No one will realistically think that you can make a living out of literature in Brazil. I faced many difficulties. When I was young, my parents in a desperate act of love, as they cared for me, sent me to a mental institution. They thought I was mad, as I wanted to be a writer. However, I was absolutely convinced about what I wanted to be.
The fact that you know your dreams is not enough. It is not good, living with the fact that you have it in you. You have to think of measures to manifest your dreams and be brave enough to pay the price of it. In a way, I postponed my dreams, and I was almost 40 when I dare to write my first book, The Pilgrimage.
And my second book, The Alchemist, was first published and then put out of print by my first publisher. “This title will never sell more than 900 copies”, he said. Today “The Alchemist is among the best selling books of all times.
If you are hurt about something that is meaningless to you, you can blame anybody else for it. But it is quite complicated to be hurt about something that is meaningful to you.
Then you get confused, as you know the dream is there. And the dream is not going to leave you as long as you live.
But besides the pain, there is also a great joy. You are fighting for something meaningful. Defeats are part of life, IF you don’t decide to quit.
And at the end of your life, you will understand: the journey was fantastic.
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Dear Paulo,
it seems that your writting is very easy to read. But it has a lot of philosophy in it. I like Your books. My favorite is “11 Minutes”
Kind regards, Sonja
Hi, it is importent to know why we have the dream if we want to move foreward and learn are lesson. If I dream about being a rockstar it can be because I want to feel love and get the attention. When I know that I can see it´s not a real dream, i´ts just my ego…
With Love Carina, Sweden
IT IS VERY IMPORTANT WHAT YOU HAVE JUST SAID…WE NEED FOLLOW OUR DREAMS TO BE HAPPY AND FULFILLED!
MY FIRST ONE NOW… IS TO KNOW YOUR RIGHT E-MAIL BECAUSE I WANT TO WRITE TO YOU ABOUT ANGELS AND ABOUT MY POEMS (20 YEARS!)…I TRIED BUT E-MAIL WAS WRONG!
I ALSO TRY TO WRITE MY FIRST BOOK, BECAUSE I AM GREAT DREAMER!!!
YOU ARE MY FAVOURITE WRITER! THANKS!
thanks for blissful words,we human tend to link ourselves up with every one’s life and learn lessons from them. whether we believe it or not but we have all come here on this earth to fulfill a particular mission,which only ALMIGHTY knows.but we r given clues at each step through examples of other people’s lives.
each day brings new questions and thousand possible answers to those questions,but we using our limited intelligence ,have to answer those questions and turn our lives accordingly….thanks for helping us find those answers dear!
always hang in the balance :)
well done paulo. doing or suffering to be week is miserable.
Sir, u have millions of fans worldwide, and i am one of them.
I just want to know how are u writings are so practical and pin point in explaining realities…
hi,
knowing your dreams is a first step to victory itself , i think, and then comes the fight for it. i think losing your dream is the biggest nightmare. its hard and its sad. to be able touch your soul and your dream is such a pleasure and and such a passion. And the biggest nightmare would be not only losing the dream but the apathy, makes you think , maybe it wasnt your dream in the first place, but then what is, because there has to something a reason why you are here!
We are here only for accomplishing our dreams n the sadness is the only thing which makes you feeble and vigorous too at the same time, it determines our aspect towards the sadness; we only need to go towards the direction of pain and definitely we’ll find the ocean of bliss and the satisfaction and can be called as a victor after executing it. we are only born for accomplishing our dreams, but most of the time in the life we try to run far from the pain; and therefore, we never accomplish our dreams and stays as defeated people.. just need to see the pain as bliss,because the person who smiles in the pain who can easily walk on the path BLISS with such a great confidence…. THE PAIN IS THE WAY OF BLISS which opens THE DOOR of your all the DREAMS which gives you HAPPINESS…….
“But besides the pain, there is also a great joy. You are fighting for something meaningful. Defeats are part of life, IF you don’t decide to quit.
And at the end of your life, you will understand: the journey was fantastic.”
That’s the most magical thing about writers and literature- one can always change the script:)
Happy Ending!
Love
sheela
Thanks Paulo for your words. They came to my sight at just the very right moment. You’ve pulled me back up to stand firm with my courage to overcome all the inferiority, doubts, worries and just focus to do my best.
In less than 24 hours, I will be facing the moment which I can possibly realize my dream. Victory or defeat, it’s part of my journey.
Gracias, Paulo!
I will tend the dream in my heart by continuing to dance with my colorful scribbles and mismatched poetry.
Love to you for all that you do!
Besitos,
Melissa
Your words and characters are like shadows for me… a true friend, never leave ur side… i can relate myself with the situations in your story and they confirms my belief in myself..!
