10 life changing quotes from The Alchemist

I read The Alchemist for the first time today and my life will never be the same again.

And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.
This might seem like some kind of poppycock but have you noticed that when you really want something with every fibre of your soul, that things begin to fall into place? It is up to us to keep our eyes open to the world around us to notice the signs or ‘omens’ as The Alchemist described that will help us achieve our dreams.

But you are forcing me to look at wealth and at horizons that I have never known. Now that I have seen them, and now that I see how immense my possibilities are, I’m going to feel worse than I did before you arrived. Because I know the things I should be able to accomplish, and I don’t want to do so.
The inevitable Regret, the bitter poison to your soul, that will follow when you realise that you have given up following your dream for quickly attained material comfort is not easy to swallow. Would you truly be happy and content if you just settle for the quick win but never try going after your dreams?

So, I love you because the entire universe conspired to help me find you.
When Santiago meets the love of his life, he is taken aback by wonder of it all. Just imagine, that in order for two people to have met, centuries and centuries of people had to have been born and died, billions and trillions of countless decisions made and influenced that final singular outcome. Every single person you meet in your life has a role to play. It is your duty to understand what it is, and to react accordingly.

There is only one way to learn. It’s through action. Everything you need to know you have learned through your journey.
We can spend our entire lives reading from books, in our journey to acquire more knowledge. In The Alchemist, a scholar has spent most of his life reading up on the act of turning lead into gold. He has read every book on the Elixir of Life and the Philosopher’s Stone. When he finally meets the mythical Alchemist and asks him for direction to turn lead to gold, he is only told ‘Go and try.’ He realises then that it was his fear of failure that had kept him back from actually trying to do it himself. His journey to understand alchemy would not be complete without actually doing it! Alchemy is about evolving and transforming into something better. By his action, he transforms and changes, from a scholar to an alchemist.

Making a decision was only the beginning of things. When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he had never dreamed of when he first made the decision.
The hardest part of the journey is actually taking the first step. We can spend our whole lives dreaming of climbing Mt.Everest, but if we don't take the first step of booking a ticket to Nepal or getting out of bed to train, we will never make it to the top. Of course, once the first step has been taken, you will never know what the future holds. The key is to enjoy whatever happens.

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.
I once read this quote and it has seared itself into my brain, “we deserve everything that we desire in our lives.”

I have inside me the winds, the deserts, the oceans, the stars, and everything created in the universe. We were all made by the same hand, and we have the same soul.
Remember that you are made of the same atoms that make up the stars, black holes, hurricanes, the very fabric that holds up the universe. Within you lies the entire galaxy. You are made of stardust and the burning core of our earth. You have the power to create, to destroy, to evolve. You can be anything you wish to be.

“My Heart Is Afraid that it will have to suffer,” the boy told the alchemist one night as they looked up at the moonless sky.
“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.”
We are so afraid of hurting ourselves, our heart, that we build an armour around us. Yes, this keeps us safe, protected from the terrifying world out there. But this also keeps dreams, love, and hope from within our reach. The image of suffering is most likely to be over hyped by our imagination. Imagine the worst that could possibly happen, and as long as you or anyone else wouldn't get physically harmed in the process, just go ahead and do it.

“Every search begins with beginner’s luck. And every search ends with the victor’s being severely tested.” The boy remembered an old proverb from his country. It said that the darkest hour of the night came just before the dawn.
We usually give up because we think our efforts have been futile. Ironically, our end goals would have been the closest at the point of time we decided to give up. Nothing worthwhile in life has ever come easy, it has to be fought for. You will be tested by the universe and you must withstand the trials that you will no doubt face. When you eventually get what you have been fighting for, the feeling that envelops you will be worth it.

As he mused about these things, he realized that he had to choose between thinking of himself as the poor victim of a thief and as an adventurer in quest of his treasure.
You may not be able to control what happens in your life. But you are always in control of how you choose to respond to the situations. It is your attitude that will influence your perspective on things, and in turn how you feel in your soul. Like attracts like. So if you tend to react negatively, most likely, you will also receive negative reactions. Stay positive, and you will see the tides changing and eventually realise that the universe has always had your back, and been quietly conspiring to help you achieve your dreams.