4 the first time, I will avoid anything that makes me suffer, because suffering is not a virtue. I will not complain about life, saying, "Everything is always the same and I have nothin' 2 change it". Because I'm livin' this day as if it were my first and, while it lasts, I will discover things that I didn't even know were there.

— Paulo Coelho

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.

— Paulo Coelho

A disciple...can never imitate his guide's steps. You have your own way of living your life, of dealing with problems, and of winning. Teaching is only demonstrating that it is possible. Learning is making it possible for yourself.

— Paulo Coelho

A divided kingdom cannot defend itself from its adversaries. A divided person cannot face life in a dignified way.

— Paulo Coelho

A dream is always risky, for there is a price to pay.

— Paulo Coelho

After all, what is happiness? Love, they tell me. But love doesn't bring and never has brought happiness. On the contrary, it's a constant state of anxiety, a battlefield; it's sleepless nights, asking ourselves all the time if we're doing the right thing. Real love is composed of ecstasy and agony.

— Paulo Coelho

After weeks on the road, listening to a language you don’t understand, using a currency whose value you don’t comprehend, walking down streets you’ve never walked down before, you discover that your old “I,” along with everything you ever learned, is absolutely no use at all in the face of those new challenges, and you begin to realize that buried deep in your unconscious mind there is someone much more interesting and adventurous and more open to the world and to new experiences.

— Paulo Coelho

All of us have had this experience. At some point, we have each said through our tears, “I’m suffering for a love that’s not worth it.” We suffer because we feel we are giving more than we receive. We suffer because our love is going unrecognized. Furthermore, we suffer because we are unable to impose our own rules. But ultimately there is no good reason for our suffering, for in every love lies the seed of our growth. The more we love, the closer we come to spiritual experience. Those who are truly enlightened, those whose souls are illuminated by love, have been able to overcome all the inhibitions and preconceptions of their era. They have been able to sing, to laugh, and to pray out loud; they have danced and shared what Saint Paul called “the madness of saintliness.” They have been joyful—because those who love to conquer the world and have no fear of loss. True love is an act of total surrender.

— Paulo Coelho

All religions lead to the same God, and all deserve the same respect. Anyone who chooses a religion is also choosing a collective way for worshiping and sharing the mysteries. Nevertheless, that person is the only one responsible for his or her actions along the way and has no right to shift responsibility for any personal decisions on to that religion.

— Paulo Coelho

All this was new to me. Life takes us by surprise and orders us to move towards the unknown - even when we don't want to, and we think we don't need to.

— Paulo Coelho