By Paulo Coelho
The noblest thing a human being can experience
is acceptance of the mystery.
(Brida)
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By Paulo Coelho
One morning, Nasrudin - the great Sufi mystic who always pretended to be mad - wrapped an egg in a cloth, went into the town’s main square, and called the people who were there.
- Today there will be an important contest! - he said - Whoever discovers what is inside this cloth, will be given the egg inside it!
The people exchanged glances, intrigued, and answered:
- How can we know? No one is capable of divination!
Nasrudin insisted:
- That which is inside this cloth has a yellow center like a yolk, surrounded by a clear liquid like egg white, which in turn is contained inside a shell which breaks very easily. It is a symbol of fertility, and reminds us of birds flying to their nests. So, who can tell me what is hidden here?
All the folk thought Nasrudin was holding an egg, but the answer was so obvious, no one wanted to embarrass themselves in front of everyone else.
What if it wasn’t an egg, but something more important, a product of the fertile Sufi mystic’s imagination? A yellow center might suggest the sun, the surrounding liquid could be an alchemist’s concoction. No, the madman was definitely trying to make someone look a fool.
Nasrudin asked twice more, and no one dared say something foolish.
So he unwrapped the cloth and showed everyone the egg.
- You all knew the answer - he said - And no one dared put it into words.
“Such are the lives of those who haven’t the courage to risk: solutions are generously provided by God, but people always seek complicated explanations, and end up doing nothing.”
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The action of Veronika Decides to Die takes place in Slovenia, and as you write, nobody knows where Slovenia is. Could you specify, in what way the experience of people living in the East Europe, in post-communist, post-totalitarian, “unknown” world, was interesting to you.
It is very interesting to me to write about cultures and countries that resist the threat to be wiped out from the map, because that shows that there live people strong enough to resist. This is a characteristic of the soul, and people who are able to resist the death of their culture, are good example to all of us.
In Brida, a book of mine that will be published in various countries (from March onwards) but written in 1990, I already talked about the Great Mother and the pagan religions. Do you think, 18 years later, that people have become more open to this? Or do you think that religion is still something essentially masculine?
This book was released on March 3rd.
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You can also visit our e-cards page to send Brida Quotes to your friends or add to your blog. To go directly, click here
By Paulo Coelho
A blessing rejected becomes a curse.
(The Alchemist)
Welcome to Share with Friends - Free Texts for a Free Internet
By Paulo Coelho
There is a legend in the region of Punjab, about a thief who broke into a farm and stole two hundred onions. But before he could make his escape, he was caught by the farmer and led before the judge.
The magistrate past sentence: the payment of ten gold pieces. But the man alleged that the fine was too high, so the judge offered him two alternatives: to be whipped twenty times, or eat the two hundred onions.
The thief chose to eat the two hundred onions. When he had eaten twenty-five, his eyes were already filled with tears, and his stomach was burning up like the fires of hell. Since there were still 175 to go, and he knew he would never bear this punishment, he begged to be thrashed twenty times.
The judge agreed. But when the whip tore into his back for the tenth time, he implored for the punishment to be stopped, for he could not stand the pain. His wish was granted, but the thief still had to pay the ten pieces of gold.
- If you had accepted the fine, you would have avoided eating the onions and wouldn’t have suffered with whip - said the judge.
- But you preferred the more difficult path, not understanding that, when you have done wrong, it is better to pay up quickly and forget the matter.
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It seems, that the main motif of your books is the notion of what you call the Personal Legend. What does it mean to you personally? As we know, your life, from the very young years, was complicated, full of blows, disappointments and revelations.
This is what made me strong. We need to fight for our dreams, but we are always tested by God.
