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"All you have to do is to pay attention; lessons always arrive when you are ready, and if you can read the signs, you will learn everything you need to know in order to take the next step”
“If a book isn't self-explanatory, then it isn't worth reading.”
The second book of Paulo Coelho that I have read, with 'The Alchemist' being the first. Simply put, it's a book about obsession of a renowned author (should I say, Coelho deliberately portrays the character resembling himself!) for his wife who had left with no trace. And after the disappearance, she happened to become the obsession of the author which he defines as 'the Zahir'.
On his way to find the Zahir, he finds his inner self, reveals so much about his own self in a new way, and came to know what love really is! (according to the author)
Some notable quotes ---
"In order to live fully, it is necessary to be in constant movement ; only then can each day be different from the last."
"That is why it is so important to let certain things go. To release them. To cut loose. People need to understand that no one is playing with marked cards; sometimes we win and sometimes we lose. Don't expect to get anything back, don't expect recognition for your efforts, don't expect your genius to be discovered or your love to be understood. Complete the circle. Not out of pride, inability or arrogance, but simply because whatever it is no longer fits in your life. Close the door, change the record, clean the house, get rid of the dust. Stop being who you were and become who you are.”
"It is always important to know when something has reached its end. Closing circles, shutting doors, finishing chapters, it doesn't matter what we call it; what matters is to leave in the past those moments in life that are over.”
“The energy of hatred won't get you anywhere; but the energy of forgiveness, which reveals itself through love, will transform your life in a positive way.”
“Love is a disease no one wants to get rid of. Those who catch it never try to get better, and those who suffer do not wish to be cured.”
“Freedom is not the absence of commitments, but the ability to choose - and commit myself to - what is best for me.”
“Writing is one of the most solitary activities in the world.”
On a different note, I found the particular point of view of Coelho on what should one do while travelling different places quite interesting. The nameless author in the book says,
"I know almost all the monuments, museums and historic places of all the many cities I have visited to promote my work - and I can't remember any of them. What I do remember are the unexpected things, perhaps a street I happened to walk down, where I turned a corner and came upon something wonderful.
One day, I'm going to write a travel guide containing only maps, addresses of hotels and with the rest of the pages blank. That way people have to make their own itinerary, to discover for themselves restaurants, monuments, and all the magnificent things that every city has,but which are never mentioned because 'the history we have been taught' does not include them under the heading 'Things you must see'."
[will be edited later...]
“If a book isn't self-explanatory, then it isn't worth reading.”
The second book of Paulo Coelho that I have read, with 'The Alchemist' being the first. Simply put, it's a book about obsession of a renowned author (should I say, Coelho deliberately portrays the character resembling himself!) for his wife who had left with no trace. And after the disappearance, she happened to become the obsession of the author which he defines as 'the Zahir'.
On his way to find the Zahir, he finds his inner self, reveals so much about his own self in a new way, and came to know what love really is! (according to the author)
Some notable quotes ---
"In order to live fully, it is necessary to be in constant movement ; only then can each day be different from the last."
"That is why it is so important to let certain things go. To release them. To cut loose. People need to understand that no one is playing with marked cards; sometimes we win and sometimes we lose. Don't expect to get anything back, don't expect recognition for your efforts, don't expect your genius to be discovered or your love to be understood. Complete the circle. Not out of pride, inability or arrogance, but simply because whatever it is no longer fits in your life. Close the door, change the record, clean the house, get rid of the dust. Stop being who you were and become who you are.”
"It is always important to know when something has reached its end. Closing circles, shutting doors, finishing chapters, it doesn't matter what we call it; what matters is to leave in the past those moments in life that are over.”
“The energy of hatred won't get you anywhere; but the energy of forgiveness, which reveals itself through love, will transform your life in a positive way.”
“Love is a disease no one wants to get rid of. Those who catch it never try to get better, and those who suffer do not wish to be cured.”
“Freedom is not the absence of commitments, but the ability to choose - and commit myself to - what is best for me.”
“Writing is one of the most solitary activities in the world.”
On a different note, I found the particular point of view of Coelho on what should one do while travelling different places quite interesting. The nameless author in the book says,
"I know almost all the monuments, museums and historic places of all the many cities I have visited to promote my work - and I can't remember any of them. What I do remember are the unexpected things, perhaps a street I happened to walk down, where I turned a corner and came upon something wonderful.
One day, I'm going to write a travel guide containing only maps, addresses of hotels and with the rest of the pages blank. That way people have to make their own itinerary, to discover for themselves restaurants, monuments, and all the magnificent things that every city has,but which are never mentioned because 'the history we have been taught' does not include them under the heading 'Things you must see'."
[will be edited later...]
