Paulo Coelho

Dear Paulo;
I am writing in the youth magazine Gení§ Gelisin which is published monthly in Turkey.
I am writing about great people and their steps, rules, recipes, principles they practiced in their life. For example “Mahatma Gandhi and 7 Deadly Sins”.
I want to know, what are basic (important) principles for you (and that you advise to others) to live happy life and die with a smile in your eyes.
I want to write an article in this magazine about your life, but especially about your (according to you) secrets of happiness.
I will be very glad to hear from you.
Thank you.

There is not a secret for happiness, which for me is actually a very abstract notion. I think that what truly matters is one’s commitment to life, to one’s beliefs, to what one consider essential.
Those who believe that in order to understand the world one has to be outside of it are falling in a trap. To be able to experience life is to be able to be in the center of its turmoil.
For those that would like further insights on this, I suggest the movie “Revolutionary Road”.