Dearest Paulo
Each time I read something written by you, I feel it was written to show me the right path or nudge me to move ahead on the path I am. ‘The Alchemist’ changed my way of thinking in more ways than one. I know everything you said in that book was somewhere there in my heart but wasn’t defined and was difficult to pin point. You put my thoughts in perspective with that book. With this blog entry today, again you have given me something to think about. I have had dreams, that I know I am meant to do..they are close to my heart and are the only things that I know can make me truly happy. But in the hustle bustle of daily life and the ‘routine’ and ‘expected’ lifestyle, I have been pushing them in the side for long. I know I have to get to them soon but just doesnt happen. I know I dont want to look back 20 years from now and feel i could have done so much more and more meaningfully.
Anyways, thanks agian for those precious gems of words.
I owe you a lot!
Dreams , dare I? Ahhh the pain, the struggle, the torturous journey of forever reaching . The exhaustion and then the emptiness of hopelessness. Why can I not stop such extreme ups and downs. I too have been institutionalized not because I was mentally ill but that I felt the world was becoming mentally ill and who I was and wanted to be went against those around me. I was very tired of the battle. I am in a very enlightening journey now, the knowledge life is teaching me is daily and immense. I can honestly say I am probably overwhelmed. My dream is to make sense of it all so I can know peace. Blessings
Blessings back Vanda.
con que sencillez logra siempre expresar sentimientos tan profundos, maravillosas palabras!!!..me encanta como escribe, es un placer leer sus libros! soy uruguaya radicada en USA, ojala algun dia tenga la oportunidad de conocelo personalmente ,para mi seria un honor. Los mejores deseos y bendiciones para usted y su familia :))
Com todo respeito pelo que voce escreveu eu acho se algum dia voce decidir parar de escrever essa sua história de vida para mim é o mais marcante em voce, eu adorei todos os seus livros principalmente o Alquimista e Brida, pois era adolescente e elas me mostraram ideias novas e crenças que me identifiquei, mas a sua historia pessoal serve de incentivo a todos, é o que eu acho mais legal e marcante, até mais
Thank you so much for your comments. I have never stopped dreaming but lacked the courage and necessary support to follow my dreams. Hearing about your story makes me realise that I haven’t left it too late.
Thank you again.
mi sueño mas grande y con el que conspiro con el universo es conocerte en persona y que me des tu autografo en uno de tus libros que he comprado y de los que me he enamorado
Dear Paluo…
You Changed my Whole Life.
I Love that, in an intimate p(e)ace, you infused (faith in) your dreams with skillful work [James 2:17, 26].
Today I woke up praying to God to guide my life since I feel empty inside and feel my life being a total disgrace (except for the love of my son), also praying to receive a sign that my dream of moving its not me “being silly”. You just made my day because my favorite book is “The Alchemist” …..I love that even though his trip didn’t go smooth he never gave up even when some people laugh in his face ….which they’ve done that to me when I say I want to move to spend more time with my son and have more time for praying, so I am going to follow it even if it doesn’t make sense for other people.
This also reminds me about my dream….to be a writer. Postponed your dream does not mean you are giving it up but finding an opportunity to make it come ture.
[...] Dreams and Nightmares by Paulo Coelho [...]
Thank you Paulo :)
Thank you for being here with me in this time. You are a big support for my soul while it goes through this specific experience of lonelyness. I hope I will make it.
Wonderfully written ,,,,
Dreams manifest and we are told to follow them at all costs; religion tells you something else altogether. As much as I’d like to believe that This.Is.It – following our dreams is the do and end all of our existence, I have the uncomfortable notion/gut feeling that this is not true, and that we’re are deluding ourselves by thinking otherwise : |.
Perhaps the power of dreams is the power of creation; our connection to eternity is our ability to dream to action to achievement, not to hope for achievement. I read somewhere that as a dream becomes a path, (action) the universe responds with action to facilitate the efforts. These are said to be the very laws of our nature, and define well our connection with God as co-creators of the universe we understand, and that we do not.
Oooof! That one punched me in the heart. Thank you.
Nuestros sueños son los que nos hacen despertar y querer conseguir un mejor mañana, frente al crudo realismo prefiero se ensoñador y buscar metas alcanzables, tangibles que me hagan seguir soñando, somos dueños de nuestro destino, las presiones situaciones y mil cosas nos influiran pero quiero ser el timonel de mi barca.
Being a Muslim, we believe in Jannat or heaven. We are said to live a good and honest life here so dat we go to heaven after we die. To demonstrate the eternal beauty there, it is said we might meet and unite with our father, mother and family there as well. But in reality, what we don’t see is that Allah, our creator has already bestowed HIS blessing upon us (those who still have their family with them). HE has placed jannat right before our eyes but we are so distracted we don’t see it and cherish his kindness towards us.
Today i was having watermelon and I have always hated the seeds cause they interefere with the divine feeling of having the water melon. But today i realised how beautiful and sacred each seed is.
