Quotes by Paulo Coelho

Be a good person, but don't waste your time trying to prove it.

Avoiding problems you need to face is avoiding the life you need to live.

Don't fear the light within. May it ignite the Sacred Flame in your soul.

None of us knows what might happen even the next minute, yet still we go forward. Because we trust. Because we have Faith.

Don't fear solitude: If you are never alone, you cannot know yourself. But don't get too attached to it -- it may become an addiction.

Be ready to pay the price of your dreams. Free cheese can only be found in a mousetrap.

The two hardest tests on the spiritual road are the patience to wait for the right moment and the courage not to be disappointed with what we encounter.

Although anxiety is part of life, never let it control you.

Be fully awake if you want to dream.

Don't let anyone make you feel that you don't deserve the good things that happen in your life.

Everything depends on which path you take.

The person who loves wholeheartedly feels free.

You can choose between being a victim of destiny or an adventurer who is fighting for something important.

A man has to choose. This is where lies his strength: in the power of his decisions. If you choose to follow the path of your dreams, commit yourself to it. Accept your path.

In love you always win, even if you lose.

But if you've ever felt love, you'll know how painful it is to suffer for love.

Choosing one path means abandoning others -- if you try to follow every possible path you will end up following none.

Being human means having doubts and yet still continuing on your path.

The moment we begin to seek love, love begins to seek us. And to save us.

Do not forget: seek to win all your battles, including those you fight against yourself. Do not fear the scars. Do not be afraid of victory.

Forgive your enemy, but do not mistake him for a friend.

But don't forget that memory is like salt: the right amount brings out
the flavour in food, too much ruins it. If you live in the past all the
time, you'll find yourself with no present to remember.

Love can only be found through the act of loving.

Finding one important thing in your life doesn't mean you have to give up all the other important things.

But if you believe yourself worthy of the thing you fought so hard to get, then you become an instrument of God, you help the Soul of the World, and you understand why you are here.

Don't live every day as if it were your last. Live every day as if it were your first.

There is no sin but the lack of love.

The light of love drives away the darkness of guilt.

Try to live with the same intensity as a child. He doesn't ask for explanations; he dives into each day as if it were a new adventure and, at night, sleeps tired and happy.

Do not ask yourself if your love is big enough, because love is neither big nor small, it is simply love.

Find someone who makes you smile, because it only takes a smile to make a day better.

True love is an act of total surrender.

Always remember the proverb: This too shall pass. Your negative feelings won't last forever, there's a light at the end of every tunnel. It might not happen today or tomorrow, but you'll feel better eventually.

Most human beings still cannot trust love.

Don't waste your time with explanations. People only hear what they want to hear.

Don't be like those people who believe in positive thinking and tell themselves that they're loved and strong and capable. You don't need to do that because you know it already.

Real love changes and grows with time and discovers new ways of expressing itself.

Because, wherever your heart is, that is where you´ll find your treasure.

Don't allow your wounds to transform you into someone you are not.

Enjoy your magic moment today. As it will not be here tomorrow.

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.

Live fully, love deeply, let go with no bitterness.

You should paint those visions of paradise rather than just talking about them.

Joy goes against the foundations of mathematics: it multiplies when we divide.

Loneliness, when accepted, becomes a gift that will lead us to find a purpose in life.

Dreaming is very pleasant as long as you are not forced to put your dreams into practice.

Follow your dreams, transform your life.

Don't allow your mind to tell your heart what to do. The mind gives up easily.

The grandeur of God reveals itself through simple things.

The adrenaline and stress of an adventure are better than a thousand peaceful days.

If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine; it is lethal.

Don't give to anyone the power to put you down. Haters are losers pretending to be winners.

I can speak to my soul only when the two of us are off exploring deserts or cities or mountains or roads.

Tears are words that need to be written.

It's better to cross the line and suffer the consequences than to just stare at the line for the rest of your life.

