Paulo Coelho

I'm afraid of taking steps that are not on the map, but by taking those steps despite my fears, I have a much more interesting life.

It's daylight, the sky is cloudy, and human beings believe that beyond the clouds lives an all-powerful God, guiding the fate of men.  Meanwhile, look at your son, look at your feet, listen to the sounds around you: down here is the Mother, so much closer, bringing joy to children and energy to those who walk over her body.  Why do people prefer to believe in something far away and forget what is there before their eyes, a true manifestation of the miracle?

"Does he love me?"
...
"You're asking the wrong question.  What you need to know is are you in a position to give him the love he needs.  And whatever happens or doesn't happen will be equally gratifying.  Knowing that you are capable of love is enough.  If it isn't him, it will be someone else.  You've discovered a wellspring; simply allow it to flow and it will fill your world.  Don't try to keep a safe distance so as to see what happens.  Don't wait to be certain before you take a step."

Anyone who tries to imprison love will cut off the spring that feeds it, and the trapped water will grow stagnant and rank.

You have always fought against your dreams, and 'I want' has never even shown its face.  It was always drowned out by 'I must' or 'I hope' or 'I need...'

I saw that everything really was written there before me, and that the doors had only been closed before because I hadn't realized that I was the one person in the world with the authority to open them.

When we're interested in something, everything around us appears to refer to it (the mystics call these phenomena "signs," the sceptics "coincidence," and psychologists "concentrated focus," although I've yet to find out what term historians should use).

Happiness: there are a series of rules, and if you fail to follow them, your conscious mind will refuse to accept the idea that you're happy.

Our imagination is larger than the world around us; we go beyond our limits.  This used to be called 'witchcraft,' but fortunately things have changed, otherwise we would both already have been burned at the stake.  When they stopped burning women, science found an explanation for our behavior, normally referred to as 'female hysteria.'  We don't get burned anymore, but it does cause problems, especially in the workplace.  But don't worry, eventually they'll call it 'wisdom.'

Don't let yourself be weighed down by what other people think, because in a few years, in a few decades, or in a few centuries, that way of thinking will have changed.  Live now what others will only live in the future.