The Bloggerist

With only a few days of my twenties remaining, I find myself reflecting on my past. I'm proud to say I'm wiser leaving this decade than I was when I entered it. I would like to share some lines of wisdom from the master himself, Paulo Coelho, who has taught me so much over the years. Without his edification, I may never have achieved the two-figure following on my blog.

Top 24 Coelho Gems

1. Life is like a rainbow. It is orange, red, indigo, green, violet, yellow. Sometimes it is blue.
2. When parting, we always say goodbye, but in our heart, we know that it is neither good nor bye.
3. Our sleep dreams at night, yet our dreams sleep during the day.
4. Death is merely a friend who cloaks us in eternal nothingness.
5. The universe conspires to bring about your dreams. Unless you're born in some despotic, impoverished African state, in which case the only dream you can hope for is early death.
6. Love belongs to those whose fear no longer loves them.
7. Vague, epiphanic writing frees the pockets of many souls.
8. You are you what you believe yourself to be, provided your imagination is modest and you are not insane.
9. Lust is love in disguise. Love of the vagina.
10. Destiny without Des is tiny. So, get in touch with Des.
11. Not one door closes without an other opening, as life is like a draughty, poorly designed house. So, the constant recurrence of opportunity further proves how truly shit life is.
12. The sea is a mystery. It is infinite, yet we always reach the shore. It is there in the same place, yet it moves around a bit.
13. Follow your heart, even if it involves clinging on to someone who doesn't want you. The heart knows what it wants, and she'll eventually learn to toe the line.
14. Everything happens for a reason. All your family dies; your lovers leave you; you lose your job and your health and your legs, but all this has led you to see how dire life is. Everything happens for a reason, just sometimes the reason is shit.
15. Everything happens for a reason, but sometimes things happen for a very small reason. Had life not visited us all with catastrophe after catastrophe, would you have fixed the toilet seat?
16. The most miraculous things can happen in mere minutes. As can all mundane things. And things of medium interest.
17. What is a teacher? I'll tell you: it isn't someone who teaches something, but someone who inspires the student to give of her best in order to discover what she already knows. It is also someone who teaches you something new, as nobody knows everything.
18. We pretend to be strong because we are weak. We also pretend to be weak because we are strong. We pretend to be intelligent because we are stupid. Basically, we pretend to be something because we are the opposite.
19. Say what your heart thinks. Don't try to edit it or make sense of it. Write it down. Call it a novel. Sleep on a bed made of money.
20. What are the true treasures of the world? Love, happiness, the soul. They are so ethereal and vague, everyone can latch on to them. With cash.
21. Let dreams take flight on the wings of love into the heart of destiny and the soul.
22. To realize one's destiny is a person's only obligation. [From Hitler Cried by the River, one of Coelho's lesser known works.]
23. Tautologies and vague language are like magical incantations — they somehow always come true.
24. Travel is never a matter of money but of courage. Unless you're from North Korea or broke or something.