The quotes of Paulo Coelho are profound and inspiring. In a few words, Coelho manages to get to the heart of what we need as humans to thrive. Following the advice of the below quotes could profoundly change your life.
First of all, let’s have a brief look at the life and work of this amazing author.
Who is Paulo Coelho?
Paulo Coelho is a famous Brazilian novelist and songwriter who is one of the most widely read authors in the world. He is often praised for the rich symbolism he uses in his stories and the profoundly spiritual nature of the journeys his characters undertake.
When he was just 17, Coelho’s parents had him committed to a mental institution. They believed there was something wrong with him because he was introverted and refused to follow a conventional path in life. He escaped three times, before finally being released when he was 20.
He went on to become a widely respected author and his most famous book, The Alchemist, has sold more than 65 million copies worldwide.
Coelho’s fiction centres on questions of faith and spirituality. However, his works are not instruction manuals but deeply inspiring and wonderfully crafted pieces of imaginative fiction that will, nonetheless, change the way you look at the world. He uses the story of people’s journeys, along with symbolism and metaphor to affect us at a deep core level.
If you have never read any of his books, I highly recommend them. However, in the meantime, enjoy these 9 quotes by Paulo Coelho and allow them to inspire you on your own journey to creating a meaningful life.
Paulo Coelho quotes on following your dreams
Paulo Coelho is certainly the man to turn to if you need help to achieve your dreams. He knows that we doubt our abilities, fear we are not good enough and worry that we have left it too late. Our society does not encourage us to follow our dreams, but often this is the only way to create fulfilling and meaningful life.
He saw for himself how hard it is to go against the grain of convention, but he still continued to follow his calling in life. If you have a dream you would love to pursue, whether it is big or small, take heart and courage from the following quotes.
There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.
And when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.
People are capable at any time in their lives, of doing what they dream of.
Paulo Coelho quotes on making the most of your life
Paulo Coelho’s work demonstrates a constant search for meaning. Luckily, we can learn from his journey. However, we must also take journeys of our own to discover what is true for us.
The human spirit is creative and we each have to express this part of our nature in order to be fulfilled. We get bogged down in the expectations of society and the people around us, and this can make it hard for us to be true to ourselves.
Our society encourages us to play safe and not take risks. But to live a truly fulfilling life, we must sometimes step out of our comfort zones.
However, Coelho encourages us to think deeply about what we want from life and go for it.
One day you will wake up and there won’t be any more time to do the things you’ve always wanted. Do it now.
Be Brave. Take Risks. Nothing can substitute experience.
Paulo Coelho quotes on becoming a better you
Throughout his life so far, Coelho has clearly been striving to become a better version of himself. He has grappled with spirituality and how to live a good life. He has taken journeys, both physical and spiritual, to find meaning in life and to express himself through his art.
We can learn from his experiences and use his inspiring words to direct us to spiritual, physical and emotional journeys of our own.
Everyone has a different idea of what a good life is and what a good person is. But to become the best version of ourselves that we can, we must look within and find our own values in life and let them guide us.
When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.
If you want to be successful, you must respect one rule – Never lie to yourself.
Paulo Coelho quotes on a successful life
Of course, Coelho’s idea of success wasn’t materialistic. He had a different view of what makes for a meaningful life. We each have our own idea of what success means to us, whether that is good relationships, meaningful work, exploring our creativity, being a good parent or all of the above.
By rethinking what we mean by success, we can create a more meaningful life; one that is guided by the soul rather than the ego. Again this involves looking within and finding what is meaningful to us. We can then strive to achieve what will truly make us happy.
The secret of life is to fall seven times and to get up eight times.
Don’t give in to your fears. If you do, you won’t be able to talk to your heart.
Closing thoughts
I had a hard time narrowing this list down to 9 quotes because there are hundreds of wonderful sayings by Paulo Coelho to choose from. But there are some of the ones that spoke to me the most.
If you have enjoyed these quotes, I highly recommend you read some of Coelho’s books. If you have never read the Alchemist before, you are in for a treat!
We’d love to hear your favorite quotes by Paulo Coelho, please share them with us in the comments.
Photo by Paul Macleod, CC BY 3.0
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Wounderful Quotes. Treasure to one’s life.