Latest Quotes

“Freedom is not the absence of commitments, but the ability to choose - and commit myself to - what is best for me.”

— Paulo Coelho, The Zahir

“My heart might be bruised, but it will recover and become capable of seeing beauty of life once more. It's happened before, it will happen again, I'm sure.”

— Paulo Coelho, The Zahir

“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 t…”

— Paulo Coelho, The Zahir

“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.”

— Paulo Coelho, The Zahir

“Solitude is used to teach us how to live with other people. Rage is used to show us the infinite value of peace. Boredom is used to underline the importance of adventure and spontaneity. Silence is used to teach us to use words responsibly. Tiredness is used so that we can understand the value of wa…”

— Paulo Coelho, Warrior Of The Light

“However good we are, however correctly we seek to lead our lives, tragedies do occur. We can blame others, look for justification, imagine how our lives would have been different without them. But none of that matters: they have happened, and that is that. From this point on, it is necessary that we…”

— Paulo Coelho, Warrior Of The Light

“Tragedy depends on the way you see it. If you chose to be a victim of the world, anything which happens to you will feed that dark side of your soul, where you consider yourself wronged, suffering, guilty and deserving punishment. If you choose to be an adventurer, the changes – even the inevitable…”

— Paulo Coelho, Warrior Of The Light

“Have pity on those who are fearful of taking up a pen, or a paintbrush, or an instrument, or a tool because they are afraid that someone has already done so better than they could...”

— Paulo Coelho, The Pilgrimage

“The busiest people I have known in my life always have time enough to do everything. Those who do nothing are always tired and pay no attention to the little amount of work they are required to do. They complain constantly that the day is too short. The truth is, they are afraid to fight the good fi…”

— Paulo Coelho, The Pilgrimage

“We must never stop dreaming. Dreams provide nourishment for the soul, just as a meal does for the body.”

— Paulo Coelho, The Pilgrimage

“You were in paradise, but you didn't recognize it. It's the same with most people in this world; they seek suffering in the most joyous of places because they think they are unworthy of happiness.”

— Paulo Coelho, The Devil And Miss Prym

“And one more thing: you still believe that man can be good. If that weren't the case, you wouldn't have invented all this nonsense to convince yourself otherwise.”

— Paulo Coelho, The Devil And Miss Prym

“People want to change everything and, at the same time, want it all to remain the same.”

— Paulo Coelho, The Devil And Miss Prym

“Anyone who loves in the expectation of being loved in return is wasting their time.”

— Paulo Coelho, The Devil And Miss Prym

“If we seek something, that same thing is seeking us.”

— Paulo Coelho, Aleph

“You can spend your entire life blaming the world, but your successes or failures are entirely your own responsibility.”

— Paulo Coelho, Aleph

“You don’t wake up one morning and decide to be a drug addict. It takes at least three months’ shooting twice a day to get any habit at all. And you don’t really know what junk sickness is until you have had several habits. It took me almost six months to get my first habit, and then the withdrawal s…”

— William S. Burroughs, Junky: The Definitive Text of “Junk”

“You don’t wake up one morning and decide to be a drug addict. It takes at least three months’ shooting twice a day to get any habit at all. And you don’t really know what junk sickness is until you have had several habits. It took me almost six months to get my first habit, and then the withdrawal s…”

— William S. Burroughs, Junky: The Definitive Text of “Junk”

“You don’t wake up one morning and decide to be a drug addict. It takes at least three months’ shooting twice a day to get any habit at all. And you don’t really know what junk sickness is until you have had several habits. It took me almost six months to get my first habit, and then the withdrawal s…”

— William S. Burroughs, Junky: The Definitive Text of “Junk”

“You don’t wake up one morning and decide to be a drug addict. It takes at least three months’ shooting twice a day to get any habit at all. And you don’t really know what junk sickness is until you have had several habits. It took me almost six months to get my first habit, and then the withdrawal s…”

— William S. Burroughs, Junky: The Definitive Text of “Junk”