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Best Quotes From The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Last Updated on September 24, 2023 by Louisa

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho is about a shepherd boy who goes on a journey to find his treasure.

Along the way, he meets a gypsy, a king, a merchant, and an Alchemist who teaches him about omens and the way of the world. Not to mention a woman who captures his heart.

It’s an enlightening novel about travel and self discovery, as well as love, chasing your dreams, and fate.

The novel was a huge success after its publication in 1988. It was originally published in Portuguese but has been translated into several languages, including English. It went on to win the Nielsen Gold Book Award in 2004.

If you loved The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho and want to save some of the most inspiring quotes from the novel, then you’ll want to take a look at the best quotes from The Alchemist below!

Related Reading: Our Honest Review of The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho


Related Post: Books Similar to The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

The Alchemist Famous Quotes

Let’s begin with the most famous quotes from The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. These are some of the most memorable and important quotes.

“Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure. You’ve got to find the treasure so that everything you have learned along the way can make sense.”

Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

“It’s not what enters men’s mouth that is evil,” said the alchemist. “It’s what comes out of their mouths that is.”

Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

“The secret of life, though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times.”

Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

“The simple things are also the most extraordinary things, and only the wise can see them.”

Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

“Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own.”

Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

“I don’t live in either my past or my future. I’m interested only in the present. If you can concentrate always on the present, you’ll be a happy man. Life will be a party for you, a grand festival, because life is the moment we’re living now.”

Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

“When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better, too.”

Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

“And, when you can’t go back, you have to worry only about the best way of moving forward.”

Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

“Every blessing ignored becomes a curse.”

Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

“There is only one way to learn. It’s through action. Everything you need to know you have learned through your journey.”

Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

“The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon.”

Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

“You must always know what it is that you want.”

Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

The Alchemist Quotes About Fate

One of the major themes of The Alchemist is finding your destiny. These are the most popular quotes from The Alchemist about fate.

“When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”

Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

“To realize one’s destiny is a person’s only obligation.”

Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

“No matter what he does, every person on earth plays a central role in the history of the world. And normally he doesn’t know it.”

Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

“Don’t give in to your fears. If you do, you won’t be able to talk to your heart.”

Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

“We are travelers on a cosmic journey, stardust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share.This is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in eternity.”

Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

“Everything that happens once can never happen again. But everything that happens twice will surely happen a third time.”

Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

“Your eyes show the strength of your soul.”

Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

“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.”

Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

“It’s one thing to feel that you are on the right path, but it’s another to think that yours is the only path.”

Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

“At a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what’s happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate. That’s the world’s greatest lie.”

Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

The Alchemist Quotes About Love

There are some inspiring quotes in The Alchemist about love. Here are some of our favourites.

“When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.”

Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

“One is loved because one is loved. No reason is needed for loving.”

Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

“So, I love you because the entire universe conspired to help me find you.”

Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

“This is what we call love. 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.”

Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

“Maktub,” she said. “If I am really part of your dream, you’ll come back one day.”

Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

“You will never be able to escape from your heart. So it’s better to listen to what it has to say.”

Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

“Because true love never keeps a man from pursuing his destiny.”

Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

“And when two such people encounter each other, and their eyes meet, the past and the future become unimportant. There is only that moment, and the incredible certainty that everything under the sun has been written by one hand only. It is the hand that evokes love, and creates a twin soul for every person in the world. Without such love, one’s dreams would have no meaning.”

Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

The Alchemist Quotes About Dreams

One of the biggest lessons the boy learns in The Alchemist is to follow his dreams, no matter what. Here are some of the most prominent quotes from The Alchemist about dreams.

“It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.”

Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.”

Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

“People are capable, at any time in their lives, of doing what they dream of.”

Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

“Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second’s encounter with God and with eternity.”

Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

“People are afraid to pursue their most important dreams, because they feel that they don’t deserve them, or that they’ll be unable to achieve them.”

Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

“If you start by promising what you don’t even have yet, you’ll lose your desire to work towards getting it.”

Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

“Before a dream is realized, the Soul of the World tests everything that was learned along the way. It does this not because it is evil, but so that we can, in addition to realizing our dreams, master the lessons we’ve learned as we’ve moved toward that dream. That’s the point at which most people give up. It’s the point at which, as we say in the language of the desert, one ‘dies of thirst just when the palm trees have appeared on the horizon.”

Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

“People need not fear the unknown if they are capable of achieving what they need and want.”

Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

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Final Word on Best Quotes from The Alchemist

So there you have it, the best quotes from The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho!

Whether you’re looking for quotes about love, dreams, fate, or just something inspirational, I’m sure one of these quotes will speak to you.

Do you have a favorite quote from my list? Let me know in the comments!

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About Louisa Smith

Editor/Founder - Epic Book Society

Louisa is the Founder, Editor, and Head Honcho of Epic Book Society. She was born and raised in the United Kingdom and graduated from the University for the Creative Arts with a degree in Journalism. Louisa began her writing career at the age of 7 when her poetry was published in an anthology of poems to celebrate the Queen's Jubilee. Upon graduating university, she spent several years working as a journalist writing about books before transitioning to become a Primary School Teacher. Louisa loves all genres of books, but her favorites are Sci-Fi, Romance, Fantasy, and Young Adult Fiction. Read more Louisa's story here.

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