Paulo Coelho Quotes on Life, Dreams and Fear

Paulo Coelho is famous for one of his greatest novels called The Alchemist. Throughout his life, he’s encouraged people to follow their hearts.

Here are the 20 greatest Paulo Coelho quotes on life, fear,  and dreams.

1. When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.

The most powerful thing to know is that you’re not alone. When you really, really want something, the intention actually comes from the universe itself and it gives you all the resources to fulfill that desire.

2. Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dream.

Many people never go after their dreams because they think that they will not make enough money or life will be tough. But life never gets tough when you’re following your heart.

3. Be brave. Take risks. Nothing can substitute experience.

Without risks, life becomes boring and mediocre. You need to be able to tread into the unknown if you want to realize your dreams.

4. People want to change everything and, at the same time want it all to remain the same.

People want to realize their dreams, but they fear change at the same time. You need to welcome change with open arms and learn to flow with the tides.

5. People are capable, at any time in their lives, of doing what they dream of.

The limits only exist in your mind. It may take five years, ten years, or maybe twenty years to reach your personal legend, but the journey to your heart is always worth it.

6. If you want to see a rainbow you have to learn to see the rain.

If you want to know how success feels, you should learn to appreciate the journey. As rain brings the rainbow, the journey that involves hard work brings your dreams to reality.

7. If you’re brave enough to say goodbye, life will reward you with a new hello.

You can’t climb the mountain of success with your feet bruised from the burdens of the past. Your past doesn’t have to be hard, it’s only hard because of the story you tell yourself. Stop living that story and think of an encouraging story. Own your past and it will give you strength.

8. If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine. It is lethal.

There is so much to experience in this world and if you keep doing the same thing 365 days a year, you’re missing out on life. This is one of the most powerful Paulo Coelho quotes ever.

9. It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.

Isn’t it amazing that what you envision can actually become real, so much that it can change millions of lives? Many Paulo Coelho quotes emphasize on the importance of chasing your dreams and embarking on a great adventure. This one does it brilliantly.

10. Intuition is really a sudden immersion of the soul into the universal current of life.

Listening to your intuition means listening to the collective mind of the universe. You need to spend time alone every day to know what the universe has in store for you. Everything is interconnected and you’re here to play your part. 

11. One day you’ll wake up and there won’t be any more time to do the things you’ve always wanted. Do them now.

Many people procrastinate thinking that they have so many years to live. But the truth is that the opportunities you have today won’t be there five years from now. You’ll be older and responsibilities will be knocking your door, compromising your freedom with each passing year.

12. Most people see the world as a threatening place, and, because they do, the world turns out, indeed, to be a threatening place.

The world is as you see it is. You can literally walk heaven on earth if you have the courage to follow your heart and discard the dogma that is sold to you by others. This is one of the greatest Paulo Coelho quotes as it shows us how your imagination creates your life.

13. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.

When you improve yourself and achieve more, it is a benefit to others too. You are becoming more valuable to your family, your boss and your colleagues. Look how Elon Musk is inspiring people to take a shot at their dreams. He’s a disruptor – revolutionizing the oil industry, the automotive industry and the space industry – all at once.

14. If you want to be successful, you must respect one rule – Never lie to yourself.

Don’t tell yourself that you’re not chasing your dreams because of this or that. Don’t blame anything or anyone. Take full responsibility and never lie to yourself.

15. When you repeat a mistake, it is not a mistake anymore: it is a decision.

When you become aware of a mistake, it’s absolutely necessary to make amends. Because life is too short to remain stuck on the hamster wheel making the same mistakes and never reaching your goals.

16. Life has a way of testing a person’s will, either by having nothing happen at all or by having everything happen at once.

Life has two ways of testing us. Either it can become too dull while allowing you to remain mediocre, or it can throw curveballs at you, disrupting your rut and asking you to level up.

17. The act of discovering who we are will force us to accept that we can go further than we think.

Every person on this planet wants to realize their innate potential that keeps expanding with each passing year. This shows that human creativity is an infinite resource and you can literally change the world if your intent is strong.

18. At a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what’s happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate. That’s the world’s greatest lie.

Every child dreams of doing great things. But at some point in life, the same child “grows up” and compromises his dreams for a false sense of security. Among all Paulo Coelho quotes, this strikes a different chord as it urges you to never compromise on your dreams.

19. There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.

People don’t take a chance at their dreams because they’re too afraid of how things may turn bad. Only after a couple decades do they realize that life is over and they cannot take the same chances now.

20. Don’t give in to your fears. If you do, you won’t be able to talk to your heart.

Fear can tell you endless stories of how you will fail. But fear is a product of your mind. If you rule your mind, you can fully blossom and realize your full potential. But if your mind rules you, it has created a wall beyond which you can never reach.