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Paulo Coelho Quotes
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844 Quotes for Your Inspirational Journey of Love, Life, and Fulfillment

Explore the wisdom of Paulo Coelho with his iconic quotes on love, life, and personal fulfillment. Let his words inspire your own journey of self-discovery and spiritual awakening.

Paulo Coelho de Souza is a highly acclaimed Brazilian lyricist and novelist, known for his novel "The Alchemist" which became an international best-seller. He has since published 30 more books. Born in Rio de Janeiro, Coelho attended a Jesuit school and faced struggles as he was committed to a mental institution by his parents at a young age. Despite their wishes for him to become a lawyer, Coelho dropped out of law school and lived as a hippie, traveling through various countries and experimenting with drugs.

After returning to Brazil, Coelho worked as a songwriter and gained popularity for his collaboration with Raul Seixas. However, he faced accusations of plagiarism due to the content of some songs. In 1974, he was arrested by the ruling military government for perceived left-wing activities and tortured. Coelho also dabbled in acting, journalism, and directing before finally pursuing his dream of becoming a writer full-time.

Coelho's life experiences greatly influenced his writings, particularly his spiritual awakening during a pilgrimage along the Road of Santiago de Compostela in Spain. This journey inspired his autobiographical work "The Pilgrimage." In addition to his writing career, Coelho married artist Christina Oiticica in 1980 and they currently reside in Geneva, Switzerland.

A biographical film about Paulo Coelho called "The Pilgrim - Story of Paulo Coelho" was released in 2014. It portrays the story of Coelho's pursuit of his dream against various challenges he encountered throughout his life.

✵ 24. August 1947  •  Other names Pablo Coelho
Paulo Coelho photo
Paulo Coelho: 844 quotes177 likes

Paulo Coelho Quotes

“You might have lost some major battles, but you survived and you're still here.”

Paulo Coelho book Manuscript Found in Accra

Source: Manuscript Found in Accra

“When we meet someone and fall in love, we have a sense that the whole universe is on our side. And yet if something goes wrong, there is nothing left!”

Paulo Coelho book Eleven Minutes

Source: Eleven Minutes (2003), p. 9.
Context: When we meet someone and fall in love, we have a sense that the whole universe is on our side. And yet if something goes wrong, there is nothing left! How is it possible for the beauty that was there only minutes before to vanish so quickly? Life moves very fast. It rushes from heaven to hell in a matter of seconds.

“No one can manipulate anyone else. In any relationship, both parties know what they're doing. even if one complains later on that they were used.”

Paulo Coelho

Source: The Witch Of Portobello

“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.”

Paulo Coelho book The Devil and Miss Prym

Source: The Devil and Miss Prym

“The only trap I must beware not to fall into, is to think that each day is the same as the next. In fact, each morning brings with it a hidden miracle, and we must pay attention to this miracle.”

Paulo Coelho

Source: Warrior of the Light

“We are entering a new world in which we can choose to follow our own steps, not those that society forces us to take.”

Paulo Coelho

“All things are manifestations of one thing only.”

Paulo Coelho book The Alchemist

Source: The Alchemist

“When a sense of dissatisfaction persists, that means it was placed there by God for one reason only: you need to change everything and move forward.”

Paulo Coelho book Aleph

Source: Aleph

“Our body remains alive, yet sooner or later our soul will receive a mortal blow. The perfect crime--for we don't know who murdered our joy, what their motives were, or where the guilty parties are to be found.”

Paulo Coelho book The Witch of Portobello

Source: The Witch of Portobello

“What we see is not always what exists.”

Paulo Coelho book Brida

Source: Brida

“You have understood what all great painters understand: in order to forget the rules, you must know them and respect them.”

Paulo Coelho

Source: The Witch Of Portobello

“At this moment, many people have stopped living. They do not become angry, nor cry out; they merely wait for time to pass. They did not accept the challenges of life, so life no longer challenges them”

Paulo Coelho book The Fifth Mountain

Source: The Fifth Mountain

“What is I? It's what you are, not what others make of you.”

