Do you remember your favorite childhood books?
The Brazilian Monteiro Lobato, Malba Tahan, Andersen.
By Paulo Coelho
God is in the words, and the devil as well.
(The Valkyries)
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By Paulo Coelho
‘All the teachers say that spiritual treasure is something one finds alone. So why are we all here together?’ asked a disciple of the Sufi master Nasrudin.
‘You are all here together because a forest is always stronger than a lone tree,’ replied Nasrudin. ‘The forest maintains the humidity in the air, it resists the hurricane, and it helps to make the soil fertile. But what makes a tree strong is its root, and the root of one plant cannot help another plant to grow. Working together towards the same end and allowing each one to grow in his own way, that is the path for those who wish to commune with God.’
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Hasn’t it been difficult for you to stay in Brasil after all the harm the Brasilian dictatorship has done to you in former times? What made you stay there although you have been imprisonned under very cruel circumstances from your own people?
It was impossible to live in Brazil, because after being in jail, you develop a kind of paranoia, you think that everybody is following you, listening to your conversations, etc. So, after being released, I went to London, but after three or four months, I realized that this was to scape to reality, to be a “strange in a strange land”for the rest of my life. So I decided to face my fears, and I returned to Brasil. It was better to die here than the be a living dead in a foreign place – I made this choice.
As for the second part of your question: I was not imprisioned by my own people, I was imprisioned by the military junta, that kept my people silent under the threat of weapons. My people was waiting, because there is no arguments against force. On the other hand, nobody can keep the pressure forever, so at the long run Freedom won, and here we are, with our problems, but also with the freedom to talk about them.
By Paulo Coelho
What are the three conditions for conversing with one’s angel? “Break a pact. Accept forgiveness. And make a bet.” And, in addition to those three things, courage is needed. A woman’s courage, not a man’s.
(The Valkyries)
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By Paulo Coelho
Dov Beer of Mezeritch was asked:
‘Which is the best example to follow? That of the pious man who dedicates his life to God without ever asking why, or that of the erudite man, who tries to understand the will of the Almighty?’
‘The best example to follow is that of the child,’ replied Dov Beer.
‘But a child knows nothing. It doesn’t even understand what reality is!’ was the general response.
‘There you are much mistaken, because the child has four qualities that we should never forget. A child is always happy for no reason. A child is always busy. When a child wants something, he or she shows great persistence and determination in demanding that thing. Lastly, a child is always very quick to stop crying.’
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Which one and which event was the most beautiful, the most important moment?
The present moment.
By Paulo Coelho
Angels are love in motion. They never rest, they struggle to grow, and they are beyond good and evil. Love that consumes all, that destroys all, that forgives all. Angels are made of that love, and are at the same time its messengers.
(The Valkyries)
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By Paulo Coelho
Abbot João Pequeno thought: ‘I’m tired of being a mere man, I should be like the angels who do nothing but contemplate the glory of God.’ That night, he left the monastery of Sceta and set off into the desert.
A week later, he came back to the monastery. Brother Gatekeeper heard him knocking and asked who it was.
‘It’s Abbot João,’ he replied. ‘I’m hungry.’
‘That’s not possible,’ said Brother Gatekeeper. ‘Abbot João is in the desert, transforming himself into an angel. He no longer feels hunger and has no need to work for his food.’
‘Forgive my arrogance,’ replied Abbot João. ‘The angels help humanity, that is their job; that is why they do not need to eat, but merely to contemplate. But I am a man, and the only way in which I can contemplate that same glory is by doing what the angels do and help my fellow human beings. Fasting won’t get me anywhere.’
Hearing this humble explanation, Brother Gatekeeper opened the gate of the monastery.
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