
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“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.”
“When you can't go back, you have to worry only about the best way of moving forward.”
“One is loved because one is loved. No reason is needed for loving.”
“People are capable, at any time in their lives, of doing what they dream of.”
“Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself.”
“The simple things are also the most extraordinary things.”
“Don't allow your mind to tell your heart what to do. The mind gives up easily.”
“The wise are wise only because they love.”
“The strongest love is the love that can demonstrate its fragility.”
“Don't give in to your fears. If you do, you won't be able to talk to your heart.”
“It is the simple things in life that are the most extraordinary; only wise men are able to understand them.”
“Everything in life is omens. There is a universal language. If you pay attention, you will discover it.”
“When you really want something, the whole universe conspires to help you achieve it.”
“Maktub. It is written.”
“Wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure.”
“The boy and his heart had become friends, and neither was capable now of betraying the other.”
“There is only one way to learn. It's through action.”
“To live is to experience things, not sit around pondering the meaning of life.”
“And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”
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