You’ve gone from being a poor hippie to becoming one of the world’s greatest bestseller writers. Recently you celebrated 100 milion copies sold. What have you learned from the economic success? And: What do you do with all your money?
My hippie days thought me many lessons namely this: that a rich life is made up of experiences more than material possessions. I remember when I crossed the United States with merely 200 dollars in my pocket. It was one of the most enriching experiences I’ve ever been through and since I learned that life is about commitment to one’s personal legend.
that’s true money can’t give us love,happiness ect…but maybe the money,could help more some people,and gives them more also,as some food, or a roof, or medecine,or books,or knowledges…money can be used to do rights things,it can be a good power,but maybe it needs rules.i’m modest,but as i got a job,i have enough money to benefit of this freedom,i mean i can eat,i can sleep under a roof and write here today ect..and i fact i hope there will be more people who get this freedom.
Yes I agree ,it is impolite ..Money should not come into it .People have more in the way in which they live their lives ..not how they spend or what they do with it ..Less is more ..a rich life of experiences is what makes you have more consciously …that is the simple abundance
and if you become successful its because you stayed committed to the simple things in life – spirit ,faith and stayed true to yourself -followed that dream -a spiritual millionaire I think its wonderful success and you deserve every bit of it ..you have worked hard and fought the good fight ..But I think you are pretty down to earth and grounded too,hey maybe you could ask a question what would people do if they received lots of money …sorry makes me think of that Abba song ..lol..
I always love hearing interviews on how peoples lives have changed when they come into money -Lotto and stuff .Just a thought ..Blessings Tania
It is said that when Aristotelis Onassis was told by the doctors that there was nothing to do to save his son [after the aeroplane accident], he had said: I FEEL THE POOREST MAN ON EARTH!!
Money cannot buy everything.
I think that since we are in the material world, then we have desires for material things and we are in need to find ways to fulfil them. Money is good but to make a good use of it. We have to learn to master our desires and not be mastered by them.
LOVE,
THELMA
I thought it was impolite to ask someone what they do with their money?
Kathleen
Beautifully said, dear Tania..
My dear Kathleen, i honestly believe that to..But i also believe that all people are gifted..the sad thing is that we dont recognise what the gift is…
Love and Graditude
Annie
Annie, I agree with you. I have said this before that I honestly believe that Paulo was chosen to spread this message. Sometimes I think that when people go through pains in their life that God decides to gift them something.
Kathleen
Money cant buy happiness.But you have success due your life that you lived before getting rich,your books are not about rich peoples life,but about spiritual life,chalenges,Faith.
Less is More ..Blessings Tania
Wealth and abundance are spiritual affairs as are love, joy and other things and a person must have his affairs in order before the spirit will manifest. A person is required to imagine such things before they are realized if he wants them to be. All things in a persons life comes from his imagination as did All things come from the mind of God. The surprise often comes when a person is focused on the spirit and forgets about wealth, then spirit spontaneously manifests in his life and turns into material wealth. It would then seem as though the wealth is a miracle but it is only a reflection of the spirit that provided the creative force for it to exist, the true miracle in this case is the fostering of the spirit before anything else. The spirit and its manifestation both flow from the same place, the eternal force of creation which is the embodiment of the spirit of God.
I can testify that I have learned and grown more in the absence of material things than I have in the abundance thereof… in fact it was abundance that tricked me into making foolish decisions. This has taught me about matters of the soul and how to tend to them without distraction. With this knowledge I will be able to tend to matters of the soul regardless of the presence of material things, but for material things to exist in my life I must dream and make way for such wealth to occur. I must prepare in my spirit for receiving and for returning such wealth as I am unable to possess anything, even my soul belongs to God and will eventually return to him.
I like to say that I am as capable of owning a rock as a rock is capable of owning a fly. Like a fly I can land on a rock and rummage about it’s surface for a while, but as long as I hold onto the rock then I will find it difficult to fly and my spirit will suffer because of this. The rock just sits there and does little to affect the fly and likewise without a good deal of imagination the fly will do little to affect the rock. Wealth is a lot like that, like a rock, it is only the fly who can let go and change course. The fly is responsible for its soul, but the rock is only responsible for staying where it is until something bigger comes along and moves it out of the way.
Much Love,
-E
As teenage girl I asked my father if I can go to Egypt after finishing Licee.
- Go but I have no money to give you ! – he said
- If I earn I can go ? – I asked
- Daughter of mine, I told you, go !
I found season job, bought ticket for East Mediteranean Cruise and I left home on ship with another 50 students from Dubrovnik and 32 dollars my father gave me in last moment before departure.
The biggest money it was and most enriching experience too.
Bari, Pireus, Athens, Alexandria, Ghise, Cairo, Beyruth, byblos, Baalbeck, Haifa, Tel Aviv, Betlehem, Jerusalem, Rhodes, Heraklion, Knossos….Dubrovnik, and I 19 years old, girl that never left home except to church and school.
As much as I thank my parents to let me go, I thank you for reminding me of their love, sacrifice and my dream that came through.
