Paulo Coelho

L'alchimiste

A special 25th anniversary edition of the extraordinary international bestseller, including a new Foreword by Paulo Coelho. Combining magic, mysticism, wisdom and wonder into an inspiring tale of self-discovery, The Alchemist has become a modern classic, selling millions of copies around the world and transforming the lives of countless readers across generations. Paulo Coelho's masterpiece tells the mystical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure. His quest will lead him to riches far different—and far more satisfying—than he ever imagined. Santiago's journey teaches us about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, of recognizing opportunity and learning to read the omens strewn along life's path, and, most importantly, to follow our dreams.

The Alchemist

sheeps, like many living beings, are driven by basic survival instincts. they do not truly experience complex emotions like excitement or unease in the way humans do; their focus is simply on food and water. what makes the line interesting is how it contrasts the idea of change and ownership with something so simple and primal. the sheep are surrounded by newness, by shifts they do not understand, yet their world remains small and centered on survival. 

in a way, this mirrors human nature too. beneath all our complexity, survival still defines us. when faced with uncertainty or hardship, we often go back to our most basic needs, just wanting comfort or stability. the first thing we ever learn to value is being fed and feeling full, and for many people, especially those less fortunate, it is difficult to think beyond that when even food and water are hard to secure.

“The sheep fidgeted nearby, uneasy with their new owner and excited by so much change. All they wanted was food and water.”

“true love transcends time and logic” well, yeah, but you’d never catch me saying “i love you” to a girl i barely know.

symbolically, though, i understand that he sees their meeting as something far greater than coincidence—almost like the universe recognizing itself in another form. to him, love isn’t something that requires time to grow; it’s an awakening, a sign that he’s aligned with his destiny. 

it’s less about knowing fatima as a person and more about realizing a truth the world had been trying to tell him all along.

“I want you to be my wife. I love you.”

stagnancy terrifies me more than exhaustion ever could. i refuse to settle for anything that doesn’t resemble progression, even if it means mistaking movement for meaning.

“But the crystal merchant had no choice. He had lived thirty years of his life buying and selling crystal pieces, and now it was too late to do anything else.”

in the same way, it is believed that no person is ever truly inconsistent, and that every action they take is part of a larger plan leading to their final goal.

“All things are manifestation of one thing only.”

Angelica Garcia

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

Jiya

I love you because the whole universe conspired to help me find you. 

And when each day is the same as the next, it’s because people fail to recognise the good things that happen in their life every day the sun rises. 

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

-and better still to be alone with one’s books- they tell their incredible stories at the time when you want to hear them. But when you’re talking to people, they say somethings that are so strange that you don’t know how to continue the conversation. 

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

It’s the simple things in life that are the most extraordinary. Only wise men are able to understand them. 

You came so that you could learn about your dreams, and dreams are the language of God. When he speaks in our language, I can interpret what he has said. But if he has spoke in the language of the soul, it it’s only you who can understand. 

Luoyi

“Every second of the search is an encounter with God." the boy told his heart. "When I have been truly searching for my treasure, every day has been luminous, because I’ve known that every hour was a part of the dream that I would find it. When I have been truly searching for my treasure, I've discovered things along the way that I never would have seen had I not had the courage to try things that seemed impossible for a shepherd to achieve." 

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.

The secret is here in the present. If you pay attention to the present, you can improve upon it. And, if you improve on the present, what comes later will also be better. Forget about the future, and live each day according to the teachings, confident that God loves his children. Each day, in itself, brings with it an eternity.

Since the miner sacrificed everything to his Personal Legend, the old man decided to become involved. He transformed himself into a stone that rolled up to the miner's foot. The miner, with all the anger and frustration of his five fruitless years, picked up the stone and threw it aside. But he had thrown it with such force that it broke the stone it fell upon, and there, embedded in the broken stone, was the most beautiful emerald in the world.

Zach Garcia

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

"What's the world's greatest lie?" the boy asked, completely surprised.

"It's this: that 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."

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

The secret is here in the present. If you pay attention to the present, you can improve upon it. And, if you improve on the present, what comes later will also be better. Forget about the future, and live each day according to the teachings, confident that God loves his children. Each day, in itself, brings with it an eternity."

"Your eyes show the strength of your soul"

Sadie Hoffman

Love is the force that transforms and improves the Soul of the World. When I first reached through to it, I thought the Soul of the World was perfect. But later, I could see that it was like other aspects of creation, and had its own passions and wars. It is we who nourish the Soul of the World, and the World we live in will be either better or worse, depending on whether we become better or worse. And that’s where the power of love comes in. Because when we love, we always strive to become better than we are.

