Home » Poems & Poetry » Blogs » Lessons I've Learned from Reading Paulo Coelho

Lessons I've Learned from Reading Paulo Coelho - Teddy Kimathi's Blog

About Teddy Kimathi

(Show Details...)

Home
Past Blogs
Poems
Photos
Fav Poems
Fav Poets

Lessons I've Learned from Reading Paulo Coelho

Blog Posted:7/27/2016 3:25:00 AM

By Rania Naim

1. Listen to your heart

“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.” —The Alchemist

2. Always seek love

“For the warrior, there is no such thing as impossible love. He does not let himself be intimidated by silence, indifference or rejection. He knows that behind the mask of ice that people wear, there exists a heart of fire. That is why the warrior risks more than others. He seeks tirelessly for someone’s love, even if this means often hearing the word “no,” returning home defeated and feeling rejected in both body and soul. A warrior does not let himself become scared when he seeks what he needs. Without love he is nothing.” —Manual of the Warrior of Light

3. Make mistakes

“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?” —Eleven Minutes

4. Solitude is essential for self-discovery

“Solitude is not the absence of Love, but its complement. Solitude is not the absence of company, but the moment when our soul is free to speak to us and help us decide what to do with our life. Therefore, blessed are those who do not fear solitude, who are not afraid of their own company, who are not always desperately looking for something to do, something to amuse themselves with, something to judge. If you are never alone, you cannot know yourself.

And if you do not know yourself, you will begin to fear the void.” —Manuscript Found in Accra

5. Don’t be afraid to be different

“You are someone who is different, but who wants to be the same as everyone else. And that, in my view, is a serious illness. God chose you to be different. Why are you disappointing God with this kind of attitude?” —Veronika Decides to Die

6. Challenge the status quo

“Ester asked why people are sad.

“That’s simple,” says the old man. “They are the prisoners of their personal history. Everyone believes that the main aim in life is to follow a plan. They never ask if that plan is theirs or if it was created by another person. They accumulate experiences, memories, things, other people’s ideas and it is more than they can possibly cope with. And that is why they forget their dreams.” —The Zahir

7. Believe in miracles

“The Warrior of Light is a believer. Because he believes in miracles, miracles begin to happen. Because he is sure that his thoughts can change his life, his life begins to change. Because he is certain that he will find love, love appears.” —Manual of the Warrior of Light

8. Life is our biggest teacher

“There are moments when troubles enter our lives and we can do nothing to avoid them. But they are there for a reason. Only when we have overcome them will we understand why they were there.” —The Fifth Mountain

9. Real love is selfless

“We are used to thinking that what we give is the same as what we receive, but people who love, expecting to be loved in return, are wasting their time. Love is an act of faith, not an exchange. We love because we need to love. Otherwise, love loses all meaning and the sun ceases to shine.” —Manuscript Found in Accra

10. You can be reborn

“Sometimes you have to travel a long way in order to find what is near. When the rain returns to earth, it brings with it the things of the air. The magical and the extraordinary are with me and with everyone in the Universe all the time, but sometimes we forget that and need to be reminded, even if we have to cross the largest continent in the world from one side to the other.” —Aleph

Finally, the biggest inspiration is Paulo Coelho himself and his personal story about how he became a writer. It is a story full of passion, struggle, faith, rebellion, love and wonder.

It is a story that will inspire you to take chances and dream bigger. It is a story that can change your life—the same way his books can.

Post Comments

Please Login to post a comment

Sara
Kendrick

Date: 7/27/2016 8:33:00 AM

Good thoughts penned..Enjoyed reading ..Sara

Teddy Kimathi
Date: 7/28/2016 1:49:00 AM

Thanks Sara!! *^_^* At the moment, Paulo Coelho is my favorite author, both in his lifestyle and writings....

Stephen
Pennell

Date: 7/27/2016 3:29:00 AM

read alchemist enjoyed that book

Teddy Kimathi
Date: 7/27/2016 6:50:00 AM

Me too!! Indeed it's my favorite so far!! Currently I'm reading "Veronika Decides to Die".

