What It’s About

The Alchemist follows a young Spanish Shepherd on his quest to find treasure and fulfil his personal legend. Although this narrative may sound generic at first glance, it is completely the opposite and well worth the short read. Coelho packs this story full of philosophical and spiritual wisdom in an intriguing and engaging manner.

My Thoughts

This book is full of advice on the micro and macro scale, here are a few of my key takeaways:

1. You control your own fate

The worlds greatest lie is “that at some point in our lives, we lose control of what’s happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate.”

Don’t believe it. You are in control of your own destiny.

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

2. Mindset - choose it carefully

How we view what happens to us has a profound impact on our lives.

When Santiago - the main character - was robbed in a foreign town he could have viewed himself as a poor victim in a strange place or an adventurer seeking treasure in a new place.

Which sounds better?

3. Be bold and make decisions

“The worst decision is no decision”

4. Live in the present

”If you pay attention to the present, you can improve upon it. And, if you improve on the present, what comes next-later will also be better. Forget about the future, and live each day”

5. The fear of failure is worse than the failure itself

“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure”

“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”

6. When you make yourself better, you make the world better

“When something evolves everything around that thing evolves as well.”

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

7. Allow yourself to dream

”It's the possibility of having dreams come true which makes life interesting”

8. Be grateful

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

Who Would Like It

Most people. Especially if you enjoy philosophy and fiction.