bow

“they are people who are not afraid of making mistakes and who do, therefore, make mistakes, which is why their work often goes unrecognised.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Way of the Bow

“You know how to shoot when all the circumstances are favourable, but if you are on dangerous ground, you cannot hit the target. The archer cannot always choose the battlefield, so start your training again and be prepared for unfavourable situations. Continue in the way of the bow, for it is a whole life’s journey, but remember that a good, accurate shot is very different from one made with peace in your soul.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Way of the Bow

“Once the arrow has been shot, there is nothing more the archer can do, except follow its path to the target. From that moment on, the tension required to shoot the arrow has no further reason to exist.

Therefore, the archer keeps his eyes fixed on the flight of the arrow, but his heart rests, and he smiles.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Archer

“Join with those who have never said: 'Right, that's it, I'm going no further,' because as sure as spring follows winter, nothing ever ends; after achieving your objective, you must start again, always using everything you have learned on the way.

Join with those who sing, tell stories, take pleasure in life, and have joy in their eyes, because joy is contagious and can prevent others from becoming paralyzed by depression, loneliness, and difficulties.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Archer

“The gesture is the incarnation of the verb, that is, an action is a thought made manifest. A small gesture betrays us, so we must polish everything, think about details, learn the technique in such a way that it becomes intuitive. Intuition has nothing to do with routine, but with a state of mind that is beyond technique. So, after much practising, we no longer think about the necessary movements, they become part of our own existence. But for this to happen, you must practise and repeat. And if that isn’t enough, you must repeat and practise. Look at the skilled farrier working steel. To the untrained eye, he is merely repeating the same hammer blows. But anyone who knows the way of the bow knows that each time he lifts the hammer and brings it down, the intensity of the blow is different. The hand repeats the same gesture, but as it approaches the metal, it understands that it must touch it with more or less force. So it is with repetition, although it may appear to be the same thing, it is always different.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Way of the Bow

“There are two types of shot. The first is the shot made with great precision, but without any soul. In this case, although the archer may have a great mastery of technique, he has concentrated solely on the target and because of this he has not evolved, he has become stale, he has not managed to grow, and, one day, he will abandon the way of the bow because he finds that everything has become mere routine. The second type of shot is the one made with the soul. When the intention of the archer is transformed into the flight of the arrow, his hand opens at the right moment, the sound of the string makes the birds sing, and the gesture of shooting something over a distance provokes —paradoxically enough— a return to and an encounter with oneself.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Way of the Bow