My Past Blog Posts


Stars Date Posted: 8/25/2017 8:53:00 PM
Eve and Other Sci-Fi Stories Date Posted: 7/31/2017 2:27:00 AM
Magazines and Journals You Can Easily Be Published Date Posted: 3/20/2017 3:25:00 AM
My Science Fiction Short Story Collection Date Posted: 2/3/2017 3:28:00 PM
The Milky Way in Words (my first published poetrybook) (EDITED) Date Posted: 12/22/2016 6:19:00 AM
Problems in Contest Entry Date Posted: 12/22/2016 2:04:00 AM
Paulo Coelho's inspirational biography Date Posted: 8/11/2016 6:42:00 AM
Lessons I've Learned from Reading Paulo Coelho Date Posted: 7/27/2016 3:25:00 AM
Kenyan Wonder Fish Date Posted: 7/22/2016 11:12:00 AM
Night Sky Date Posted: 7/14/2016 12:26:00 AM
Time to Die Date Posted: 7/9/2016 3:41:00 AM
Beautiful photos of Kenya Date Posted: 6/2/2016 10:54:00 AM
DESIDERATA Date Posted: 5/9/2016 3:59:00 PM
Speech regarding Humanity Date Posted: 5/5/2016 10:38:00 AM
14 Things To Do To Be A Great Writer Date Posted: 4/12/2016 3:36:00 AM
Willy Wonka's advice Date Posted: 3/31/2016 5:15:00 AM

