The Wounded by Love Agreement

By Paulo Coelho

The Wounded by Love Agreement

General Provisions:

A] Considering that it’s absolutely correct the saying that states that “all is fair in love and war”;

B] Considering that in war we have the Geneva Convention, adopted in August 22nd of 1864, that determines the fate of the wounded in battlefields whereas there is no agreement that was promulgated until this day that deals with the wounded of love, who are much more populous;

It is hereby declared that:

Art. 1 – All lovers, male or female, are now being notified that love, besides being a blessing, is also something very dangerous, unpredictable and able to cause serious damages. Consequently the one who decides to love has to know that his body and soul are exposed to many types of wounds and will not be able to blame the partner in any moment, since the risk is equal to both.

Art. 2- Once a lost arrow from the bow of Cupid hits a person, that person has to immediately ask the archer to dart another arrow in the opposite direction, so that one will not fall prey to the wound famously known as “non-reciprocal love”. In case Cupid refuses such act, the Agreement here promulgated demands that the wounded immediately retrieves the arrow from his heart and throw it in the bin.

In order to achieve this effect, the wounded has to avoid phone calls, internet messages, flower deliveries, or any other act of seduction, since these acts may achieve short term results, but are inevitably erased by time. The convention declares that the wounded has to quickly seek the company of other people in order to control the obsessive thought “it’s still worth to fight for this person”.

Art. 3 – In case the wound comes from third parties, meaning, the loved one is interested in someone else who was not expected in the pre-established plans, it is hereby expressly forbidden any act of revenge. In this case, it is permitted the profuse use of tears, some punches on the wall or pillow, talks with friends where the wounded can freely insult the ex-partner, allege his complete lack of good-taste, but refraining to lessen the partner’s honor.

The agreement determines that art. 2 can also be applied: the wounded may seek the company of other people, preferably in places where the partner does not dwell.

Art. 4 – In case of light wounds, hereby classified as small betrayals, fulminating passions that do not last long, transitory sexual disinterest or dysfunction, one has to quickly and abundantly apply a medicine called Forgiveness. Once this medicine applied, one must never look back and the subject must be completely forgotten, never being mentioned as an argument in eventual fights or moments of wrath.

Art. 5 – In the case of definitive wounds, also called “brake-ups”, the only medicine capable of truly healing one’s heart is Time. It’s pointless and ineffective to find consolation with fortune-tellers (that will always allege that the lost love will return), romantic books (in which the endings are always happy ones), TV soap operas or other similar things. One has to suffer with intensity, completely avoiding the use of drugs, painkillers, prayers. Alcohol is only allowed in moderation, never surpassing more than two glasses of wine per day.

Final Provision: the wounded of love, contrary to the wounded of armed conflicts, are neither victims nor torturers. They have chosen something that is part of life and therefore they have to face the agony and the ecstasy of their choice.

And for those that were never wounded by love, they will never be able to say: “I lived”. Because they haven’t.

This text was written in Geneva, June 25th, 2007

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8 Responses to “The Wounded by Love Agreement”


  1. 1 Jananie

    razor sharp and bittersweet.

    i think we should approve this agreement!

  2. 2 Harideva Shankaran

    It is a mystery why we fall in love. It is a mystery how it happens and when it comes. It is a mystery why some love grows and why some love fails. This is very much complicated and entirely true…

    Love has its time, its own season, its own reason for coming and going.One cannot bribe it or coerce it, or reason it into staying. One can only embrace it when it arrives and give it away when it
    comes to them.

    BE GLAD THAT IT CAME TO LIVE FOR A MOMENT IN YOUR LIFE………

  3. 3 Lenti Lentejas

    The best love we ever had is the one that got away. Lucky are those who have loved and have lost for they will come back and love someone new another day.

  4. 4 tall penguin

    Beautiful.

  5. 5 Chus

    El Acuerdo es perfecto pero… qué hacer cuando ese Amor lo has vivido en otra vida, cuando quien fue tu pareja te reconoce pero se niega a aceptar, qué hacer cuando pesa más lo material que lo que dice el corazón.
    El Acuerdo es perfecto pero… cómo cumplir sus artículos?.

  6. 6 Didi Bagallon

    Was I the one who got away, Lenti? It’s really weird that Paolo can also have powers to bring back readers “together”??

  7. 7 quinette32

    Tout est tellement vrai mais devant l’amour nous ne sommes pas égaux. Je pense qu’il y en a toujours un qui aime plus que l’autre et donc est plus vulnérable. Sachant cela, la personne la plus aimante doit avoir plus de force de pardon et en retour renforcera l’amour de lautre de par cette “instance supérieure”. L’amour oui un mystère mais il donne de la valeur aux choses alors que les intérêts ne donnent que des regrets et des guerres dans notre monde de brutes.

  8. 8 May

    The riskiest decision in life is: being in love …in passion with love and the OTHER…

    You never know what you are expecting, never feel the road and where would it lead you…never have control over your feelings, your steps, your fears and your touches..

    Even if both of lovers get a happy ending, this is just the beginning of uncertain road to walk in and through..

    Nothing is guaranteed in love even love itself.

    Be able to take the risk without asking where it will lead you, just follow the heart and let it be as it will be..

    Thanks Paulo for taking my hands whenever am lost in my life…your words are directly go to my spirit and live for good..

    May…a reader…

    21/11/08

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