Alchemist When you want something, the whole Universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.

This is the main theme of The Alchemist authored by Paulo Coelho which is reiterated many times in the book. Theres a boy named Santiago who became shepherd by choice so that he could fulfill his desire of travelling around the world. He had a recurrent dream of the treasure in the Pyramids of Egypt. Then, he sets out to realize his dream and during this, he met a gypsy and the King of Salem who motivated him to follow his destiny and follow the omens. The whole book then narrates how he got the treasure. He met many interesting people in between like an Englishman and an alchemist. He also found his lady love, Fatima. He gained supernatural powers because he realized that all the faces on the Earth have the same soul, the soul of the God and this was the Language of the Soul. He also realized that it was not always words that help one communicate; it is sometimes the face expressions or body language. With great difficulty he managed to reach Pyramid, only to learn that the treasure he had been searching was in the same place he had dreamt of it. It may be a very inspiring story for many, but I didnt find it that interesting. The same thing was iterated many times which probably I found unpractical too. The ending was a bit disappointed as I had been expecting that he would end up getting his treasure as some eternal peace or something of spiritual sort. But the treasure was gold so finally it was proved that nothing but money is the real treasure. So I wont recommend the book. But the book had excellent quotes, like There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure. and many more.

Important Quotes Every search begins with beginners luck and ends with the victors being severely tested. By Paulo Coelho The Boy didnt know what a persons destiny was Its what you have always wanted to accomplish. Everyone, when they are young knows what their destiny is. page 22 The boy and his heart had become friends, and neither was capable now of betraying the other. The Alchemist Treasure is uncovered by the force of the flowing water, and it is buried by the same currents page 25 When each day is the same as the next, its because people fail to recognize the good things that happen in their lives every day that the sun rises. page 28

In order to find the treasure, you will have to follow the omens. God has prepared a path for everyone to follow. You just have to read the omens that he left you. page 30 Dont forget that everything you deal with is only one thing and nothing else. And dont forget the language of omens. And, above all, dont forget to follow your destiny through to its conclusion. The Alchemist page 32 When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he had never dreamed of when he first made the decision. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho Intuition is really a sudden immersion of the soul into the universal current of life. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho Courage is the quality most essential to understanding the Language of the World. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it. The Alchemist, page 23, by Paulo Coelho When you want something with all your heart, thats when you are closest to the Soul of the World. Its always a positive force. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho Its the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting. Page 11 When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho When you are in love, things make even more sense, he thought. The soul of the world is nourished by peoples happiness. And also by unhappiness, envy, and jealousy. To realize ones destiny is a persons only obligation. All things are one. The Alchemist p. 23 by Paulo Coelho I dont live in either my past or my future. Im interested only in the present. If you can concentrate always on the present, youll be a happy man. Life will be a party for you, a grand festival, because life is the moment were living now. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho When you are loved, you can do anything in creation. When you are loved, theres no need at all to understand whats happening, because everything happens within you.

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 seconds encounter with God and with eternity. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure. Youve got to find the treasure, so that everything you have learned along the way can make sense. All you have to do is contemplate a simple grain of sand, and you will see in it all the marvels of creation. Listen to your heart. It knows all things, because it came from the Soul of the World, and it will one day return there. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho In his pursuit of the dream, he was being constantly subjected to tests of his persistence and courage. So he could not be hasty, nor impatient. If he pushed forward impulsively, he would fail to see the signs and omens left by God along his path. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho The alchemists spent years in their laboratories, observing the fire that purified the metals. They spent so much time close to the fire that gradually they gave up the vanities of the world. They discovered that the purification of the metals had led to a purification of themselves. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho I learned that the world has a soul, and that whoever understands that soul can also understand the language of things. I learned that many alchemists realized their destinies, and wound up discovering the Soul of the World, the Philosophers Stone, and the Elixir of Life. But above all, I learned that these things are all so simple they could be written on the surface of an emerald. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho The boy reached through to the Soul of the World, and saw that it was part of the Soul of God. And he saw that the Soul of God was his own soul. And that he, a boy, could perform miracles. The Alchemist page 160