They are the future of life, they are the children that can grow into delicious watermelon and serve the thirsty or hungry human.but firstly, the watermelon seeds itself are the sacred form of living thing from our creator. Suddenly I felt blessed and thanked Allah for surrounding us with heavenly sacred things. We sure do have eyes, it’s not still open yet.
hello tasnim,
you are really blessed,how beautifully you expressed u’r wonderful thoughts.u r right,ALLAH is always with us,watching us no matter where we r.and its upto us to enjoy or not.if we see the glass as half empty or thank HIM for atleast giving us atleat that much.
Hello Paulo,
I’ve been thinking about that quite often the last weeks. Dreams and nightmares… it is really all about how we perceive the world. To live our dream can turnout to be a real night mare sometimes. And it is the same things, that at the same time thrill and scare me. Maybe it is because to live a dream, you have to go well beyond your comfort zone, out in unknown territory…Abraço from there!
Thank you for your work!!!
Yvonne
Last night I dreamed I lived with a hungry Black Panther who loved me so would not eat me. But it was hungry for a long time. So finally launched itself at me, but I still had no scratch. I knew it must feed so (when I stopped blaming my mother) I began to search the cabinets for what was there and to make a plan for regular feeding.
Touché querido Paulo! siempre das en el clavo ;) much Love
Pilar
I have a dream – ML King
The dream revolution is here. Everyone following their personal legends.
We are absolutely free to do anything we like, live however we want to live.
The only thing stopping us are old ideas, old prejudices that are stuck in our heads.
Let us wash away those ideas from our heads. Let us not take the examples of those who failed in the past, but draw inspiration from those who succeeded.
:)
uma mente brilhante…
AMOR, PAULO
“When you die, there is a small child within you, who will ask, why didn’t you follow me? And you have to explain. Therefore, it is better to take the risk, to be hurt, to go through some nightmare to fulfill you dreams.” AMAZING, and i shared this post (http://wp.me/p1om48-bb)
[...] I came across a marvelous post written by the great Paulo Coelho who influenced many souls with his words, and I couldn’t not to share it here because in this [...]
Les rêves sont éphemères, vivent lointainements, sans vous parler directements, mais obscurcissent votre vie par de lointains souvenir même quand ils sont réalisés ; les rêves sont et resteront, c’est par eux que l’éspèrance d’un lendemain meilleur de l’univers se concrétisent, mon rêve le plus chère est le dénominateur commun @ tous et @ toutes…..
Dearest Paulo,
you wrote “golden” words!!!
I had a dream which was frustrated many years ago, so I thought it was better to abandon it and change ny life.
But it was impossible.
The result was many years of bitterness.
Some years ago, I started to walk the path of my dreams again, and I felt much better.
I still don’t know where it will bring me, but I’m no more depressed!
That’s why I advice everyone to follow their own dreams.
Love
Cris
Cris
Good Luck Cris
Lucky, who also got talent, not just dreams.
Currently I am passing through the nightmare and could be disappointed but persons like you always become a motivation and encourage me to follow my dreams. Thanks Paulo
Regards,
Tehsin Abid
Mr. Paulo, I was very impressed with all the books and your thoughts. But I really want to know your opinion about reincarnation, in your novel “Aleph”, you tell that how you met someone from your past. Do you believe in reincarnation? whereas according to the Bible, we only live once and die once. I have things like you wrote in your novel, a kind of Dejavu … Sometimes I am in a place for the first time I went to, but I feel very familiar. Even today I met someone who never meet in person, but I feel really knew him for years. I even want to always protect and guard him. as if he was part of my life. I think if this was part of reincarnation? but how in the Bible? Bible does not say there is another life after death. And if you say that Hilal is your partner in the past, and now reincarnated, how can you know that it is reincarnation?
sorry my english is not good. I hope you understand what I mean, because it always appeared to me that what I feel is not a reincarnation.
Hi Paulo,
Thank you for writing it.
Dear Paulo;
Circumstances show to us the path we should take in life.We are not too free to choose whatever we want.
1-we are not able to choose our parents.
2-we have no choise to live where we want to live.
3-In life good dreams do not come for everyone.
So ,we are as God want us to be.
Wonderful words….!!!!
I just love your writing, paulo.
It so happens that i am confused about somethings in life and your stories have answers to my questions….!!! :)
Tudo isso é difícil…..
Coragem, a vida não se limita a cargo profissional, ou a dinheiro.
É claro que resolve muito ter dinheiro ,mas não é tudo…
Somos despreparados para viver qualquer situação, por isso temos de ter fé!
Como iniciante de educadora de jóvens é difícil reconhecer isso, sei que o Estado nem liga para a educação. Por isso temos pais despreparados, professores, e aí vai por diante.