My Recent Poems

Date Posted	PoemTitle	Form	Categories
4/11/2024	Morals	Monoku	conflict,deep,extended me
2/24/2024	Dance	Monoku	beauty,fantasy,humanity,i
8/28/2023	Glow	Monoku	deep,imagery,life,metapho
8/25/2023	Buried	Free verse	childhood,dark,history,ho
8/25/2023	Chicken Soup	Free verse	art,food,happiness,imager
8/20/2023	Bonding	Narrative	conflict,deep,family,imag
8/20/2023	Exorcism	Narrative	africa,conflict,culture,d
9/22/2021	Signs	Narrative	dark,deep,i miss you,imag
9/13/2021	Birds of a Feather Flock Together	Rhyme	caregiving,friend,friends
2/16/2021	Collection	Narrative	imagery,life,literature,m
4/11/2020	Children of Mud	Narrative	creation,dark,deep,humani
4/4/2020	World Upside Down	Narrative	deep,emotions,humanity,im
4/4/2020	Wonderland	Rhyme	beautiful,child,children,
4/4/2020	Potter's Dance	Narrative	adventure,fantasy,imagery
4/4/2020	Half-Life	Free verse	emotions,endurance,imager
3/12/2020	Miss Biba	Monoku	beautiful,beauty,dedicati
11/14/2019	Engraved In My Heart	Rhyme	beauty,i love you,i miss
11/14/2019	Silent Love	Rhyme	beautiful,beauty,imagery,
10/21/2019	Living the Dream	Free verse	art,beautiful,beauty,how
10/18/2019	All In One	Narrative	deep,life,metaphor,philos
2/9/2018	Loss of An Innocent Mind	Narrative	confusion,dark,heartbroke
2/9/2018	Dolphins	Free verse	beautiful,happiness,human
2/9/2018	Searching Yourself	Free verse	humanity,identity,imagery
2/2/2018	Wet Paint	Narrative	change,humanity,identity,
2/2/2018	A Revolution	Free verse	change,history,humanity,i
10/23/2017	Bandit	Narrative	cat,friendship,funny,humo
10/21/2017	Sounds	Narrative	beautiful,childhood,daugh
10/20/2017	Wake Up My Heart	Free verse	feelings,happiness,heart,
10/20/2017	Philosophical Maniac	Narrative	confusion,god,imagery,lif
10/19/2017	Minimalist	Free verse	dark,death,deep,emotions,
10/18/2017	My Secret To Happiness	Free verse	happiness,identity,imager
10/17/2017	Boo	Monorhyme	dark,fear,halloween,horro
10/13/2017	Broken-Hearted At Sunrise	Free verse	dark,depression,emotions,
10/2/2017	Lost Souls	Narrative	dark,imagery,life,lost,me
10/2/2017	A Perfect Storm	Narrative	conflict,deep,destiny,fat
9/28/2017	Autumn Romance	Free verse	art,autumn,beautiful,beau
9/28/2017	Going Back	Free verse	emotions,fantasy,imagery,
9/22/2017	Traveling Light	Free verse	deep,imagery,inspirationa
9/18/2017	In the Dark	Free verse	dark,emotions,identity,im
9/18/2017	Urban Fear	Free verse	africa,crazy,culture,dark
9/16/2017	Mt Problems	Free verse	conflict,courage,imagery,
9/14/2017	Silhouette	Narrative	courage,dark,dream,fantas
9/14/2017	Our Love Is True	Free verse	imagery,life,love,romanti
9/14/2017	Caress My Soul	Free verse	beautiful,cute love,love,
8/25/2017	Ripples	Narrative	beautiful,fantasy,identit
8/25/2017	Nine Lives	Narrative	dark,death,depression,ima
8/23/2017	Hot Summer Day	Free verse	celebration,childhood,chi
8/23/2017	My Poetic World	Free verse	art,fantasy,feelings,imag
8/23/2017	Blowing In the Wind	Narrative	confusion,identity,imager
8/22/2017	Covered Bridge	Free verse	dark,death,fear,grief,hor
8/16/2017	Take Me To Your Heart	Free verse	beauty,deep,emotions,imag
8/7/2017	Fallen Angel	Rhyme	dark,depression,feelings,
8/7/2017	Atmospheric Pressure	Narrative	conflict,humanity,imagery
8/4/2017	Anatomy of War	Free verse	history,humanity,imagery,
8/3/2017	Bitter Pill	Narrative	abuse,anger,girl,life,pai
8/3/2017	Mysterious Night	Free verse	beautiful,fantasy,love,ma
8/3/2017	Taking the Pain Away	Narrative	deep,humanity,innocence,l
8/3/2017	The Jester	Narrative	character,destiny,fantasy
7/28/2017	Two Pair of Shoes	Narrative	history,imagery,life,marr
7/24/2017	Lust	Monoku	addiction,desire,fantasy,
7/22/2017	On Becoming Old	Free verse	imagery,inspirational,lif
7/20/2017	Zen Philosophy	Free verse	art,humanity,imagery,life
7/14/2017	Night of the Owls: Collaboration With Poet Heidi Sands	Free verse	bird,imagery,music,myster
7/14/2017	Collaboration Contest	Free verse	emotions,feelings,i love
7/14/2017	Don'T Go	Free verse	cry,deep,emotions,first l
7/9/2017	Sos	Free verse	depression,heartbroken,ho
7/7/2017	The Eyes Have It	Free verse	deep,imagery,journey,life
7/6/2017	Urban Culture	Free verse	humorous,identity,imagery
7/6/2017	Far Away	Narrative	conflict,imagery,life,los
7/4/2017	Starfish	Narrative	imagery,life,metaphor,nat
7/3/2017	Halting	Narrative	deep,humanity,hurt,imager
7/3/2017	Zen Splendour	Free verse	beauty,creation,life,myst
6/26/2017	Nature Haiku I	Haiku	autumn,beauty,earth,image
6/26/2017	Breaking Free	Monoku	africa,change,deep,freedo
6/26/2017	Broken Riddle	Monoku	change,destiny,humanity,i
6/26/2017	Memories	Monoku	emotions,humanity,imagery
6/22/2017	We Share a Love: a Collaboration With Jan Allison	Free verse	culture,deep,emotions,fri
6/16/2017	I Like Muslims	Free verse	caregiving,dedication,fri
6/16/2017	Home	Narrative	africa,culture,home,image
6/16/2017	Blue Daisy	Free verse	deep,feelings,imagery,lif
6/16/2017	Eagle Spirit	Free verse	bird,imagery,life,native
6/16/2017	Hope	Monoku	children,conflict,future,
6/2/2017	Art of Forgetting	Narrative	conflict,deep,freedom,lif
6/2/2017	Touch a Stranger's Heart	Narrative	depression,imagery,life,p
6/2/2017	Baggage In Our Bones	Narrative	conflict,deep,emotions,fe
5/31/2017	Sweet Rain	Free verse	deep,love,lust,metaphor,r
5/31/2017	Labyrinth	Narrative	dark,fantasy,horror,image
5/30/2017	Perfection	Free verse	art,conflict,imagery,life
5/28/2017	Lady In Red	Free verse	desire,imagery,red,relati
5/26/2017	An Angel's Hand	Rhyme	change,imagery,inspiratio
5/26/2017	Roots	Free verse	africa,history,humanity,i
5/26/2017	Spilling Out	Free verse	conflict,emotions,feeling
5/26/2017	Descry	Narrative	dark,identity,imagery,lif
5/26/2017	Right Here In My Heart	Free verse	deep,heart,imagery,life,l
5/20/2017	Random Musings	Narrative	humor,imagery,life,metaph
5/20/2017	Anatomy of the Past	Narrative	art,dark,imagery,imaginat
5/18/2017	Pendulums	Free verse	humanity,imagery,journey,
5/11/2017	The Village Warrior	Narrative	africa,anxiety,culture,da
5/3/2017	Hypnotizing	Free verse	beautiful,beauty,imagery,
5/3/2017	My Way	Free verse	identity,inspiration,insp