Courage in the path is what makes the path manifest itself.

Not all storms come to disrupt your life, some come to clear your path.

Elegance is achieved when all that is superfluous has been discarded and the human being discovers simplicity and concentration: the simpler and more sober the posture, the more beautiful it will be.

Because you believed I was capable of behaving decently, I did.

Fight for your dreams, even if that means fighting alone.

To heal a wound you must stop scratching it.

I need a break from my own thoughts.

Never apologize for being yourself.

Our soul is governed by four invisible forces: love, death, power and time.

Enjoy what you can and ignore the rest. Let's not waste any energy fighting things that are outside our control.

Whenever you want to achieve something, keep your eyes open, concentrate and make sure you know exactly what it is you want. No one can hit their target with their eyes closed.

I always was a rich person because money's not related to happiness.

We have lost contact with reality, the simplicity of life.

Beauty is the greatest seducer of man.

Waiting is painful. Forgetting is painful. But not knowing which to do is the worse kind of suffering.

Everybody has a creative potential and from the moment you can express this creative potential, you can start changing the world.

Every blessing ignored becomes a curse.

Important encounters are planned by the souls long before the bodies see each other.

Travel is never a matter of money, but of courage.

One day you will wake up and there won't be any more time to do the things you've always wanted. Do it now.

Time heals almost everything. But when you are healed, you are too old to enjoy.

Love is, after all, a curse of suffering.

Don't forget: beautiful sunsets need cloudy skies.

Falling down is not defeat. Defeat is, when you refuse to get up.

The way up to the top of the mountain is always longer than you think. Don't fool yourself, the moment will arrive when what seemed so near is still very far.

Straight roads do not make skillful drivers.

It is not difficult to rebuild a life. All we need is to be aware that we have the same strength we had before, and to use it in our favor.

It's the simple things in life that are the most extraordinary.

The cup of suffering is not the same size for everyone.

It is necessary to be humble in order to learn.

The boat is safer anchored at the port; but that's not the aim of boats.

Faith is not desire. Faith is will. Desires are things that need to be satisfied, whereas will is a force. Will changes the space around us.

Human beings can withstand a week without water, two weeks without food, many years of homelessness, but not loneliness.
It is the worst of all tortures, the worst of all sufferings.

There's nothing deeper than love. In fairy tales, the princesses kiss the frogs, and the frogs become princes. In real life, the princesses kiss princes, and the princes turn into frogs.

If you're brave enough to say goodbye, life will reward you with a new hello.

It's always easy to blame others. You can spend your entire life blaming the world, but your successes or failures are entirely your own responsibility. You can try to stop time, but it's a complete waste of energy.

Writing means sharing. It's part of the human condition to want to share things thoughts, ideas, opinions.

The reward of our work is not what we get, but what we become.

Scars speak more loudly than the sword that caused them.

Why is patience so important? Because it makes us pay attention.

We can't choose our lives, but we can decide what to do with the joys or griefs we're given.

When we step out of our normal world and leave behind us all the usual barriers and prejudices, we tend to become more adventurous.

A Warrior does not go into battle without knowing the limitations of his ally.

If you really want to dream, be fully awake.

A miracle happened: another day of life.

Nothing wrong with appearing to be a fool, if what you are doing is intelligent.

Philosophy can't build bridges, but can encourage people to cross them.

And if I'm alone in bed, I will go to the window, look up at the sky, and feel certain that loneliness is a lie, because the Universe is there to keep me company.

I closed my eyes and let the music flow through me, cleansing my soul of all fear and sin and reminding me that I am always better than I think and stronger than I believe.

Faith is difficult to conquer and requires daily battles if it is to be maintained.

Join with those who sing songs, tell stories, enjoy life ... because happiness is contagious. Join those who walk with their heads high even when they have tears in their eyes. Avoid those who ... have never shed a tear.

All battles have some use, including those in which we were defeated.

