The Pilgrimage by Paulo Coelho

(New York: HarperOne, 1987), 271

The Pilgrimage, Paulo Coelho - Pirate Coelho

  • "The true path to wisdom must involve agape, have practical application in your life, and it must be a path that can be followed by anyone."
  • "The only thing that existed was your desire to arrive at your goal...It is the road that teaches us the best way to get there, and the road enriches us as we walk its length."
  • The Speed Exercise: "Walk for twenty minutes at half the speed at which you normally walk. Pay attention to the details, people, and surroundings. The best time to do this is after lunch...Changing the way you do routine things allows a new person to grow inside of you."
  • "The first symptom of the process of our killing our dreams is the lack of time. The busiest people I have known in my life always have time enough to do everything. Those who do nothing are always tired and pay no attention to the little amount of work they are required to do. They complain constantly that the day is too short. The truth is, they are afraid to fight the good fight."
  • "Don’t start creating fantasies in a world that is already extraordinary."
  • "Today is the feast day commemorating that event—the Feast of the Virgin of the Road—and I am going to offer my victory to her. I would advise you to do the same thing. Offer a victory to her. Don’t offer the pain in your feet or the cuts on your hands from the rocks. Everybody in the world offers only pain as penance. There is nothing wrong with that, but I think she would be happier if, rather than just pain, people would also offer her their joys."
  • "Teaching is only demonstrating that it is possible. Learning is making it possible for yourself."
  • "The sword only strikes a blow, but the hand is already victorious or defeated before the blow is delivered."
  • "Life always teaches us more than the Road to Santiago does."
  • "Even if you become a Master, you have to realize that your road is only one of many that lead to God. Jesus once said, 'In my Father’s house, there are many mansions.'"
  • "You can learn only through teaching. We have been together here on the Road to Santiago, but while you were learning the practices, I learned the meaning of them. In teaching you, I truly learned. By taking on the role of guide, I was able to find my own true path."
  • "I thought about the relentless effort Petrus had made to help me understand that contrary to what we had always been taught, results were what counted. One’s efforts are salutary and indispensable, but without results, they amount to nothing."
  • "And the secret of my sword, like the secret of any conquest we make in our lives, was the simplest thing in the world: it was what I should do with the sword."

Topic: Camino de Santiago

Source

  • Amazon

Created: 2026-04-06-Mon
Updated: 2026-07-14-Tue