50 Honest Quotes by Paulo Coelho

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.Aleph (2011), (HarperCollins, ed. 2011), Page 36

We must not confuse humility with false modesty or servility.It's not easy to be humble: Humility is about recognising the greatness of others by Paulo Coelho; in Daily Mail (February 26, 2012)

I can control my destiny, but not my fate. Destiny means there are opportunities to turn right or left, but fate is a one-way street. I believe we all have the choice as to whether we fulfil our destiny, but our fate is sealed.Paulo Coelho: 'I had an enormous amount of fun being a hippy' by Shahesta Shaitly; in The Guardian (January 25, 2014)

The more in harmony with yourself you are, the more joyful you are, and the more faithful you are. Faith is not to disconnect you from reality, it connects you to reality.Paulo Coelho on Jesus, Twitter and the difference between defeat and failure by Stuart Jeffries; in The Guardian (March 17, 2013)

Waiting is painful. Forgetting is painful. But not knowing which to do is the worst kind of suffering.By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept (1994), (HarperCollins, ed. 1996), Page 108

Don’t waste your time with explanations: people only hear what they want to hear.FaceBook post by Paulo Coelho (March 14, 2016)

We can never judge the lives of others, because each person knows only their own pain and renunciation. It’s one thing to feel that you are on the right path, but it’s another to think that yours is the only path.By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept (1994), (HarperCollins, ed. 1996), Page 191

A child can always teach an adult three things: to be happy for no reason, to always be busy with something, and to know how to demand with all his might that which he desires.The Fifth Mountain (1996), (HarperCollins, ed. 2000), Part II, Page 201

Anyone who has lost something they thought was theirs forever finally comes to realise that nothing really belongs to them.Eleven Minutes (2003), (HarperCollins, ed. 2003), Page 26

No one loses anyone, because no one owns anyone. That is the true experience of freedom: having the most important thing in the world without owning it.Eleven Minutes (2003), (HarperCollins, ed. 2003), Page 92

If you start out by promising what you don’t even have yet, you’ll lose your desire to work toward getting it.The Alchemist (1988), (HarperCollins, ed. 1998), Part I, Page 25

How much I missed simply because I was afraid of missing it.Brida (1990), (HarperCollins, ed. 2008), Page 185

No matter what he does, every person on earth plays a central role in the history of the world. And normally he doesn’t know it.The Alchemist (1988), (HarperCollins, ed. 1998), Part II, Page 158

I think you can have 10,000 explanations for failure, but no good explanation for success.Best-Selling Author Gives Away His Work by Julie Bosman; in The New York Times (September 26, 2011)

Life was always a matter of waiting for the right moment to act.Veronika Decides to Die (1998), (HarperCollins, ed. 1999), Page 3

The secret of life, though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times.The Alchemist (1988), (HarperCollins, ed. 1998), In an introductory letter written in 2002, Page xi

Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own.The Alchemist (1988), (HarperCollins, ed. 1998), Part I, Page 16

When someone leaves, it’s because someone else is about to arrive.The Zahir (2005), (HarperCollins, ed. 2005), Page 17

I can choose either to be a victim of the world or an adventurer in search of treasure. It’s all a question of how I view my life.Eleven Minutes (2003), (HarperCollins, ed. 2003), Page 39

Life always waits for some crisis to occur before revealing itself at its most brilliant.Eleven Minutes (2003), (HarperCollins, ed. 2003), Page 52

Life is too short, or too long, for me to allow myself the luxury of living it so badly.Eleven Minutes (2003), (HarperCollins, ed. 2003), Page 208

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.The Alchemist (1988), (HarperCollins, ed. 1998), Part I, Page 27

I’m not saying that love always takes you to heaven. Your life can become a nightmare. But that said, it is worth taking the risk.Paulo Coelho Dances with Angels by Valerie Reiss; in Beliefnet (August 17, 2007)

When we love, we always strive to become better than we are.The Alchemist (1988), (HarperCollins, ed. 1998), Part II, Page 151

