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Quote by Paulo Coelho

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The Alchemist

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Author

Paulo Coelho
Paulo Coelho

Paulo Coelho, born on August 24, 1947, is a renowned Brazilian author and lyricist. His works are characterized by profound philosophical thoughts and rich imagination, with his most famous novel being 'The Alchemist'. more

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“...gripping the rim of the sink you claw your way to stand and cling there, quaking with will, on heron legs, and still the hot muck pours out of you. (p. 27)”

“Die. Do you think I will? I suppose I must...I exist now, and everything that exists must end, one day. I wonder how I will die, and what it will be like. It will be most interesting, don't you think? [...] Yes. Yes, I think it will," said the wolf. "I look forward to it. On the whole, I think it is a very strange and terrifying thing, to exist. I really don't understand how you do it. Tell me - how do you deal with the fear? "The fear?" asked George. "Yes. That fear that comes from the feeling that there is you, and then there is...everything else. That you are trapped inside of yourself, a tiny dot insignificant in the face of every everything that could ever be. How do you manage that?" George considered how to answer. "I...guess we just never think about it." "Never think about it!" cried the wolf. "How can you not think about it when it confronts you at every moment? You are lost amid a wide, dark sea, with no shores in sight, and you all so rarely panic! Some days I can barely function, so how on earth can you never think about it?" "Well, I...suppose we distract ourselves," said George. "But with what?". "I don't know. With all kinds of things.”

“blue-gold sky, fresh cloud, emerald-black mountain, trees on rocky ledges, on the summit, the tiny pin of a telephone tower-all brilliantly clear, in shadow and out. and on and through everything everywhere the sun shines without reservation (p. 97)”

“He was pale as only one state on Bhast dictated—not lacking color necessarily or vitality, certainly. Fey white was more comparable to a pearl; the color subtle and the luster soft, but still vibrant. In spite of the tragedy that could come with it, it was not a dying state. It was a state of living…sometimes much more brilliantly than people could cope with, including the Fey individuals themselves.”

“Toute fin de vie quelconque s'apparente plus ou moins au rangement; on n'a plus envie de se lancer dans un projet neuf, on se contente d'expédier les affaires courantes. Toute chose que l'on n'a jamais faite, fût-elle aussi anodine que préparer une mayonnaise ou disputer une partie d'échecs, devient peu à peu inaccessible, le désir de toute nouvelle expérience comme de toute nouvelle sensation disparaît absolument. (La possibilité d'une île, Daniel 1,23)”