80 Paulo Coelho Quotes That’ll Give Meaning to Your Life

Let these Paulo Coelho quotes bring magic and wonder to your life!

The world is lucky to have Paulo Coelho, a Brazilian lyricist and writer who authored many popular novels like The Alchemist, Eleven Minutes, Aleph, and more.

His works are refreshing and hopeful in a world filled with hatred and negativity. Through his works, he’s able to fill us up with love and the drive to follow our hearts’ desires.

We can count how many books and people made a difference in our lives with our fingers.

If Paulo Coelho and his novels touched your heart at one point, then this list of quotes will be a great way to remember his words’ effects on your life.

In the same way, if you aren’t familiar with his works yet, the collection below is a great first step!

Either way, scroll through to the end to unravel many insights that will help give your life meaning and purpose. Don’t miss out on this gem, and share it with your loved ones, too!

Begin here.

And make sure to check out these Neil Gaiman quotes and Albert Einstein quotes.

Best Paulo Coelho Quotes

1. “You will never be able to escape from your heart. So it’s better to listen to what it has to say.”

2. “Nothing in the world is ever completely wrong. Even a stopped clock is right twice a day.”

3. “Everybody has creative potential and from the moment you can express this creative potential, you can start changing the world.” 

4. “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”

5. “When you repeat a mistake, it is not a mistake anymore: it is a decision.”

6. “If you’re brave enough to say goodbye, life will reward you with a new hello.” 

7. “Remember your dreams and fight for them. You must know what you want from life.”

8. “If you want to see a rainbow you have to learn to see the rain.”

9. “Don’t give in to your fears. If you do, you won’t be able to talk to your heart.”

10. “One day you will wake up and there won’t be any more time to do the things you’ve always wanted. Do it now.”

Famous Paulo Coelho Quotes

11. “The simple things are also the most extraordinary things, and only the wise can see them.”

12. “Don’t allow your mind to tell your heart what to do. The mind gives up easily.”

13. “All you have to do is pay attention: lessons always arrive when you are ready.”

14. “Don’t waste your time with explanations, people only hear what they want to hear.”

15. “None of us knows what might happen even the next minute, yet still we go forward. Because we trust. Because we have faith.”

16. “If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine​​—it is lethal.”

17. “The act of discovering who we are will force us to accept that we can go further than we think.”

18. “People never learn anything by being told, they have to find out for themselves.”

19. “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.”

Eye-Opening Paulo Coelho Quotes About Reality

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

21. “People want to change everything and, at the same time, want it all to remain the same.”

22. “A child can teach an adult three things: to be happy for no reason, to always be busy with something, and to know how to demand with all his might that which he desires.”

23. “You can become blind by seeing each day as a similar one. Each day is a different one, each day brings a miracle of its own. It’s just a matter of paying attention to this miracle.”

24. “You’re always learning. The problem is, sometimes you stop and think you understand the world. This is not correct. The world is always moving. You never reach the point where you can stop making an effort.” 

25. “The more in harmony with yourself you are, the more joyful you are and the more faithful you are. Faith is not to disconnect you from reality—it connects you to reality.”

Paulo Coelho Quotes on Life

26. “Life can seem short or life can seem long, depending on how you live it.”

27. “The secret of life is to fall seven times and to get up eight times.”

28. “A life without cause is a life without effect.”

29. “You have to take risks. We will only understand the miracle of life fully when we allow the unexpected to happen.”

30. “Life was always a matter of waiting for the right moment to act.”

31. “Accept what life offers you and try to drink from every cup. All wines should be tasted; some should only be sipped, but with others, drink the whole bottle.”

32. “Life is too short, or too long, for me to allow myself the luxury of living it so badly.”

33. “Life has a way of testing a person’s will, either by having nothing happen at all or by having everything happen at once.” 

34. “It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.”

35. “Life always waits for some crisis to occur before revealing itself at its most brilliant.”

36. “When we least expect it, life sets us a challenge to test our courage and willingness to change; at such a moment, there is no point in pretending that nothing has happened or in saying that we are not yet ready. The challenge will not wait. Life does not look back. A week is more than enough time for us to decide whether or not to accept our destiny.”

37. “Everything tells me that I am about to make a wrong decision, but making mistakes is just part of life. What does the world want of me? Does it want me to take no risks, to go back to where I came from because I didn’t have the courage to say ‘yes’ to life?”

Paulo Coelho Quotes on Love

38. “Love never keeps a man from pursuing his destiny.”

39. “I’m not saying that love always takes you to heaven. Your life can become a nightmare. But that said, it is worth taking the risk.” 

40. “Love is a trap. When it appears, we see only its light, not its shadows.”

41. “Ever since time began, people have recognized their true love by the light in their eyes.”

42. “Anyone who loves in the expectation of being loved in return is wasting their time.”

43. “Certain things in life simply have to be experienced and never explained. Love is such a thing.”

44. “The strongest love is the love that can demonstrate its fragility.” 

