My 25 most important points
Paulo Coelho’s fans often refer to his books as inspiring and life-changing. His words speak to everyone in a different way and everyone has their own favourite passages – as demonstrated by the number of quotes from his books that can be found all over the internet.
Taken from a post on Paulo Coelho’s blog.
Photo: Alex Stephen Teuscher
1. When you want something, the whole universe conspires to make it happen.
“And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”
Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
2. Detach from all things and you will be free.
“When I had nothing to lose, I had everything.”
Paulo Coelho, Eleven Minutes
3. We are all here for a purpose.
“No matter what he does, every person on earth plays a central role in the history of the world. And normally he doesn’t know it.”
Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
“Everybody has a creative potential and from the moment you can express this creative potential, you can start changing the world.”
4. The only thing standing between you and your dream are your fears.
“Don’t give in to your fears. If you do, you won’t be able to talk to your heart.”
“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.”
Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
5. Mistakes are part of life.
“Everything tells me that I am about to make a wrong decision, but making mistakes is just part of life. What does the world want of me? Does it want me to take no risks, to go back to where I came from because I didn’t have the courage to say “yes” to life?”
Paulo Coelho, Eleven Minutes
6. Really important meetings are planned by the souls long before the bodies meet.
“Really important meetings are planned by the souls long before the bodies see each other. Generally speaking, these meetings occur when we reach a limit, when we need to die and be reborn emotionally. These meetings are waiting for us, but more often than not, we avoid them happening. If we are desperate, though, if we have nothing to lose, or if we are full of enthusiasm for life, then the unknown reveals itself, and our universe changes direction.”
Paulo Coelho, Eleven Minutes
7. Every experience, either good or bad, comes with a lesson.
“There are moments when troubles enter our lives and we can do nothing to avoid them. But they are there for a reason. Only when we have overcome them will we understand why they were there.”
Paulo Coelho, The Fifth Mountain
8. Do not seek for love outside of you.
“Love is not to be found in someone else but in ourselves; we simply awaken it. But in order to do that, we need the other person.”
Paulo Coelho, Eleven Minutes
9. When you change, the whole world changes with you.
“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.”
Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
10. No reason is needed for loving.
“One is loved because one is loved. No reason is needed for loving.”
Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
11. Mind your own business.
“Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own.”
Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
12. When someone leaves, it’s because someone else is about to arrive.
“No one loses anyone, because no one owns anyone. That is the true experience of freedom: having the most important thing in the world without owning it.”
Paulo Coelho, Eleven Minutes
13. Love is an untamed force.
“When we try to control it, it destroys us. When we try to imprison it, it enslaves us. When we try to understand it, it leaves us feeling lost and confused.”
14. Wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure.
“Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure.”
Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
15. Judge not.
“We can never judge the lives of others, because each person knows only their own pain and renunciation. 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.”
16. Children have valuable lessons to teach you.
“A child can teach an adult three things: to be happy for no reason, to always be busy with something, and to know how to demand with all his might that which he desires.”
Paulo Coelho, The Fifth Mountain
17. Appreciate the contrast of life.
“’Never be ashamed,’ he said. ‘Accept what life offers you and try to drink from every cup. All wines should be tasted; some should only be sipped, but with others, drink the whole bottle.’ ‘How will I know which is which?’ ‘By the taste. You can only know a good wine if you have first tasted a bad one.’”
Paulo Coelho, Brida
18. Nobody’s responsible for how you feel or don’t feel.
“In love, no one can harm anyone else; we are each responsible for our own feelings and cannot blame someone else for what we feel.”
Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
19. Your beliefs shape you and make you who you are.
“You are what you believe yourself to be.”
Paulo Coelho, The Witch of Portobello
20. Let go of the need to explain yourself.
“Don’t explain. Your friends do not need it, and your enemies will not believe you.”
21. Love changes everything.
“It is not time that changes man nor knowledge; the only thing that can change someone’s mind is love.”
Paulo Coelho, Eleven Minutes
22. Don’t mistake elegance with superficiality.
“Elegance is usually confused with superficiality, fashion, lack of depth. This is a serious mistake: human beings need to have elegance in their actions and in their posture because this word is synonymous with good taste, amiability, equilibrium and harmony.”
23. When you do work from your soul, the critics won’t hurt you.
“I write from my soul. This is the reason that critics don’t hurt me, because it is me. If it was not me, if I was pretending to be someone else, then this could unbalance my world, but I know who I am.”
24. Each day brings a miracle of its own.
“You can become blind by seeing each day as a similar one. Each day is a different one, each day brings a miracle of its own. It’s just a matter of paying attention to this miracle.”
25. Embrace your authenticity.
“You are someone who is different, but who wants to be the same as everyone else. And that in my view is a serious illness. God chose you to be different. Why are you disappointing God with this kind of attitude?”
Paulo Coelho, Veronika Decides to Die
“You must be the person you have never had the courage to be. Gradually, you will discover that you are that person, but until you can see this clearly, you must pretend and invent.”
“If you want to be successful, you must respect one rule – Never lie to yourself.”
