Paulo Coelho’s Blog

8 Responses to “Quote of the Day”

• Marie-Christine

  January 12, 2009 at 4:52 am

  that’s right no one is good or evil,we are a mixture of it.
  and if we can overcome our weaknesses and turn them into strengths ….
  it’s good news. every little step helps

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• Savita Vega

  December 4, 2008 at 10:27 am

  My daughter and I have this sort of game that we play: Sometimes she will notice a character in one of her movies or books that is portrayed as all bad, and she’ll say something like, “Mama, I don’t like the way the wolf is treated in this book (’Little Red Riding Hood’ or ‘The Three Little Pigs’). They act like the wolf is all bad, and wolves aren’t bad, they’re just being wolves. He’s just trying to catch his prey. Wolves have to eat too, you know.” So we play this little game where we try to imagine the character as more rounded out, both good and bad, as they might be in reality. We try to imagine the wolf - maybe a poor wolf - with a family to feed. We give each of his cubs a name, and imagine the den where they live. We even imagine he broke his foot in a hunter’s trap, and so, couldn’t work for a while. That is when he learned to rely on his wits more than his swiftness and strength, etc….

  I think it might be a good idea for each of us to try this same exercise when we encounter a new opponent. Stop for a moment, and take the time to imagine the other side of this person - the tender side, loving and needing to be loved. Every person has one - a good side as well as a bad.

  There is also this quote that I have always thought interesting:
  “There are bad people who would be less dangerous if they were quite devoid of goodness.” - Francois de La Rochefoucauld

  Apparently, the idea being that it is with their goodness that they beguile us???

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• Sefer JAN

  December 4, 2008 at 9:34 am

  As rose has flower and thorns, no one is entirely good or evil; but warrior of the light should look at people always from their good sides.

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• SFG

  December 4, 2008 at 9:29 am

  there is definitely evil and there is definitely good.
  as for people, i’m not sure.
  but i tend to believe there are good people.
  the good sometimes come in disguises tho.

  and so here i am stuck, or here i stand, i guess.

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• Alexandra

  December 4, 2008 at 9:00 am

  Sure.We must respect our adversaries,only that way we are real”knights”.The warrior of the light seem a sort of modern Kinght.A little bit idealized,utopic features.But I like to think many of us are like him in the bottom of our heart.Even if we not show that all the time.

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• viviana

  December 4, 2008 at 3:20 am

  hola! bien ahi!! si es asi. es tu mejor frace …nadie es totalmente bueno o malo… sabes la cantidad de personas que la pueden leer y entender que para ser un buen guerrero en esta bendita vida es nesesario aprender eso, que somos una mezcla de lo bueno y lo malo que realmente antes de planificar como vencer a un adversario que ni nos conoce hay que aprender que la mayor guerra es la interna somos un todo y eso es lo real!! no hay mayor adversario que conosernos a nosotros mismos y lo nuevo! es eso …NUEVO..no tiene por que ser un adversario

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• Adina

  December 3, 2008 at 9:44 pm

  Yes,any opponent should have a second chance in our eyes, as he/she is human. Perhaps he/she considers he/she is right and we are wrong, perhaps he/she is not well informed and therefore attacks. Perhaps we may judge him/her partially/totally wrong from the beginning, and he/she is innocent and we deserve to be attacked.

  Also,my opponent is human as I am, so he/she certainely has some vulnerable points. That’s for sure… :)

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• THELMA

  December 3, 2008 at 8:59 pm

  “.. because he knows himself too well!
  He is not either enrirely good or evil”.
  Love,
  Thelma

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