Favourite quotes, themes or lessons you took from the Alchemist?

[Valkyrie9]

Mine is, "There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure."

Very true. When we allow this fear to become crippling, we cannot pursue our dreams, which automatically means the dream is impossible. If you don't try, you can't succeed.

[Valkyrie9]

"Your desire originates in the soul of the Universe." It's not exactly super profound, but how comforting is it to know that the Universe got your back? Extremely, right?

And this is why, when you really want something, the whole Universe conspires to help you get it. The Universe gave you the desire in the first place, so you are meant to reach the goal, if you are willing to put in the effort.

[Valkyrie9]

There are so many quotes and lessons to learn from this exceptional book. The most powerful lesson is about the courage to follow your dreams.

Apart from the most popular quote about the universe conspiring, there are many others I love from this book.

"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."

"Everything that happens once can never happen again. But everything that happens twice will surely happen a third time."

This is a lovely book. A rich source of pure wisdom.

"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." Wow, wow, wow! Such a stunning description of how precious each and every moment is. Thank you for sharing this quote with us.

[Valkyrie9]

"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."

I love the part that says "every second of the search is a second's encounter with God and with eternity." This means that it is all the more important to go in search of ones dreams. Not just for realizing the dream, but for the importance of the journey.

[Bigwig1973]

"The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon."

[Bigwig1973]

Because this book reminds me a little of Aesop's fables, I am trying to the the notion of the wind in the book into the wind of the wind representing force, rather than persuasion in Aesop's story? In Aesop, the wind and the sun are in a contest to see who can make the man remove his jacket (at least at one point in the story, a jacket is mentioned) more quickly. Which is better, persuasion or force? In this story, I wonder if the wind in The Alchemist is trying to learn how to persuade rather than force man to do something? In this case, like a challenge - the sun challenged the wind to a persuasion contest.

[Bigwig1973]

I was wondering about the 1/10th payment asked by the fortune teller/gypsy and by the King of Salem. Other than the ten commandments and being paid (or cursed) tenfold, I don't have a lot of connections to the number. Not that there has to be. Any insights?

[Anjali Patil]

“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

I just love this quote.

[Reader Chavez]

“It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.” This quote really got me. I think the author refers that the possibility of achieving our dream is why we do things and get out of our comfort zone. It encourages people to work and to dream.

[Linda S 1]

My favorite quote is “And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”

[Linda S 1]

The lesson that felt inspirational was that you have to follow your dreams no matter how hard it gets. The journey will be hard, obstacles will arise, sacrifices are to be made but going forward despite all these are important.

[Uniter Oyando]

My biggest lesson was persistence and consistency. If you really want something, it's not just enough to want it but you also have to work towards it persistently. Stay consistent and the universe will align whatever you want and/or need.

[Chinazo Anozie]

What is your favourite quote, theme/topic or lesson that you personally took away from the Alchemist when you read it?

For me, there were so many things to take away from the book. Firstly, Santiago's bravery to leave the familiar and jump into the unfamiliar to chase his dreams was something I really liked. Then, his perseverance to continue even when the going was tough. The relationships he made along the way in his journey was something I really liked also. And then at the end of the day, when he finally found the treasure, it wasn't even the most valuable thing to him anymore, instead it was his journey, experience and relationships he made along the way.

[Neha Zala]

I believe, alchemist is a book full of heart touching quotes. I think anyone who has ever read this book found their favourite at least once or twice.

Why do we have to listen to our hearts?” the boy asked.
“Because, wherever your heart is, that is where you will find your treasure.”

This one is my favourite from the book.
Thank you for asking the question

[Samuel Mamo]

This is my life motto by the way: " when you want something bad, the whole world conspires to help you" - the alchemist.