The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

With all of the crazy going on in the world right now, it was really nice to read a book that is just positive. The Alchemist is filled with hope and dreams and makes you believe anything you set your mind to is achievable. But there is also a lot of simple truths in the book, making it full of life lessons.

(Source: Kelsey Darling)

The Alchemist follows the path of Santiago, who is a shepherd that dreams of travelling the world. That is one of the reasons he became a shepherd; they don't stay in one place and are always meeting new people. But after a chance meeting with a great king, Santiago finds out that he is so close to discovering his Personal Legend if he just travels to Egypt and finds the treasure. Going out on a limb, Santiago travels to Egypt, but this is just the start of his journey. As his search for his Personal Legend takes him to places he never dreamed of, we learn bits about the people who enter his life and how they influence his decisions, and how he influences theirs.

There are a lot of quotes from the book that really hit home. Paulo Coelho has a way with words that you do not see in modern books. And despite the fact that the book follows a boy from Spain who travels to Egypt, you can relate to the story and the feelings.

Because this is such a short book, and because I'm seriously behind on reviews, these are some of the quotes that have really hit home for me.

"And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it." (p. 24)

(Source: Giphy)

The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never forget the drops of oil on the spoon." (p. 35)

"When we love, we always strive to become better than we are." (p. 155)

"There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure." (p. 146)

(Source: Giphy)

"It's not what enters men's mouth that's evil," said the alchemist. "It's what comes out of their mouths that is." (p. 119)

"You must understand that love never keeps a man from pursuing his Personal Legend. If he abandons that pursuit, it's because it wasn't true love...the love that speaks the Language of the World." (p. 124)

"So, I love you because the entire universe conspired to help me find you." (p. 126)

(Source: Giphy)

"People are capable, at any time in their lives, of doing what they dream of." (p. 163)

As  you can see, all of these sections are about achieving your dreams and true love and your Personal Legend, which is something I've been needing more of lately. The Alchemist really makes you believe that everything you dream can come true.

Rating: 10/10
Genres: Classics, Fantasy, Philosophy