Quotes by Paulo Coelho

They are so very cultivated, so very rich and so utterly charming. At the end of each day, they all ask themselves: Is it time I stopped? And they all reply: If I did, there would be no meaning to my life.As if they actually knew what the meaning of life was.

Dont try to be useful. Try to be yourself; that is enough, and that makes all the difference.

you dont need to go that far in the future, you just have to go 2000 years ago,

Pitiful is the person who is afraid of taking risks. Perhaps this person will never be disappointed or disillusioned; perhaps she won’t suffer the way people do when they have a dream to follow. But when that person looks back – and at some point everyone looks back – she will hear her heart saying, “What have you done with the miracles that God planted in your days? What have you done with the talents God bestowed on you? You buried yourself in a cave because you were fearful of losing those talents. So this is your heritage; the certainty that you wasted your life.

Intense, unexpected suffering passes more quickly than suffering that is apparently bearable; the latter goes on for years and, without our noticing, eats away at our souls, until, one day, we are no longer able to free ourselves from the bitterness and it stays with us for the rest of our lives.

Because all my life Ive learned to suffer in silence - Athena

It is easy to suffer for a cause or for a mission; this ennobles the heart of the person suffering. But how to explain suffering because of a man? Its not explainable. With that kind of suffering, a person feels as if theyre in hell, because there is no nobility, no greatness - only misery.

All of us have had this experience. At some point, we have each said through our tears, “I’m suffering for a love that’s not worth it.” We suffer because we feel we are giving more than we receive. We suffer because our love is going unrecognized. We suffer because we are unable to impose our own rules.But ultimately there is no good reason for our suffering, for in every love lies the seed of our growth. The more we love, the closer we come to spiritual experience. Those who are truly enlightened, those whose souls are illuminated by love, have been able to overcome all of the inhibitions and preconceptions of their era. They have been able to sing, to laugh, and to pray out loud; they have danced and shared what Saint Paul called “the madness of saintliness.” They have been joyful—because those who love conquer the world and have no fear of loss. True love is an act of total surrender.

Waiting is painful. Forgetting is painful. But not knowing which to do is the worse kind of suffering.

At some point, we have each said through our tears, Im suffering for a love thats not worth it. We suffer because we feel we are giving more than we receive. We suffer because we feel we are giving more than we receive. We suffer because our love is going unrecognized. We suffer because we are unable to impose our own rules.But ultimately there is no good reason for our suffering, for in every love lies the seed of our growth.

This last week has been a little hell for both of us simply because I didnt understand my own feelings. And because I cant understand them, I blame her for provoking in me feelings that make my world seem suddenly unsafe.

But they both agreed that its always nice to know that your wife is desired by another man, although they wouldnt go any further than that.

I saw that she didnt want to answer that question and so I asked again: when mouths close its because theres something important to be said.

But how to explain suffering because of a man? Its not explainable. With that kind of suffering, a person feels as if theyre in hell, because there is no nobility, no greatness - only misery.

Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure.

Weve replaced nearly all our emotions with fear

She was neither happy nor unhappy, and that was why she couldnt go on.

Profound desire, true desire is the desire to be close to someone.

It isny explanations that carry us forward, its our desire to go on.

The Warrior looks at the column of Fear, where he reads: “you are about to enter an unknown and dangerous world where all that you have learned up to now will be of no use whatsoever.”The Warrior of Light looks at the column of Desire, where he reads: “you are about to leave a known world where all the things you always wanted and all that you have fought so hard for are kept.”The Warrior smiles, because nothing can frighten him and nothing can hold him. With the confidence of those who know what they want, he opens the door.