“when
you really want something to happen, the whole universe conspires so that your
wish comes true".
This is the core of the novel's philosophy and a
motif that plays all throughout Paulo Coelho's writing in "The Alchemist" first published in
1988. Originally written in Portuguese, it has been translated into 71
languages as of 2011. An allegorical novel, The Alchemist follows a young
Andalusian shepherd named Santiago in his journey to Egypt, after having a
recurring dream of finding treasure there.
The Alchemist follows the journey of an Andalusian
shepherd boy named Santiago. Santiago, believing a recurring dream to be
prophetic, decides to travel to a gypsy in a nearby town to discover its
meaning. She tells him that there is a treasure in the Pyramids in Egypt. After
listening to "the signs" the boy ventures in his personal,
Ulysses-like journey of exploration and self-discovery, symbolically searching
for a hidden treasure located near the pyramids in Egypt.
Early into his journey, he meets an old king,
Melchizedek, who tells him to sell his sheep to travel to Egypt, and his
Personal Legend: what he always wanted to accomplish in his life. And that
"When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to
achieve it." This is the core philosophy and motto of the book.
Along the way, he encounters love, danger,
opportunity, disaster and learns a lot about himself and the ways of the world.
During his travels, he meets a beautiful Arabian woman named Fatima who
explains to him that if he follows his heart, he shall find what it is he
seeks.
Santiago then encounters a lone alchemist who tells
about personal legends. He says that people only want to find the treasure of
their personal legends but not the personal legend itself. He feels unsure
about himself as he listens to the alchemist's teachings. The alchemist states
"Those who don't understand their personal legends will fail to comprehend
its teachings." It also states that treasure is more worthy than gold.
The book's main theme is about finding one's self
destiny. Coelho wrote The Alchemist in only two weeks in 1987. This pace
Coelho has explained was because the story was "already written in [his]
soul".
According to The New York Times, The Alchemist has
been translated into 67 distinct different languages. This gave Coelho the
position as the world's most translated living author, according to the 2009 Guinness World Records. It has been called a
"charming story", "a brilliant, simple narrative" and
"a wonderful tale, a metaphor of life", from people in places as
diverse as South Africa, Finland and Turkey.
“If there hadn't been a sixth day, man would not exist;
copper would always be copper; and lead just lead. It's true that everything
has its Personal Legend, but one day that Personal Legend will be realized. So
each thing has to transform itself into something better, and to acquire a new
Personal Legend, until, someday, the Soul of the World becomes one thing only.”
“If good things are coming, they will be a pleasant
surprise," said the seer. "If bad things are, and you know in
advance, you will suffer greatly before they even occur.”
“It's
the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.”
“One
is loved because one is loved. No reason is needed for loving.”
“So,
I love you because the entire universe conspired to help me find you.”
“There
is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of
failure.”
“When
we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to
become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.”
“The
secret of life, though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times.”
“Everyone
seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but
none about his or her own.”
“The
simple things are also the most extraordinary things, and only the wise can see
them.”
“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.”
“Remember
that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure.”
“This
is what we call love. When you are loved, you can do anything in creation. When
you are loved, there's no need at all to understand what's happening, because
everything happens within you.”
“Don't
give in to your fears. If you do, you won't be able to talk to your heart.”
“People
are capable, at any time in their lives, of doing what they dream of.”
“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.”
“I
don’t live in either my past or my future. I’m interested only in the present.
If you can concentrate always on the present, you’ll be a happy man. Life will
be a party for you, a grand festival, because life is the moment we’re living
now.”
“Everything
that happens once can never happen again. But everything that happens twice
will surely happen a third time.”
“When
we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better,
too.”
“When
each day is the same as the next, it’s because people fail to recognize the
good things that happen in their lives every day that the sun rises.”
“If
someone isn't what others want them to be, the others become angry. Everyone
seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but
none about his or her own.”
“Every
blessing ignored becomes a curse.”
“If
you start by promising what you don't even have yet, you'll lose your desire to
work towards getting it.”
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