Source: The Alchemist (1988), p. 156.
Quotes from book
The Alchemist
Paulo Coelho
Original title
O Alquimista
(Portuguese, 1988)
The Alchemist is a novel by Brazilian author Paulo Coelho that was first published in 1988. Originally written in Portuguese, it became a widely translated international bestseller. An allegorical novel, The Alchemist follows a young Andalusian shepherd in his journey to the pyramids of Egypt, after having a recurring dream of finding a treasure there.
This has sometimes been paraphrased: "The simple things are also the most extraordinary things, and only the wise can see them."
Source: The Alchemist (1988), p. 15.
“The desert takes our dreams away from us, and they don't always return.”
Fatima, p. 102.
The Alchemist (1988)
Context: The desert takes our dreams away from us, and they don't always return. We know that, and we are used to it. Those who don't return become a part of the clouds, a part of the animals that hide in the ravines and of the water that comes from the earth. They become part of everything... They become the Soul of the World.
“Everything is written in the Soul of the World, and there it will stay forever.”
Source: The Alchemist (1988), p. 130.
Context: Don't think about what you've left behind, the alchemist said to the boy as they began to ride across the sands of the desert. "Everything is written in the Soul of the World, and there it will stay forever."
“Love is the force that transforms and improves the Soul of the World.”
Source: The Alchemist (1988), p. 157.
Context: Love is the force that transforms and improves the Soul of the World. … It is we who nourish the Soul of the World, and the world we live in will be either better or worse, depending on whether we become better or worse. And that's where the power of love comes in. Because when we love, we always strive to become better than we are.
Source: The Alchemist (1988), p. 131