Each day, in itself brings with it an eternity.

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 evoked love, and creates a twin soul for every person in the world. Without such love, one’s dreams would have no meaning.

personally, i liked its symbolism and philosophical views, and if you know me, you’d understand how much i love any form of literature about dreams and destiny. however, it did feel repetitive at times, and i didn’t enjoy much of the final chapters, especially the ending.

i suddenly don't wanna die after this book

Tina Villarete

Montana Langille

Wow. This book found me at the right time of my life. I needed to hear this story of believing in yourself no matter what gets thrown your way. Stay on your path and it’ll all make sense. 

Joe Ricupero

Raiza Zaldiarizki

read this in my quiet spaces in a forest and on the beach and i think this book was completely apt. the writing is not highfalutin, yet it has so much transformative power in its simple yet soulful writing

gabs ♡

A lot of words to say “follow your dreams.” I would have found it deep if I was younger, and maybe it is a beautiful read for youth. Now it just feels like platitudes and obvious truths.

for some reason i thought that ‘the alchemist’ was originally written in spanish, which motivated me to start learning the language so i could be able to read it in its “original” language. however it was an absolutely false assumption. paulo coelho is portuguese. i do thank him for this book though, it’s very dear to me, and as i said, my sole admiration for its story encouraged me to learn it’s … assumed language. either way it was a good read. every now and then i pick up the book for nostalgia. perfect book to read while you’re 16 years old.  

anatolian 

Would've went super hard if I was still 16-17, but now it reads as a very preachy book. A charming but long winded way to say that dreams are worth following even if they seem impossible because either you will succeed or be fulfilled in the pursuit.

Derek Graf

A fun, sweet, optimistic, and motivational journey.

"The Alchemist" is brief yet will hammer its values into your mind many times over: you should listen to what your heart is telling you. You should not be afraid of life's mysteries and an opportunity passed is an opportunity lost.

Personally, I resonate with the messages displayed here as somewhat recently in life I've decided to try and be more understanding, open, and willing to try something new ("risky"). Again, Coelho's story is one of optimism and also perseverance, some of life's best qualities and a mindset that'll lead you to a happier journey. It's hard not to smile as the boy's adventure leads him from one strange occurrence to the next, it's very charming stuff.

Admittedly, the book is a simple one. It's short and sweet, and I suppose its simplicity shouldn't necessarily be a detractor, but I found some of its passages could have been expanded upon while others felt redundant. In keeping the story short, I think Coelho did a pretty great job of keeping the dialogue terse, compact.

I also liked when he spoke about the Soul of the World and how interconnected everything can be, but it felt like a bit of a cop-out to then just say it's God doing everything. I suppose I liked the journey more so than the destination for that part of the story. Considering what was happening at that point in the book, too, this was arguably "jumping the shark" quite a bit.

I enjoyed reading "The Alchemist" and I definitely recommend it.

Evan

A fun, sweet, optimistic, and motivational journey.

"The Alchemist" is brief yet will hammer its values into your mind many times over: you should listen to what your heart is telling you. You should not be afraid of life's mysteries and an opportunity passed is an opportunity lost.
Personally, I resonate with the messages displayed here as somewhat recently in life I've decided to try and be more understanding, open, and willing to try something new ("risky"). Again, Coelho's story is one of optimism and also perseverance, some of life's best qualities and a mindset that'll lead you to a happier journey. It's hard not to smile as the boy's adventure leads him from one strange occurrence to the next, it's very charming stuff.

Admittedly, the book is a simple one. It's short and sweet, and I suppose its simplicity shouldn't necessarily be a detractor, but I found some of its passages could have been expanded upon while others felt redundant. In keeping the story short, I think Coelho did a pretty great job of keeping the dialogue terse, compact.
I also liked when he spoke about the Soul of the World and how interconnected everything can be, but it felt like a bit of a cop-out to then just say it's God doing everything. I suppose I liked the journey more so than the destination for that part of the story. Considering what was happening at that point in the book, too, this was arguably "jumping the shark" quite a bit.

I enjoyed reading "The Alchemist" and I definitely recommend it.

Keila Rico 

Short but so meaningful. So many life lessons and so inspirational. It talks about how everyone has a “purpose” in life and includes so many metaphors about that journey to finding your purpose in a storytelling way. 