Keep the bicycle moving, because if you stop pedalling, you will fall off.

Beware of making a woman cry. God is counting her tears.

The warrior knows that he is free to choose his desires, and he makes these decisions with courage, detachment, and -- sometimes -- with just a touch of madness.

The devil is in the detail.

Knowledge is an illusion. Ecstasy is the true reality. Knowledge fills us with guilt. Ecstasy allows us to be one with he who is the Universe, before it existed, and after it has been destroyed.

Tell your story: yes, tell your story! Give your example. Tell everyone that it's possible, and other people will then have the courage to face their own mountains.

And I discovered something: the meaning of my life was whatever I wanted it to be.

When fate is very generous with us, there is always a well into which all our dreams can tumble.

Love is beyond time or rather love is both time and space but all focused on one single constantly evolving point-the Aleph.

Warriors always have a certain gleam in their eyes.

Love is the glue that keeps the stars in place.

There are moments when people are incapable of understanding happiness.

Infatuation was a good thing. It gave spice to life, and added to its enjoyment... But it was different from love. Love was worth everything, and couldn't be exchanged for anything.

Life is like cooking: before choosing what you love, try everything.

I'm proud of the scars in my soul. They remind me that I have an intense life.

In dire times you can lose joy, but you can't lose hope. Hope is your guide.

At any given moment in our lives, there are certain things that could have happened but didn't. The magic moments
go unrecognized, and then suddenly, the hand of destiny changes everything.

The completion is always more difficult that the beginning.

I think that if we look for love courageously, it reveals itself, and we wind up attracting even more love. If one person really wants us, everyone does. But if we're alone, we become even more alone. Life is strange.

I feel it's my duty as a human being, as a person who is trying -- like everybody else who thinks about the state of the world -- to enhance the importance of multicultural connection.

Omens are the individual language in which God talks to you. My omens are not your omens.

God has a prepared path for us to follow. We just have to read the omens he has left for us.

When there is no turning back, then we should concern ourselves only with the best way of going forward.

A shepherd may like to travel, but he should never forget his sheep.

Stop turning on your emotional television to watch the same program over and over again, the one that shows how much you suffered from a certain loss: that is only poisoning you, nothing else.

It's one thing to feel that you are on the right path, but it's another to think yours is the only path.

No project is completed until its objective has been achieved.

The enemy is only a pretext to test our strength.

When I had all the answers the questions changed.

I realised that you don't have to jump through a series of complicated hoops to achieve a goal.

Writing is a socially acceptable form of getting naked in public.

I think that, with age, people come to realize that death is inevitable. And we need to learn to face it with serenity, wisdom and resignation. Death often frees us from a lot of senseless sufferings.

I understand that everything is connected, that all roads meet, and that all rivers flow into the same sea.

Love does not ask many questions, because with thinking comes fear. This might be the fear of being scorned, of being rejected, or of breaking the spell. However ridiculous this may seem, that is how it is. This is why one does not ask, one acts.

God judges a tree by its fruits and not by its roots.

A responsible Warrior is not someone who takes the weight of the world on his shoulders, but someone who has learned to deal with the challenges of the moment.

Sin was not created by God; it was created by us when we tried to transform what was inevitable into something subjective.

One never knows what life may have in store for us, and it's always good to know where the emergency exit is.

Love is an act of faith in another person, not an act of surrender.

In a world where everyone struggles to survive whatever the cost, how could one judge those who decide to die?

When we want something, we have to have a clear purpose in mind for the thing that we want. The only reason for seeking a reward is to know what to do with that reward.

Do not try to explain feelings. Live everything intensely and treasure what you feel as a gift from God.

Happiness is just another of the tricks that our genetic system plays on us to carry out its only role, which is the survival of the species.

Sex was always surrounded by taboos, and I don't see it necessarily as a manifestation of evil. I think that sexuality is first and foremost the way that God chooses for us to be here on earth, to enjoy this energy of love in the physical plane.

