The Alchemist Quotes

Santiago knows that he is the protege and the Alchemist is his mentor, they have respect for each other “How characters are getting along or not getting along” (Foster 80). Drinking wine in a foreign country where it is illegal, is an act of unity and also “Whenever people eat or drink together, it's communion” (Foster 8). To Foster, “Breaking bread is an act of sharing and peace” (8) Santiago and the Alchemist would not have shared their last meal together on the Oasis if they had not wanted a peaceful environment before their journey to come.

The Alchemist, a novel written by Paulo Coelho teaches us about the importance of self-discovery and exploration by taking us through the journey of a young Andalusian shepherd, Santiago. Paulo Coelho was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on August 24th 1947, to Pedro Quiema Coelho de Souza, an engineer, and his wife, Lygia, a homemaker. Paulo early on had dreamed of an artistic career and then after his surroundings in Jesuit school, he discovered his true vocation was to be a writer (Coelho 195). Upon telling his mom, she told him that his father was an engineer, a reasonable and logical man and had a clear view of the world. At the age of 16, Paulo’s opposition against following a traditional path led to his parents committing him into a mental institution (Paulo Coelho). To satisfy his parents, he enrolled in law school. However, it led him to mental illness and failing his career. After many years, he gave a shot at his dream profession and started to write. Paulo wrote The Pilgrimage: Diary of Magus which described his experiences and his discovery that the extraordinary occurs in the lives of ordinary people. He was the recipient of numerous international awards, amongst them the Crystal Award by the World Economic Forum. The Pilgrimage was published in 1987 and The Alchemist was published in 1988, a year after. Both novels appeared on the best sellers list but The Alchemist continued to sell more copies than any other book in Brazilian literary history. The Alchemist,

Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. " This quote shows how everything in the world is interconnected and how one action can change a lot of the world around you. This is also a crucial theme in The Wizard of Earth. Ursula Le Guin uses black-and-white imagery to develop the idea of connection in The Wizard of Earthsea.

Not before long, Santiago meets a crystal merchant. Trying to run away from his Personal Legend once again, he gets a job at the

Santiago has a mental and emotional death when he says he wants to with Fatima at the oasis. He has basically given up on his dream. He is reborn after the alchemist tells him “You must understand that love never keeps a man from pursuing his personal legend.” (Pg.120). He feels that the alchemist is right and rides out into the with him. This gave Santiago a reason to survive and make it through his journey alive because he had to come back to

Santiago the poor adventurer boy, seeks the treasure in his dreams. Despite having a family that wanted him to become a priest. But as Santiago made way towards his journey, he was faced with the unlucky fate of being robbed of all he had. While he had nothing, he could only go up. He learned to find omens which that will lead him towards a better future. As a result he managed to land a job within a crystal merchant’s shop. Another instance is when Santiago is confronted by the love of his life. He wanted to stay with her forever, however doing so would force him to abandon his journey. Fatima,

In the book, The Alchemist, there is many lessons that not only teach the characters but also the reader. The book has many strong messages and teachings directed to the reader to interpret. “It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.” (Coelho). In the quote, it shows Santiago’s father explaining to Santiago about what makes life interesting. This quote also explains the importance of pursuing your dreams or what you feel is right. When reading the book, there is many different themes and lessons all throughout the book. The book is good for people that are trying to find motivation or inspiration to follow their dreams or pursue what they feel is right. “Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other

The phrase used by the narrator implies that even when times are difficult, a person who has faith and commitment will achieve its goal. Just like the novel, Santiago runs into numerously difficult situations when trying to find the destination to the treasure he dreamed of.