Shannina Davinta

The book takes you to a young boy named Santiago to his journey in pursuit to find his personal legend. I believe that santiago's journey can be related to all people regarding about their dreams; those who choose to follow it, those who don't, and those who still continue to dream it but never follow it. 

It's entertaining and easy to read and can teach you about what it means to follow one's dreams.

The book takes you to a young boy named Santiago to his journey in pursuit to find his personal legend. I believe that santiago's journey can be related to all people regarding about their dreams; those who choose to follow it, those who don't, and those who still continue to dream it but never follow it. 

It's entertaining and easy to read and can teach you about what it means to follow one's dreams.

Maureen

The story didn't quite resonate with me. It had me at the first part... but I found myself speed-reading just to finish the book. There were some great quotes, but others I found too corny for my taste. I don't really agree with the book's philosophy. Good allusion at the end tho!

Easy and enjoyable read, clear message is stated in the book but it was a shame that it stayed superficial. Still, it was nice to read such an optimistic and hopeful interpretation of the world. I always love when the main character realises the ‘truth’ or the ‘real purpose of the world/meaning of life’ through observation and action, especially during a long treacherous journey across the world. Nothing life changing tho. 

loisesya

Zisan Bas

noal

I was usually reading this book in the subway and 2 ppl came up to me to tell me how great this book was so i felt kinda compelled to enjoy this one at some point?? 
Tbh i was a bit confused at first and not that invested, but i believed it was just because i haven’t read fiction in a long time. Many parts were interesting but am I tripping or is this book not that mind blowing ? I felt like it tried to be deep but it didn’t resonate with me that much. Made me think for sure but did not change my life at all. Nevertheless, it was short and pretty fast paced so i still enjoyed the reading experience.

This book is packed with amazing morals and lessons every human and being should know. It has a sweet and simple plot with many interesting characters. It talks about going for your destiny, valuing your happiness and reminds everyone that everything happens for a reason.

"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." Every few decades a book is published that changes the lives of its readers forever. The Alchemist is such a book. With over a million and a half copies sold around the world, The Alchemist has already established itself as a modern classic, universally admired. Paulo Coelho's charming fable, now available in English for the first time, will enchant and inspire an even wider audience of readers for generations to come. The Alchemist is the magical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure as extravagant as any ever found. From his home in Spain he journeys to the markets of Tangiers and across the Egyptian desert to a fateful encounter with the alchemist. The story of the treasures Santiago finds along the way teaches us, as only a few stories have done, about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, learning to read the omens strewn along life's path, and, above all, following our dreams.

Patrick Book

Was this written by Paulo Coelho or Al leGory?

Manojkumar Seenivasan

Well, I cant write a review in few words on this book. Its an outstanding one. I dont think most readers will find it understanding. Its more of a spiritual world. Want to re-read some day!

Alright, I get it. I know why so many people recommend this book, I know why it always appears on books you should read lists. It is great. It is profound in its simplicity.

I think I needed to read this book, pretty much exactly when I read it, and I enjoyed reading it as well as gaining something from reading it.

I will definitely read this book again, and I will certainly be one to join the hordes of people who recommend it to others. 

For all I enjoyed about this book I can understand it's detractors points too, I definitely won't recommend it to everyone all the time, but it is definitely the right book for everyone at some time, though that time may have passed, and in that case you likely would not like it. 

Liam Richardson

Alright, I get it. I know why so many people recommend this book, I know why it always appears on books you should read lists. It is great. It is profound in its simplicity.

I think I needed to read this book, pretty much exactly when I read it, and I enjoyed reading it as well as gaining something from reading it.

I will definitely read this book again, and I will certainly be one to join the hordes of people who recommend it to others. 

For all I enjoyed about this book I can understand it's detractors points too, I definitely won't recommend it to everyone all the time, but it is definitely the right book for everyone at some time, though that time may have passed, and in that case you likely would not like it. 

This book was like reading a hidden ancient text. It taught me secrets about the world that I needed to hear at this moment. Maybe when I look back it won’t be a 5 star, but I feel like this is what I needed to read right now. It was an omen.

read this in high school for english class, but wanted to read it again on my own. easy read, some great quotes. overall wasn’t completely in love with it

the_basis_

Jeremy Mano

Ich dachte es geht um was anderes...

Trotzdem sehr inspirierendes Buch

L'alchimiste

Reviews

Highlights