Als ik ergens een mooie quote lees, dan schrijf ik ze vaak op. Om ze later nog eens terug te lezen. En soms “doen” die quotes me dan niets meer. Omdat ik veranderd (gegroeid) ben, of omdat ze niet meer van toepassing zijn op mijn leven.

Dat geldt echter niet voor de quotes die ik verzameld heb van Paulo Coelho. Voor wie hem niet kent : Paulo Coelho, is een Braziliaans schrijver, en een van de meest gelezen schrijvers ter wereld. Het centrale thema van zijn werk is de zoektocht van de mens naar harmonie en vrede met het universum. Zijn boeken spelen in op een behoefte aan zingeving en niet-gedefinieerde religiositeit. Hoewel ik zijn boeken soms te zweverig vind, heb ik wel een fraaie bloemlezing van quotes van hem die mij nooit vervelen. En vandaag deel ik ze met je (ze zijn wel in het Engels omdat ik ze dan toch mooier vind klinken dan in het Nederlands) :

• Behind strong persons there is a story that gave them no choice.
• Don’t forget : temporary insanity moments spice up your life.
• 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.
• Be kind. But don’t be stupid.
• A mistake repeated more than once is a DECISION.
• The adrenaline and stress of an adventure are better than a thousand peaceful days.
• Not all storms come to disrupt your life. Some come to clear your path.
• To heal a wound you must stop scratching it.
• If it costs you your peace it’s too expensive.
• When you say YES to others, make sure you are not saying NO to yourself.
• Never underestimate the power of stupid people.
• Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets. So love the people who treat you right and forget about the ones who don’t. And believe that everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance – take it. If it changes your life – let it. Nobody said that it would be easy but it would be worth it.
• A child can teach us 3 things : 1. to be happy for no reason, 2. to always be curious, 3. to fight tirelessly for something.
• It’s very difficult to accept that you know what to do and don’t do it.
• Everything that happens once may never happen again. But everything that happens twice will surely happen a third time.
• Don’t think there are no beasts just because the forest is silent.
• You drown not by falling into a river, but by staying submerged in it.
• 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.
• Not everyone deserves to know the real you. Let them criticize who they think you are.
• Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his of her own.
• If it is important to you, you will find a way. If it is not, you will find a way out.
• Never argue with people who believe in their own lies.
• Stop looking for happiness in the same place you lost it.
• Not everyone you lose is a loss.
• When you love and trust people more than they deserve, surely they will hurt you more than you deserve.
• Just because my path is different doesn’t mean I’m lost.
• Don’t base your decisions on the advice of those who won’t have to deal with the results.
• Life was always a matter of waiting for the right moment to act.
• You can miss something and not want it back.
• Always ask yourself if what you’re doing today is getting you closer to where you want to be tomorrow.
• Fear of failure leads to failure.
• All you have to do is pay attention: lessons always arrive when you are ready.
• Every next level of your life will demand a different you.
• It’s funny how people think you hate them when you literally do not think of them at all.
• Closing some doors. Not because of pride, incapacity, or arrogance, but simply because they no longer lead somewhere.
• 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 can never reach the point you can stop making an effort.
• Don’t waste your time with explanations : people only hear what they want to hear.
• This too shall pass. It might pass like a kidney stone, but it will pass.
• Don’t forget : beautiful sunsets need cloudy skies.
• Don’t give to anyone the power to put you down. Haters are losers pretending to be winners.
• Don’t give yourself the opportunity to regret the chance you didn’t take.
• The soul is invisible. An angel is invisible. The wind is invisible. Thoughts are invisible. And yet, with sensitivity you can see the soul, you can guess the angel, you can feel the wind, you can change the world with only a few thoughts.
• Focus on the single purpose of being here and now. Life is a succession of moments. Be faithful to this moment – if it is painful, it will pass. If it is joyful, it will also pass.
• Life is strange : people who know the least about you always have the most to say, suggest and criticize.
• If you expect the world to be fair with you because you are fair, you’re fooling yourself. That’s like expecting the lion not to eat you because you didn’t eat them.
• Perfect people don’t drink, don’t fight, don’t lie, don’t make mistakes and … don’t exist.
• Haters don’t really hate you. They hate themselves, because you’re a reflection of what they wish to be.

Ken jij het werk van Paulo Coelho ? En welke quote vind jij het mooist ? Liefs, Vera