My Photos

Fav Poems

PoemTitle	Form	Categories
Yellow	Personification	color,
A White Dress	Free verse	beautiful,dream,girl,love
In Search	Free verse	beautiful,bible,god,
Humanity	Free verse	humanity,
Black Diamond Child	Couplet	black african american,ch
To the Ku Klux Klan Part 2	Rhyme	educationdark,africa,dark
Ngoma	Light Verse	birth,
Tales of Tiddles	Footle	cat,humorous,
Sky	Footle	sky,star,
Four For the Birds - Footles	Footle	bird,
Death and Taxes	Epigram	anxiety,death,humor,money
Heavenly Herald	Haiku	nature,spring,
A Walk In the Woods	Choka	nature,
We Share a Love - Collaboration With Teddy Kimathi	Verse	friendship,poetry,poets,
The Hedgehog	Rhyme	animal,nonsense,
My Pet Tiger	Rhyme	humor,pets,tiger,
Campfire	Free verse	inspirational,
By God's Grace	Free verse	cancer,
Cutting the Ties	Free verse	conflict,dark,deep,family
A Lost Art	Free verse	allegory,appreciation,bes
If Monday Were a Sin	Free verse	conflict,courage,day,intr

Fav Poets

Poet	Country
Dr.Ram Mehta	India	Read
Poet Destroyer A	United States	Read
Lewis Nyaga	Kenya	Read
Constance La France	Canada	Read
Genevieve Mika-Stevens	United States	Read
Shruti Rawat	India	Read
Juliet Minayo	Kenya	Read
Robert Lindley	United States	Read
Odion Izegwire-Edu	Nigeria	Read
Hotpink Angellover	United States	Read
Ggg Bbb	Lithuania Republic	Read
Avis Bailey	United States	Read
Paul Martin	Ireland	Read
Phillip Garcia	United States	Read
Dominique Ryan	United Kingdom	Read
Carole Duet	United States	Read
Tom Arnone	United States	Read
Stanley Carter	United States	Read
Shermane Mason	United States	Read
Thandokazi Bangani	South Africa	Read
Janis Thompson	United States	Read
Anna L. Avery	Canada	Read
Patrice Trice Jackson	United States	Read
Edwin Guto	Kenya	Read
Victor Bett	Kenya	Read
Matilda Divx	India	Read
Heidi Sands	United States	Read
Arthur Vaso	Canada	Read
Freddie Robinson Jr.	United States	Read
Marianne Duffy	Germany	Read
Laura Hay	United Kingdom	Read
Edward Ibeh	United States	Read
Kishan Sharma	India	Read
Jude Herrick	United States	Read
Martha Mulondu	Kenya	Read