The women he uses are the gypsy woman, his mother, and his soul mate, Fatima. The first woman he comes across is his own mother. His mother is much like his father, who wants him to just to grow up and become a priest. Regardless of that however, she is very supportive and wishes him the best when Santiago tells his parents he wants to be a shepherd. The next woman he encounters is the gypsy woman. Santiago went to visit a gypsy to see if she had could figure out anything about the dream he kept on having. She tells him that he should follow these dreams to the pyramids, but once he finds this treasure, he must give her one tenth of it. ‘“And this is my interpretation: you must go to the Pyramids in Egypt. I have never heard of them, but, if it was a child who showed them to you, they exist. There you will find a treasure that will make you a rich man’” (Coelho 14). The final woman he meets is his soul mate, Fatima. When he first meets Fatima he falls straight in love with her. He had wanted to stay behind and leave his Personal Legend, but it was Fatima and the Alchemist who had told him not to abandon it. Fatima told him to come back for her

“I want to stay at the oasis,” the boy answered. “I’ve found Fatima and as far as I am concerned, she’s worth more than treasure.” Everyone knows what they want to do, but they are afraid of hurting those around them by abandoning everything in order to pursue our dream. Some do not realize that love is something to impel us, not something that will prevent us to go further. Those that genuinely wish us well want us to be happy and are prepared to accompany us on that journey. After hearing the Alchemist’s predictions and Fatima saying that he should go, Santiago decided to accompany the Alchemist and pursue his personal legend. Santiago overcame his problem when his father told him he can not travel, and he also perused his personal legend and did not hurt Fatima.

Despite this knowledge he knows that the outcome is worth the risk. After taking this journey he soon reaches the oasis. After traveling through the desert for many days and nights, this place is a paradise for Santiago. He fits in well with the society at the oasis and begins to create a life for himself there. He meets a girl, gets a job interpreting omens, and becomes a wealthy man. When it comes time to leave he experiences a new kind of fear. Not a fear of danger or death, but a fear of loss. He fears that if he leaves he may not return to his life that he loves so much and holds so dearly. When he gets the option to leave he confronts the difficult decision with something his tour guide told him. The guide said, “Because I don’t live in either my past or my future. I’m interested only in the present. If you can concentrate always on the present, you’ll be a happy man” (88). This allowed Santiago to continue with his journey knowing that he is responsible for fulfilling his personal legend and not staying out of fear of loss. The Arab tribal camp is Santiago’s next stop in his journey. He is captured along with the alchemist, who promises them that in three days Santiago will become the wind and destroy the camp. This causes him to panic out of fear for another time, even with all he has learned. He is now experiencing the most crippling fear yet, the fear of failure. This type of fear is so bad because it causes people to not

When Santiago arrives in Tangier he is robbed by a thief and is forced to find work from the locals. He meets a crystal merchant and gets hired to work for him. Santiago convinces the merchant to take some risks in his business. This advice pays off and Santiago becomes a rich man in just a year. Santiago stars to gain confidence in his decisions and decides to use his earning to pursue his personal legend. Santiago soon joins a caravan crossing the Sahara desert and meets an Englishman who is studying to become an Alchemist. On the trip Santiago and the Englishman don’t converse much but Santiago still ends up learning a lot

The Alchemist is a journey of exploration and self-discovery as we follow the main character, Santiago, a young shepherd who lives in Spain, on a journey to fulfill his personal legend. The novel shows us wisdoms and gentle reminders of how to change our lives from what they may be today into the life we have always dreamed of.

Fatima is the girl that almost distracts Santiago from his dream of reaching the pyramids and his treasure. She’s so pretty, and he’s so in love with her that he almost decides to just stay at the oasis and take her instead of his treasure. This is a challenge that Santiago has to persevere through to get to his treasure. Santiago said “So, i love you because the entire universe conspired to help me find you.” He also said that “It was difficult to not think about what he had left behind.

Nature: The Shepherd has a very unrealistic view of nature, in his mind he believes that nature will always be beautiful and full of-of sunshine, and clear skies. But in reality nature will not always be wonderful and happy, and full of rainbows; nature and things around the Shepherd will change. But the shepherd has this tunnel vision of nature where nothing ever changes, he also always draws back to nature when he’s telling the Nymph of all the good times there have.