One is loved because one is loved. No reason is needed for loving.The Alchemist (1988), (HarperCollins, ed. 1998), Part II, Page 123

Love is an untamed force. When we try to control it, it destroys us. When we try to imprison it, it enslaves us. When we try to understand it, it leaves us feeling lost and confused.The Zahir (2005), (HarperCollins, ed. 2005), Hans's Question, Page 94

Love is not to be found in someone else, but in ourselves; we simply awaken it. But in order to do that, we need the other person. The universe only makes sense when we have someone to share our feelings with.Eleven Minutes (2003), (HarperCollins, ed. 2003), Page 118

You drown not by falling into a river, but by staying submerged in it.Twitter post by Paulo Coelho (May 16, 2012)

The more violent the storm, the quicker it passes.This too shall pass by Paulo Coelho; in Daily Mail (February 19, 2012)

When I had nothing to lose, I had everything. When I stopped being who I am, I found myself.Eleven Minutes (2003), (HarperCollins, ed. 2003), Page 191

It’s the simple things in life that are the most extraordinary; only wise men are able to understand them.The Alchemist (1988), (HarperCollins, ed. 1998), Part I, Page 15

Everything that happens once can never happen again. But everything that happens twice will surely happen a third time.The Alchemist (1988), (HarperCollins, ed. 1998), Part II, Page 156

When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.The Alchemist (1988), (HarperCollins, ed. 1998), Part I, Page 22

When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better, too.The Alchemist (1988), (HarperCollins, ed. 1998), Part II, Page 150

Everybody has a creative potential and from the moment you can express this creative potential, you can start changing the world.RPT-Just A Minute With: Paulo Coelho on digital media by Paul Casciato; in Reuters (October 14, 2008)

There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.The Alchemist (1988), (HarperCollins, ed. 1998), Part II, Page 141

People are capable, at any time in their lives, of doing what they dream of.The Alchemist (1988), (HarperCollins, ed. 1998), Part I, Page 23

It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.The Alchemist (1988), (HarperCollins, ed. 1998), Part I, Page 11

You’re always learning. The problem is, sometimes you stop and think you understand the world. This is not correct. The world is always moving. You never reach the point you can stop making an effort.Paulo Coelho: I honestly don't know why The Alchemist did so well by Andrew Williams; in Metro (April 18, 2012)

People never learn anything by being told, they have to find out for themselves.Veronika Decides to Die (1998), (HarperCollins, ed. 1999), Page 55

What is a teacher? I’ll tell you: it isn’t someone who teaches something, but someone who inspires the student to give of her best in order to discover what she already knows.The Witch of Portobello (2006), (HarperCollins, ed. 2007), Page 93

Be brave. Take risks. Nothing can substitute experience.Twitter post by Paulo Coelho (April 15, 2012)

When you find your path, you must not be afraid. You need to have sufficient courage to make mistakes. Disappointment, defeat, and despair are the tools God uses to show us the way.Brida (1990), (HarperCollins, ed. 2008), Page 12

The two hardest tests on the spiritual road: the patience to wait for the right moment and the courage not to be disappointed with what you encounter.Veronika Decides to Die (1998), (HarperCollins, ed. 1999), Page 88

However happy people say they are, nobody is satisfied: we always have to be with the prettiest woman, buy a bigger house, change cars, desire what we do not have.It's best to forget the idea of seeking happiness by Paulo Coelho; in Daily Mail (June 2, 2013)

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.It's best to forget the idea of seeking happiness by Paulo Coelho; in Daily Mail (June 2, 2013)

I always was a rich person because money’s not related to happiness.A Myster Even to Himself by Elixabeth Day; in The Telegraph (June 13, 2005)

Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure.The Alchemist (1988), (HarperCollins, ed. 1998), Part II, Page 115

Don’t give in to your fears. If you do, you won’t be able to talk to your heart.The Alchemist (1988), (HarperCollins, ed. 1998), Part II, Page 141

You will never be able to escape from your heart. So it’s better to listen to what it has to say.The Alchemist (1988), (HarperCollins, ed. 1998), Part II, Page 129