45. “But love is always new. Regardless of whether we love once, twice, or a dozen times in our life, we always face a brand-new situation. Love can consign us to hell or to paradise, but it always takes us somewhere. We simply have to accept it, because it is what nourishes our existence.”

46. “One is loved because one is loved. No reason is needed for loving.”

47. “Love is an untamed force. When we try to control it, it destroys us. When we try to imprison it, it enslaves us. When we try to understand it, it leaves us feeling lost and confused.”

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

Paulo Coelho Quotes About Happiness

49. “Whatever you decide to do, make sure it makes you happy.”

50. “Happiness is something that multiplies when it is divided.”

51. “Happiness is just another of the tricks that our genetic system plays on us to carry out its only role, which is the survival of the species.”

52. “Of course, to have money is just great because you can do what you think is important to you. I always was a rich person because money’s not related to happiness.”

Paulo Coelho Quotes About Success

53. “If you want to be successful, you must respect one rule—never lie to yourself.”

54. “Whenever you want to achieve something, keep your eyes open, concentrate, and make sure you know exactly what it is you want. No one can hit their target with their eyes closed.”

55. “To dream is not enough, you have to fulfill your dream.”

56. “People are capable at any time in their lives, of doing what they dream of.”

Short Paulo Coelho Quotes

57. “Every blessing ignored becomes a curse.”

58. “Be brave. Take risks. Nothing can substitute experience.”

59. “Tears are words that need to be written.”

60. “Miracles only happen if you believe in miracles.”

61. “Dreams are the language of God.”

62. “What hurts us is what heals us.”

63. “You are what you believe yourself to be.”

64. “The more violent the storm, the quicker it passes.”

65. “Fortunate are those who take the first steps.”

Paulo Coelho Quotes From The Alchemist

66. “To realize one’s destiny is a person’s only obligation.”

67. “No one should feel afraid of the unknown, because everyone is capable of achieving everything he wants and needs.”

68. “Listen to your heart. It knows all things because it came from the soul of the world, and it will one day return there.”

69. “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.”

70. “Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure.”

More Paulo Coelho Quotes to Shift Your Perspective

71. “When I had nothing to lose, I had everything. When I stopped being who I am, I found myself.”

72. “Go for the impossible. I always tried to find my own limits. So far I did not find them, so my universe is in constant expansion.” 

73. “When you are enthusiastic about what you do, you feel this positive energy. It’s very simple.” 

74. “When you find your path, you must not be afraid. You need to have sufficient courage to make mistakes. Disappointment, defeat, and despair are the tools God uses to show us the way.”

75. “Being human means having doubts and yet still continuing on your path.”

76. “The most important experiences we can have are those that take us to the very limit. That is the only way we learn because it requires all our courage.”

77. “Waiting is painful. Forgetting is painful. But not knowing which to do is the worst kind of suffering.”

78. “Intuition is really a sudden immersion of the soul into the universal current of life.”

79. “There is just one thing that makes your dream become impossible: the fear of failure.”

80. “Sometimes you have to travel a long way to find what is near.”

What Kind of Worldview Did Paulo Coelho Give You?

One could say that Paulo Coelho’s writing style is wistful—evoking feelings of longing and melancholy and a yearning for something. Maybe this is because he delves into the philosophy of life, which is hard to grasp and understand completely. As we move through our timelines, we realize just how deep and intangible life, love, and purpose are.

What we ought to do, where we’re going, and how we should approach every day are difficult questions to answer. However, Paulo Coelho’s quite the master at sharing his beliefs through bite-sized and easy-to-absorb pieces of wisdom. Life’s different phases can get overwhelming, but the light is shone upon our true purpose in the world through his words.

Through Paulo Coelho, we recognize that we can find all the armor we need to succeed in life within us. We get stronger through each stage we triumph over and learn from every mistake and downfall we experience. With this mindset, we can conquer everything the world throws at us.

Let this list of Paulo Coelho gear you up with the right tools to live life with. Whenever you need a pick-me-up or some inspiring words, feel free to reread our collection!

Have you read The Alchemist or any of Paulo Coelho’s works? Which quote was most relevant to you? Comment below.

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Karen Danao

Hi, I’m Karen, a content curator and writer for Quote Ambition; I’m also a marketing and advertising professional. Beyond the keyboard and the screen, I’m someone who’s out to enjoy every bit that life has to offer!

Poetry, philosophy, history, and movies are all topics I love writing about! However, my true passion is in traveling, photography, and finding common ground to which everyone from different cultures can relate.

With the many places I’ve been to, I found that love, inspiration, and happiness are some things that bring people together. No matter how different we are on the outside, I’m a true believer that our emotions don’t lie; if you dig deep into our psyche, we’re all the same inside.

This belief was further amplified when I joined Quote Ambition. Through the quotes I’ve read, collected, organized, and written about, I found that humans are resilient, creative, and compassionate.

We take from each others’ hearts and courage, and it’s through our individual experiences that we learn how to rise above our challenges and pain. In so many ways, Quote Ambition is a platform that allows people from all over the world to gain the inspiration they need anytime, anywhere!

You can find me on MuckRack and LinkedIn.

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