Paulo Coelho
Brazilian novelist and lyricist, author of The Alchemist (1988) — one of the most-translated and most-read books of all time, with over 150 million copies sold across 81 languages. Born in Rio de Janeiro in 1947, his early life included teenage psychiatric institutionalization at his parents' insistence and a period of countercultural experimentation before a 1986 pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago changed his trajectory. The novels that followed — By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept, Brida, Veronika Decides to Die, The Pilgrimage, Manual of the Warrior of Light — combined accessible storytelling with mystical and esoteric themes drawn from Sufism, Catholic mysticism, alchemy, and his own spiritual experiments. He has become one of the most quoted living authors in the world.
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Quotes by Paulo Coelho
106 quotes“The waiting is the hardest part. The struggle of being faithful to your dream is harder than the dream itself.”
“Stay sane inside insanity.”
“Don't waste your time with explanations: people only hear what they want to hear.”
“Travelers are bound to discover that there are old companions on the road.”
“The secret of life is to fall seven times and to get up eight.”
“Don't try to control. Watch the surprises that life brings.”
“The most important encounter in your life is with yourself.”
“Beautiful things look ordinary. Sacred things often hide in the ordinary.”
“Love does not ask. It simply gives.”
“Light a fire in your heart. The world finds it.”
“What is the greatest sin? Not to live one's own life.”
“Listening is more important than speaking.”
“In every life there is a moment of choice. The future depends on it.”
“To realize one's destiny is a person's only obligation.”
“Dreams are not for sale.”
“Whenever someone leaves, something comes to take its place.”
“Wisdom is the marriage of suffering and love.”
“Be patient. Wait for the moment when life shows you what to do.”
“Risk yourself. The harvest is worth it.”
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