You know you are a moron when the whole world praises a certain book, and you don’t understand a jack of it even after you read the book twice over.
It’s an international bestseller. Reading enthusiasts swear by it and it’s a cardinal crime to say that you haven’t read that book.
The matter compounds to dizzying proportions when the book in question is Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist.
The moron here is me. And thanks to the peer backlash, I decided never to read Coelho’s work for the fear of not understanding philosophy. But people change over time and so did I.
Exactly, a decade later I ended up with another triumphant work by the same author. The title of the book was The Fifth Mountain. This deviation was due to compulsion, as a friend of mine went to the extent of betting that person’s life, on the fact, that I would appreciate this book.
I read and reread and reread. Not due to lack of understanding but exactly the opposite. The book seemed to be a treasure trove of commentaries meant for the weaklings.
For my own sake and yours, I have decided to list some of the most beautiful lines from the book. Mind you, I didn’t care to put the required punctuations in the excerpts. For me, it’s a compilation to which I can return whenever I need to be inspired.
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When a man journeys towards his destiny, often he is obliged to change path. At other times, the forces around him are too powerful and he is compelled to lay aside his courage and yield.
There are moments when tribulations occur in our lives, and we cannot avoid them. But they are there for some reason. And for what reason? This is the question we cannot answer before, or even during, the trials. Only when we have overcome them do we understand why they are there.
Every man hath the right to doubt his task, and to forsake it from time to time; but what he must not do is forget it. Whoever doubteth not himself is unworthy- for in his unquestioning belief in his ability, he commiteth the sin of pride. Blessed are they who go through moments of indecision.
A mans fate has nothing to do with what he believes or fears.
When we delay problems, they continue to grow.
The best warrior is the one who succeeds in transforming an enemy into a friend.
Custom exists to maintain the worked in order. If we meddle with it, the world itself will perish.
They did not accept the challenges of life, so life no longer challenges them. You are running that same risk; react, face life, but do not stop living.
Life is made not of desires but of the acts of each person.
The best is the one who is most like a rock. Without drawing its blade, it proves that no one can defeat it.
I our prayers we always try to say where we have erred, and what we should like to happen to us. But the Lord already knows all of this and sometimes asks us only to hear what the universe is telling us. And to be patient.
All life’s battle teach us something. Even those we lose. When we grow up, you’ll discover that you have defended lies, deceives youself, or suffered for foolishness. Id you’re a good warrior, you will nor blame yourself for this, but neither will you all own your mistakes to repeat themselves.
It’s normal to feel fear at certain moments.
The Lord demandeth of people only that which is within the possibilities of each of them.
A man must choose. Therin lieth his strength: the power of his decisions.
Even more difficult is defining a path for onself. He who maketh no choice is dead in the eyes og the Lord, though he go on breathing and walking in the streets.
Why does he who made the world prefer to use tragedy to write the book of fate?
Everything hath its reason for being; thou needest only distinguish what is temporary and what is lasting.
Fear exists until the moment when the unavoidable happens. After that we must waste none of our energy on it.
The meaning of life is whatever I wanted it to be.
Courage is fear that prays
If I stop to reflect, I’ll conclude I’m incapable of accomplishing what I desire
Sometimes it s necessary to struggle with God
The brave are always stubborn
Man must choose-and not accept-his fate
Each one has a name from birth but must learn to baptise his life with the word he has chosen to give meaning to that life
The enemy is only a pretext to test our strength
A warrior is always aware of what is worth fighting for. He does not go into combat over things that do not concern him, and he never wastes his time over provocations.
A warrior accepts defeat. He does not treat it as a matter of indifference, nor does he attempt to transform it into a victory. The pain of defeat so bitter to him; he suffers at indifference and becomes desperate with loneliness. After all this has passed, he licks his wounds and begins everything anew. A warrior knows that war is made of many battles; je goes on.
Tragedies do happen. We can discover the reason, blame others, imagine how different our lives would be had they not occurred. Bit none of that is important: they did occur, and so be it. From there onward we must out aside the fear that they awoke in us and begin to rebuild.
Do not twice commit the same error. Never forget the reason for thy life.
It’s always necessary to know when a stage of one’s life has ended. If you stubbornly cling to it after then need has passed, you lose the joy and the meaning of the rest. And you risk being shaken to your senses by God.
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