Timidity puts obstacles in your path, boldness eliminates them.

I was very happy in both my marriages. I was unfaithful and so were they, just like any other normal couple.

There's no need for iron to be the same as copper, or copper the same as gold. Each performs it's own exact function as a unique being.

Defeat is for the valiant. Only they will know the honor of losing and the joy of winning.

What makes people weak? Their need for validation and recognition, their need to feel important. Don't get caught in this trap.

Each human being has the right to seek out joy, joy being understood as something which makes one content -- not necessarily that which makes others content.

The great conquest is the result of small, unnoticed victories.

A divided kingdom cannot defend itself from its adversaries. A divided person cannot face life in a dignified way.

If only everyone could know and live with their inner craziness. Would the world be a worse place for it? No, people would be fairer and happier.

Never miss an opportunity to show your love, especially to those close to you, because we are always at our most cautious with them for fear of being hurt.

What counts in a good story is the person inside. Keep it simple.

Never abandon your dreams. Follow the signs.

I believe enlightenment or revelation comes in daily life. I look for joy, the peace of action. You need action. I'd have stopped writing years ago if it were for the money.

There is a language that is beyond words. If I can learn to decipher that language without words, I will be able to decipher the world.

Postpone joy, it will diminish. Postpone a problem, it will grow.

A search always starts with Beginner's Luck and ends with the Test of the Conqueror.

Walk firmly and with joy, without being afraid of stumbling. All your movements are being watched by your allies that will help you when necessary.

I'm first and foremost a writer. I followed my personal legend, my childhood dream of becoming a writer, but I can't say why I'm one.

Problems of the heart always bruised the soul.

We buy books, we go to gyms, we expend a lot of brain power on trying to hold back time, when we should be celebrating the miracle of being here in this world.

Use fear as an engine, not as a brake.

Scars are medals branded on the flesh, and your enemies will be frightened by them because they are proof of your long experience of battle.

Man needs to choose, not just accept, his destiny.

Leave your comfortable life and go in search of your kingdom.

I am living here and now. The blessing of my life is that I am totally concentrating on the present moment. And I want to be because there is nothing but the present moment.

Profound commitment to a dream does not confine or constrain: it liberates.
Even a difficult, winding path can lead to your goal if you follow it to the end.

People are all crazy... but the craziest are the ones who never allow themselves to be crazy.

Success is both an addiction and an enslavement.

An enthusiastic heart finds opportunities everywhere.

Attacking or fleeing are part of the struggle; being paralysed by fear is not.

There is always a gap between intention and action.

We never lose our loved ones. The accompany us; they don't disappear from our lives. We are merely in different rooms.

When you want something with all of your heart, the universe conspires to helping you achieve it.

We have to take advantage when luck is on our side, and do as much to help it as it's doing to help us.

Why don't people's hearts tell them to continue to follow their dreams? ... Because that's what makes a heart suffer most, and hearts don't like to suffer.

People are afraid to pursue their most important dreams, because they feel that they don't deserve them, or that they'll be unable to achieve them.

People learn, early in their lives, what is their reason for being. Maybe that's why they give up on it so early, too.

God has prepared a path for everyone to follow.

I have been told that beauty is the great seducer of men.

To realize one's destiny is a person's only obligation.

Eat when it is time to eat. And walk when it is time to walk.

Making a decision was only the beginning of things. When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he had never dreamed of when he first made the decision.

It is said that all people who are happy have God within them.

There is only one way to learn. It's through action. Everything you need to know you have learned through your journey.

When you are in love, things make even more sense, he thought.

Everyone on earth has a treasure that awaits him.

As he mused about these things, he realized that he had to choose between thinking of himself as the poor victim of a thief and as an adventurer in quest of his treasure.

You will never be able to escape from your heart. So it's better to listen to what it has to say.

Courage is the quality most essential to understanding the language of the world.