With lots of love,
Luce
Is Paulo Coelho an aging hippy? Or are his philosophies and practices relevant th the younger generation?
Centennial College students in Montreal have been reading Coelho for the first time. Here’s a sample of their responses to his early work, The Pilgrimage:
Dear Mr. Coelho,
Your book has given me a new outlook on the world. I found the concept of agape very interesting. I had always thought that there was only one form of love and adoration, but after reading “The Pilgrimage” I began to realize that there is more than one kind of love. The love one has for their pet is far different than the love one has for their mother or soul mate. I enjoyed how you portrayed several life lessons through characters. Petrus’ symbolism is incredible. Although there is no picture of him, I can paint a clear and vivid image of the wise old guardian in my mind, thanks to your use of tone, language and dialogue. The concept of sin and trial is perfectly portrayed through the enemies the man meats on the road to Santiago. The gypsy, the little boy and the dog all represent some form of mortal sin or challenge that the man must face. Each of these must be confronted in a different way and Petrus always tells the man the message behind the situation. Although Petrus’ character is portrayed as an all-knowing and very learned man, I believe that he too has things to learn and the quality time he spends with the pilgrim will do him well. An example of this is when Petrus gets mad at the waiter. When the pilgrim tells his guide that he acted rude, Petrus admits that he could have been more polite and patient. Although the story revolves around the man, his search for his sword and the life lessons he learns, I believe that in the end, he will enlighten his guide and even the intelligent guide will learn a few things about himself.
Sincerely, Michael
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Dear Paulo Coelho,
Over the course of their mission along San Tiago to find Coelho’s sword, Petrus (Coelho’s guide) keeps trying to emphasize the notion of patience but when the appropriate time arrives, you must go after it with all your passion and effort. He is taught the concept of “Agape”, the importance of love and nothing else. I agree with this, because if you live your life pursuing only things you truly love, you will always have a sense of happiness and accomplishment. Another important life lesson we pick up along the way is the significance of death. I thought that your idea that death is what keeps motivating us is absolutely accurate and critical to how we live. We don’t want to admit it but death is the reason we have jobs and families, to keep our names and legacies alive once we pass on. Thank you very much for having written this book and all the useful lessons you threw in along the way and I can’t wait for your next one.
David
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The Pilgrimage is a book that is out of my reading comfort zone. I don’t usually pick up a book like The Pilgrimage and thoroughly enjoy and understand concepts that are exposed. I could relate to Coelho’s main themes of the book which is to overcome our fears and recognizing the temptations that surround us along the way. Impatience is something that many people suffer from, and the way Coelho demonstrates this is outstanding and intriguing to me. The meaning to life in this book has affected the way I look at my life and the life of others. The sword is a symbol of achieving something you desire in life and following whichever path you may have to take no matter what the consequences may be on the journey. This book has served great relevance to my life and I enjoyed the reading along with many emotions I had felt during this time.
Chella
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Dear Mr. Coelho,
I am in the middle of reading your novel The Pilgrimage, and I understand that the main message is trying to teach the reader that there is more to life than our wants. Throughout the book Petrus takes Paulo on a journey to show him that there are more important things in the world than getting his sword. Petrus puts Paulo through many tests in order for him to find himself, and discover what he could potentially become. Often when I read I find that I try and put myself through the RAM rituals that Petrus teaches to Paulo. For example whenever I think of bad thoughts about myself, or doubt myself, I take my index finger and squeeze it into my cuticle. I agree that in life one must experience agape (love) to give them reason to live, because one must find something that really interests them to give them motive in life. I now understand that we must defeat whatever we fear, or we will be traumatized by it for the rest of our lives. If we do not conquer these fears, then we will live a life in fear, and not experience all the joys life can bring. I also agree that is important to accept death in order to live each day to the fullest, and conquer all that we can. I really enjoy this book so far because I feel that I am learning the path to wisdom, as Paulo journeys through it.
Thanks Gabriel
Thank you for everything, dear Paulo Coelho…For all the Lessongs..Yesterday i was thinking that God used you in a way (you were an instrument) to show all the other world, how possible it is for anyone to fulfil his own Legend..
Thank you from the bottom of my Heart.
Love and Graditude
Annie
Some time ago I decided to follow my leyend too, and although I don’t produce money working on it, I am provided for!!! I just got fed up of looking for something to do that would provide for a good life for me and my family, so I decided to learn everything I could about Spirituality and my connection to God, I have learned a lot, and still have a long eternal way to go, I feel happier, fulfilled, even though I don’t have everything material that I would like to have at the moment, I have met interesting people, friends, wise teachers that help me in my growth, amazing Spiritual experiences, all of this priceless!!!
Amen! The Camino taught me that back in 2001. I had 300 dollars in my pocket that was unable to change anywhere at the time…totally worthless paper… yet, thanks to the generosity and kindness of the Camino people and the hospitaleros, I ate better, drank better, laughed more and created more memories that a million dollars ever could provided me with….
Love…. always and in ALL WAYS.