15 Quotes About the Meaning of Life from Paulo Coelho's Books

Today is the birthday of the famous Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho. In his books, he reveals to the reader a realistic world filled with philosophical meaning. Critics note the abundance of symbols in his novels, but the poetic language of the author has become understandable and close to millions of people around the world. Coelho creates books that are like parables - they share with us the secrets of human existence, fate, love and happiness. We have prepared the most striking quotes from the prose of Paulo Coelho:

1. "Life wants you to follow your destiny and whets your appetite with the taste of luck."

"The Alchemist", 1988

2. “Happiness sometimes comes to us as grace, but much more often it is a victory and overcoming.”

"On the banks of the Rio Piedra I sat down and cried", 1994

3. “Misfortune is a test, not a punishment.”

"The Fifth Mountain", 1996

4. “The meaning of my life will be the one that I give it.”

"The Fifth Mountain", 1996

5. “Perhaps God created the desert so that man could smile at the trees.”

"The Alchemist", 1988

6. “If you want something, the whole universe will help you to make it come true.”

"The Alchemist", 1988

7. “People want to change everything and at the same time they want everything to remain the same, the way it was before.”

"The Devil and Miss Prim", 2000

8. "The worth of a man is not measured by the number of those who flock around him when he is at the height of his fortune and success, but by his ability to remember who extended a hand to him in times of adversity."

"The Winner Stands Alone", 2008

9. "Stop constantly thinking that you are bothering everyone. If someone doesn't like it, they will complain themselves. And if they don't have the courage to complain, then that's their problem."

"Veronica Decides to Die", 1998

10. "If you ask me if I am happy with you, I will answer: "Yes." But if you ask me if I can live without you, I will answer the same."

"Zaire", 2005

11. “Whoever is confronted with sex knows that he is facing something that happens with all its force only when control is lost. When we are in bed with someone, we give permission for the person to merge not only with our body, but with our entire personality. At that moment, independently of us, only the pure forces of life communicate, and then we cannot hide who we are. The idea we have of ourselves is not important. Masks, prepared answers, proud exits are not important. In sex, it is difficult for one to deceive the other, because there each shows himself as he is.”

"Brida", 1990

12. "There are no rules in love. You can try to study textbooks, curb your emotional impulses, develop a strategy for behavior - all this is nonsense. The heart decides, and only the decision made by it is important and necessary."

"On the banks of the Rio Piedra I sat down and cried", 1994

13. “Discussions of opinions always serve the same purpose - they help people convince themselves that they are right.”

"The Diary of a Magician", 1987

14. “A child can teach an adult three things: to be happy without any reason, to always find something to do, and to insist on your own.”

"The Fifth Mountain", 1996

15. "Life is too short to afford the luxury of living it so miserably."

"Eleven Minutes", 2003