Quotes from Paulo Coelho

When we're with other people and they say nothing, the situation becomes irritating.

The smell of baking bread wafts up to my cell and reminds me of the days I walked freely in the cafes. This tears me apart more than my fear of death or the solitude in which I now find myself.

When we renounce our dreams, we find peace and enjoy a brief period of tranquility, but the dead dreams begin to rot inside us and to infect the whole atmosphere in which we live. What we hoped to avoid in the Fight - disappointment and defeat - become the sole legacy of our cowardice.

No somos lo que deseamos ser,Somos lo que la sociedad exige.Somos lo que nuestros padres eligieron.No queremos decepcionar a nadie,sentimos una gran necesidad de ser amados.Por eso reprimimos lo mejor de nosotros mismos.Poco a poco,lo que era la luz de nuestros sueños se convierte en el monstruo de nuestras pesadillas.Son los deseos no realizados,las posibilidades no vividas.

Sí mi mente estaba volando. Me gustaría estar allí con alguien que me dejase el corazón en paz, alguien con quien pudiese vivir aquel momento sin miedo de perderlo al día siguiente. Así el tiempo pasaría más despacio; po-dríamos quedarnos en silencio, ya que tendríamos el resto de la vida para conversar. Yo no tendría que estar preocupándome de temas serios, decisiones difíciles, palabras duras.

The errors of God, like those of great artists, or of true lovers, bring forth so many joyful rewards, that at times it is worth wishing for them.

Women, when they kill themselves, choose far more romantic methods like slashing their wrist or taking an overdose of sleeping pills.

Don't try to convince anyone of anything. When you don't know something, ask or go away and find out. But when you do act, be like the silent, flowing river and open yourself to a greater energy. Believe -- that's what I said at our first meeting -- simply believe that you can.

You should pay more attention to the caravan, the boy said to the Englishman, after the camel driver had left. We make a lot of detours, but we're always heading for the same destination. And you ought to read more about the world, answered the Englishman. Books are like caravans in that respect.

My heart is afraid that it will have to suffer," the boy told the alchemist one night as they looked up at the moonless sky. "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.

I weep for Narcissus, but I never noticed that Narcissus was beautiful. I weep because, each time he knelt beside my banks, I could see, in the depths of his eyes, my own beauty reflected.

Our imagination is larger than the world around us; we go beyond our limits.

We're allowed to make a lot of mistakes in our lives.

The boy listened to the sound of her voice and thought it to be more beautiful than the sound of the wind in the date palms.

Nunca podemos juzgar la vida de los demás, porque cada uno sabe de su propio dolor y de su propia renuncia. Una cosa es suponer que uno está en el camino cierto; otra es suponer que ese camino es el único.

It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.

It's true; life really is generous to those who pursue their destiny.

But I'm afraid that it would be all be a disappointment, so I prefer just to dream about it.

I had a dream, and I met with a king. I sold crystal and crossed the desert. And, because the tribes declared war, I went to the well, seeking the alchemist. So, I love you because the entire universe conspired to help me find you.

The 'insane' always believe in first impressions.

That there is no need for iron to be the same as copper, or copper the same as gold. Each preforms its own exact function as a unique being, and everything would be a symphony of peace

Words are tears that have been written down. Tears are words that need to be shed. Without them, joy loses all its brilliance and sadness has no end. Thank you, then, for your tears.

There's something very wrong with this world, and it isn't just the wars going on in Asia or the Middle East.

Now, my present, has arrived, and it's you.