Paulo Coelho

Stories & Reflections

Today’s Question by Aart Hilal

Author: Paulo Coelho

Is it a condition, in a novel, that the war of the good should always win over the bad, even that in reality we face other experiences?
 
I may sound romantic, but when you use violence to fight violence, you generate more violence. We are free because we are committed without being forced to do so. Evil is more related to our attitudes to other people, and from other people towards us. Evil lives into the details. Everything is a matter of attitude.
 
I do believe that a person has a personal legend to fulfill, and his/her attitude will either help or destroy his/her neighborhood. What is a personal legend? It is the reason why we are alive. We have dreams, that are not necessarily the dreams that our parents, or society has for us. So, we must get rid of the idea of fulfilling what people expect us to do, and start to do what we expect from our lives. This is in The devil and Miss Prym: “dare to be different”. You are unique, and you have to accept you as you are, instead of trying to repeat other people’s destinies or patterns.
 
Insanity is to behave like someone that you are not. Normality is the capacity to express your feelings. From the moment that you don’t fear to share your heart, you are a free person.

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