(Paulo Coelho)

• Introduction
  • We know what we want to do, but are afraid of hurting those around us by abandoning everything in order to pursue our dream. We do not realize that love is just a further impetus, not something that will prevent us from going forward. We do not realize that those who genuinely wish us well want us to be happy and are prepared to accompany us on that journey. (pg. x)
  • Oscar Wilde said: "Each man kills the thing he loves." And it's true. The mere possibility of getting what we want fills the soul of the ordinary person with guilt. We look around at all those who have failed to get what they want and feel that we do not deserve to get what we want either. We forget about all the obstacles we overcame, all the suffering we endured, all the things we had to give up in order to get this far. (pg. xii)
• The Alchemist
  • It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting. (pg. 11)
  • If someone isn't what others want them to be, the others become angry. Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own. (pg. 16)
  • ...when each day is the same as the next, it's because people fail to recognize the good things that happen in their lives every day that the sun rises. (pg. 27)
  • The boy felt jealous of the freedom of the wind, and saw that he could have the same freedom. There was nothing to hold him back except himself. (pg. 28)
  • Not everyone can see his dreams come true in the same way. (pg. 56)
  • "Maktub," the merchant said, finally.
    • "What does that mean?"
    • "You would have to have been born an Arab to understand," he answered. "But in your language it would be something like 'It is written.'" (pg. 59)
  • "...If you can concentrate always on the present, you'll be a happy man. You'll see that there is life in the desert, that there are stars in the heavens, and that tribesmen fight because they are part of the human race. Life will be a party for you, a grand festival, because life is the moment we're living right now." (pg. 85)
  • At that moment, it seemed to him that time stood still, and the Soul of the World surged within him. When he looked into her dark eyes, and saw that her lips were poised between a laugh and silence, he learned the most important part of the language that all the world spoke - the language that everyone on earth was capable of understanding in their heart. It was love. Something older than humanity, more ancient than the desert. Something that exerted the same force whenever two pairs of eyes met, as had theirs here at the well. (pg. 92-93)
  • "It's not what enters men's mouths that's evil," said the alchemist. "It's what comes out of their mouths that is." (pg. 115)
  • "One is loved because one is loved. No reason is needed for loving." (pg. 122)
  • "I had a dream, and I met with a king. I sold crystal and crossed the desert. And, because the tribes declared war, I went to the well, seeking the alchemist. So, I love you because the entire universe conspired to help me find you." (pg. 122)
  • "You're crying?"
    • "I'm a woman of the desert," she said, averting her face. "But above all, I'm a woman." (pg. 122)
  • "Why don't people's hearts tell them to continue to follow their dreams?" the boy asked the alchemist.
    • "Because that's what makes a heart suffer most, and hearts don't like to suffer." (pg. 131)
  • "Your eyes show the strength of your soul" (pg. 136)
  • "When you are loved, you can do anything in creation. When you are loved, there's no need at all to understand what's happening, because everything happens within you" (pg. 147)
  • "Because when we love, we strive to always become better than we are." (pg. 151)