228. The Alchemist
Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Recommended by:
Author: Paul Coelho
Genre: Fiction, Fantasy, Foreign, Happiness
197 pages, published May 1, 1993
Reading Format: Audio Book
Summary
Paulo Coelho’s extremely popular master work tells the mystical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure. His quest will lead him to riches far different—and far more satisfying—than he ever imagined. Santiago’s journey teaches us about the wisdom of listening to our hearts, of recognizing opportunity and learning to read the omens strewn along life’s path, and, most importantly, to follow our dreams.
Quotes
“And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”
“It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.”
“When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.”
“One is loved because one is loved. No reason is needed for loving.”
“I don’t live in either my past or my future. I’m interested only in the present. If you can concentrate always on the present, you’ll be a happy man. Life will be a party for you, a grand festival, because life is the moment we’re living now.”
“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.”
“Don’t give in to your fears. If you do, you won’t be able to talk to your heart.”
“This is what we call love. When you are loved, you can do anything in creation. When you are loved, there’s no need at all to understand what’s happening, because everything happens within you.”
“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.”
“We are travelers on a cosmic journey, stardust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share. This is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in eternity.”
“The secret of life, though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times.”
“I love you because the entire universe conspired to help me find you.”
“To realize one’s destiny is a person’s only obligation.”
“It’s one thing to feel that you are on the right path, but it’s another to think that yours is the only path.”
“There is only one way to learn. It’s through action. Everything you need to know you have learned through your journey.”
“It is said that all people who are happy have God within them.”
“The simple things are also the most extraordinary things, and only the wise can see them.”
“If someone isn’t what others want them to be, the others become angry. Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own.”
“Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second’s encounter with God and with eternity.”
“Every blessing ignored becomes a curse.”
“You will never be able to escape from your heart. So it’s better to listen to what it has to say.”
“If you start by promising what you don’t even have yet, you’ll lose your desire to work towards getting it.”
My Take
Like The Richest Man in Babylon, The Alchemist is falls into a category of allegorical books that I usually enjoy reading. Through the simple tale of boy on a quest to find his treasure and fulfill his destiny, The Alchemist imparts numerous pearls of wisdom about life, love, dreams, fear, hope and happiness. I highly recommend the audio version which is perfectly narrated by the wonderful Jeremy Irons.
