The Alchemist selected quotes…which is a lot.

Whoever you are, or whatever it is that you do, when you really want something,  it’s because that desire originated in the soul of the universe. It’s your mission on earth.”

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

When each day is the same as the next, it’s because people fail to recognize the  good things that happen in their lives every day that the sun rises.

“It’s called the principle of favorability. When you play cards the first time, you are almost sure to win. Beginner’s luck.”

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

“You didn’t have to do any cleaning,” he said.
“The Koran requires me to feed a hungry person.”

People talk a lot about omens

“It’s called the principle of favorability, beginner’s luck.  Because life wants you to achieve your destiny,”- Old King in The Alchemist

“Maktub,” the merchant said, finally.
“What does that mean?”
“You would have to have been born an Arab to understand,” he answered. “But in your language it would be something like ‘It is written.’ ”

“I’m looking for a treasure,” said the boy, and he immediately regretted having said it. But the Englishman appeared not to attach any importance to it.
“In a way, so am I,” he said

The closer one gets to realizing his destiny, the more that destiny becomes his true reason for being

“There’s no such thing as coincidence

“We are afraid of losing what we have, whether it’s our life or our possessions and property. But this fear evaporates when we understand that our life stories and the history of the world were written by the same hand.”

But that disaster taught me to understand the word of Allah: people need not fear the unknown if they are capable of achieving what they need and want.

We make a lot of detours, but we’re always heading for the same destination.”

“In alchemy, it’s called the Soul of the World. When you want something with all your heart, that’s when you are closest to the Soul of the World. It’s always a positive force.”

Everyone has his or her own way of learning things,” he said to himself. “His way isn’t the same as mine, nor mine as his. But we’re both in search of our destinies, and I respect him for that.”

“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.

Yesterday, the camel’s groan signaled danger, and now a row of date palms could herald a miracle.

Maybe God created the desert so that man could appreciate the date trees, he thought.

Because people become fascinated with pictures and words, and wind up forgetting the Language of the World.

Given the best accommodations. That was the law of hospitality.

When you know that language, it’s easy to understand that someone in the world awaits you

“The day after we met,” Fatima said, “you told me that you loved me. Then, you taught me something of the universal language and the Soul of the World. Because of that, I have become a part of you.”

I fear nothing, because it was those omens that brought you to me. And I am a part of your dream, a part of your destiny, as you call it.

“That’s why I want you to continue toward your goal. If you have to wait until the war is over, then wait. But if you have to go before then, go on in pursuit of your dream. The dunes are changed by the wind, but the desert never changes. That’s the way it will be with our love for each other.

“Maktub,” she said. “If I am really a part of your dream, you’ll come back one day.”

I want my husband to wander as free as the wind that shapes the dunes. And, if I have to, I will accept the fact that he has become a part of  the clouds, and the animals and the water of the desert.”

“Tomorrow, sell your camel and buy a horse. Camels are traitorous: they walk thousands of paces and never seem to tire. Then suddenly, they kneel and die. But horses tire bit by bit. You always know how much you can ask of them, and when it is that they are about to die.”

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.

She already has her treasure: it’s you. Now she expects that you will find what it is you’re looking for.”

But many times you’ll walk the sands of the desert, thinking that maybe you could have left… that you could have trusted more in your love for Fatima. Because what kept you at the oasis was your own fear that you might never come back. At that point, the omens will tell you that your treasure is buried forever.

“You must understand that love never keeps a man from pursuing his destiny. If he abandons that pursuit, it’s because it wasn’t true love… the love that speaks the Language of the World.”

“I’m going with you,” the boy said. And he immediately felt peace in his heart.

I love you because…”
“Don’t say anything,” Fatima interrupted. “One is loved because one is loved. No reason is needed for loving.”
So, I love you because the entire universe conspired to help me find you.”

“If what one finds is made of pure matter, it will never spoil. And one can always come back. If what you had found was only a moment of light, like the explosion of a star, you would find nothing on your return.”

“My heart is a traitor,”

“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, because every second of the search is a second’s encounter
with God and with eternity.”

It said that all people who are happy have God within them

“We, people’s hearts, seldom say much about those treasures, because people no longer want to go in search of them. We speak of them only to children. Later, we simply let life proceed, in its own direction, toward its own fate. But, unfortunately, very few follow the path laid out for them—the path to their destinies, and to happiness. Most people see the world as a threatening place, and, because they do, the world turns out, indeed, to be a threatening place.

When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better, too.”

“But this payment goes well beyond my generosity,” the monk responded.
“Don’t say that again. Life might be listening, and give you less the next time.”

‘Everything that happens once can never happen again. But everything that happens twice will surely happen a third time.’ ”

“No matter what he does, every person on earth plays a central role in the history of the world. And normally he doesn’t know it.”

“Be aware of the place where you are brought to tears. That’s where I am, and that’s where your treasure is.”

“What good is money to you if you’re going to die? It’s not often that money can save someone’s life,”

Life really is generous to those who pursue their destiny

* I really like the end of it and the epilogue. His storytelling is very intriguing. I dont read much fiction but this is suitable for my liking. My friend Zu recommend me to read “The Zahir” and “Like the flowing river” and i googled some and people recommend to read “Veronica Decides to Die” and “The Witch of Portobello”, so inshaAllah tomorrow i nak cari kat book sales either Payless or Popular (this month banyak book sales)

* This book really focus on pursuing and run after your dream and what you call is destiny. There will be test along the way but its really important to stick to your goal.  Look for signs (as what they call it omens). And learn as much as you can in a way to achieve your goal. Find the blessings and stay positive.

* And as a woman, you really need to give space to men and let him pursue his dreams. Put in mind that you are not the world to him if you are not married yet. As the character Fatima, what she said, touches me (she’s the woman of the desert, so yeah….but its really a gem to learn)..She said

” I want my husband to wander as free as the wind that shapes the dunes. And, if I have to, I will accept the fact that he has become a part of  the clouds, and the animals and the water of the desert.”

So yes.  “Maktub, If I am really a part of your dream, you’ll come back one day.” ( I didnt mean that person who left me for someone else..)