Paulo Coelho

Source: Veronika Decides to Die

“You must understand that love never keeps a man from pursuing his Personal Legend. If he abandons that pursuit, it's because it wasn't a true love.. the love that speaks the language of the world.”

Paulo Coelho

“Success is both an addiction and an enslavement…”

Paulo Coelho book The Winner Stands Alone

Source: The Winner Stands Alone

“we’re allowed to make a lot of mistakes in our lives, except the mistake that destroy us”

Paulo Coelho

Source: Veronika Decides to Die

“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.”

Paulo Coelho book The Alchemist

Source: The Alchemist

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

Paulo Coelho

Source: Veronika Decides to Die

“Love is only a word, until someone arrives to give it meaning.
Don't give up. Remember, it's always the last key on the key ring that opens the door.”

Paulo Coelho book Manuscript Found in Accra

Source: Manuscript Found in Accra

“Have pity on those who are fearful of taking up a pen, or a paintbrush, or an instrument, or a tool because they are afraid that someone has already done so better than they could…”

Paulo Coelho book The Pilgrimage

Source: The Pilgrimage

“This was freedom; to feel what the heart desired with no thought to the opinion of the rest… She was free, for love liberates.”

Paulo Coelho

Source: Fifth Mountain Intl

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

Paulo Coelho book The Alchemist

Source: The Alchemist

“We are afraid of losing what we have.”

Paulo Coelho book The Alchemist

Source: The Alchemist

“Dreams nourish the soul just as food nourishes the body. The pleasure of the search and of adventure feeds our dreams.”

Paulo Coelho

“Why is Love more important than Faith? Because Faith is merely the road that leads us to the Greater Love.”

Paulo Coelho book Adultery

Source: Adultery

“a man doesn't prove he's a man by getting an erection. He's only a real man if he can pleasure a woman. And if he can pleasure a prostitute, he'll think he's the best lover on the block" -Nyah”

Paulo Coelho book Eleven Minutes

Source: Eleven Minutes

“There are some things in life that are worth fighting for to the end.”

Paulo Coelho book By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept

Source: By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept

“I'm afraid that if my dream is realized, I'll have no reason to go on living.”

Paulo Coelho book The Alchemist

Source: The Alchemist

“In a forest of a hundred thousand trees, no two leaves are alike. And no two journeys along the same path are alike.”

Paulo Coelho book Aleph

Source: Aleph

“When mouths close, it’s because there’s something important to be said.”

Paulo Coelho

Source: The Witch Of Portobello

“Once a problem is solved, its simplicity is amazing.”

Paulo Coelho book The Pilgrimage

Source: The Pilgrimage

“I wept because I was re-experiencing the enthusiasm of my childhood; I was once again a child, and nothing in the world could cause me harm.”

Paulo Coelho book The Pilgrimage

Source: The Pilgrimage

“Stop thinking all the time that you're in the way, that you're bothering the person next to you. If people don't like it, they can complain. And if they don't have courage to complain, that's their problem.”

Paulo Coelho

Source: Veronika Decides to Die

“The world is changed by your example, not by your opinion.”

Paulo Coelho

“During sex, it is very difficult to deceive the other person because that is when each person shows who they really are.”

Paulo Coelho book Brida

Source: Brida

“What’s the world’s greatest lie?” the boy asked. “It’s this: that at a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what’s happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate. That’s the world’s greatest lie.”

Paulo Coelho

“If we seek something, that same thing is seeking us.”

Paulo Coelho book Aleph

Source: Aleph

“Well, then, why should I listen to my heart?"
"Because you will never again be able to keep it quiet.”

Paulo Coelho book The Alchemist

Source: The Alchemist

“There is no time to leave important words unsaid.”

Paulo Coelho

“So we contemplate each other, and we want each other, and I give it life and warmth, and it gives me my reason for living.”

Paulo Coelho book The Alchemist

Source: The Alchemist