I wish to only thank you for re-sharing this today…..
the message of your childhood ambition and dream….. to keep on, even when others believe you ‘must’ be mad.
because sometimes the struggle IS very hard…
and, just one message – such as this of yours – is a beacon of light amongst an ocean of gloom!
thank you Paulo!
Mind’s making magic
Every moment of the day
Hiding from Oneself
What cannot be bourn
Your most cherished desire
Wont see the day light
How we all love it
When the light is turned on
Know..you are the switch
Vision without action is a daydream
Action without vision is a nightmare.. Japanese proverb
El sueño de mi vida es el amor. Siempre he deseado trabajar a través del amor, me refiero a el amor entre las personas: el amor como amistad, como curación, como unión entre los pueblos. Supongo que cuando era pequeña me sentía poco querida y por eso me enfoqué en este sentimiento. Luego intenté buscar el amor en la amistad o en la pareja pero…como soy más rara que un perro verde …nunca han ido las cosas bien. Después he descubierto que…cuando alguien me quiere me entra pánico y salgo corriendo. Es como si yo pudiera ofrecerle mi amistad o mis sentimientos a los demás pero…luego me duele aceptar que los demás me quieran. Quizás esta extraña forma de ser sea la causa de que a veces los demás actúen de manera egoista conmigo porque …puede que piensen que no tengo sentimientos. Una vez un hermano mio me dijo que soy una cobarde porque tengo miedo de que me quieran, y me cantó una canción flamenca que era algo así como “cobarde, cobarde, en el amor eres cobarde, tu tienes miedo a hablar claro porque tú eres cobarde”. Bueno cuando explicas o escribes algo como esto …supongo que el problema pierde fuerza. Espero conseguir algún día dejar de ser cobarde y poder hacer realidad mi sueño. Un abrazo a todos. Toñi.
Hello Toni,
Creo que el sueño más hermoso de todos en esta vida es el amor, a pesar de que muchos de nosotros no queremos admitir. Amar y ser amado es, sin duda el sentimiento más hermoso, para compartir. Y por eso, tener miedo de perder ese amor, como un tesoro que se puede ver volar después que tan deseado, es legítimo. Estar solo, con el único recuerdo de este amor, cuando desapareció, esta probablemente la peor pesadilla. Pero, querido Toni, todos estos temores podrían desaparecer así, como si por encanto, cuando usted cruza la luz de vuestro amor verdadero; y la tormenta que soplara en las orejas, ese día, también podría conducir muy lejos, todas las nubes negras que oscurecen su horizonte. De todos modos, esto es lo que te deseo de todo mi corazón. Un beso. M. Christine G.
Hello Toni,
Je crois que plus beau rêve de chacun dans cette vie est bien l’amour, même si beaucoup d’entre nous ne veulent pas l’avouer. Aimer et être aimé en retour est sûrement le plus beau sentiment à partager. Et par conséquent , avoir peur de perdre cet Amour, comme un trésor que l’on voit s’envoler après l’avoir tant désiré, est bien légitime. Se retrouver seul, avec le seul souvenir de cet Amour, lorsqu’il a disparu, est probablement le pire des cauchemars. Mais, cher Toni, toutes ces craintes pourraient bien disparaître comme par enchantement, lorsque vous croiserez le regard de votre amour véritable, et la tempête qui soufflera à vos oreilles, ce jour là, pourrait bien chasser très loin, tous les nuages noirs qui obscurcissent votre horizon. En tout cas, c’est ce que je vous souhaite de tout coeur. Un baiser. M. Christine
Has escuchado la canción de Extremoduro:
“Mientra tanto pasan las horas,
sueño que despierto a su vera,
me pregunto si estará sola,
y ardo dentro de una hoguera…”
Tardo un poquito en sacar ese disco, supongo que es porque estaba deprimido-enamorado, y uno tiene menos ganas de hacer cosas, y se protege del exterior, quizá, para evitar más sufrimiento. Tienes que oír el nuevo disco, como la oscuridad deja paso a la luz, y ese día notas otro color en tu interior, el amor no duele, vuelve a ser lo que hace que te levantes por la mañana con alegría y con calor en el pecho.
Un saludo, las estaciones se suceden, la noche deja paso al día, y un día, la tristeza deja paso al amor, como la flor del loto que nace en medio de las charcas y nunca se mancha, y aquí cuento una cosita, que no tiene mucho que ver con el tema pero que me apetece contar. Cuando el abuelo de mi profe murió, lo hizo haciendo la figura de la flor de loto con su mano, es el símbolo de Buda.
Que mundo tan bonito está por venir.
Hasta pronto.
Buenos días Marie-Cristine Grimard!
Muchas gracias por los ánimos. Intentaré no salir corriendo cuando aparezca el amor y aprender a ser valiente.
Un fuerte abrazo. Gracias.
Toñi.
I Love ALL your books, they all contain my Dreams! Thank you for sharing them for .99 cents.
Love and Kisses