Of Santiago and his treasure

The Alchemist is a book which tells the story of a boy – Santiago and his quest for treasure. It is beyond a book, it is a journey – of faith, self-belief and above all of achievement. I will continue the rest interspersed with quotes from the book, starting with a few that touched my heart, meaning that they represent what I believe in, fully or can otherwise relate to them.

“He told himself that he would have to start reading thicker books: they lasted longer, and made more comfortable pillows.”
"It's not what enters men's mouths that's evil," said the alchemist. "It's what comes out of their mouths that is."
"Life attracts life,"
"One is loved because one is loved. No reason is needed for loving."
"Usually the threat of death makes people a lot more aware of their lives."
"It's this: that 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."
There is a quote which I particularly liked, though I partly disagree with the representation, not believing in omens. But the spirit is still very representative. Throughout your life you battle only one thing – yourself. Only you stand between you and your dreams, either because you cannot sum up the courage or the will to achieve or because you don’t believe in yourself.
"Don't forget that everything you deal with is only one thing and nothing else. And don't forget the language of omens. And, above all, don't forget to follow your destiny through to its conclusion.

Another quote, which I hear has been aptly plagiarized by “Iqbal”. Following it is the truth, which makes it a slightly bitter pill to swallow.
"When you want something, all the universe conspires to help you achieve it,"
"What you still need to know is this: before a dream is realized, the Soul of the World tests everything that was learned along the way. It does this not because it is evil, but so that we can, in addition to realizing our dreams, master the lessons we've learned as we've moved toward that dream. That's the point at which most people give up. It's the point at which, as we say in the language of the desert, one 'dies of thirst just when the palm trees have appeared on the horizon.”

What is impressive here is that inspite of my agnosticism, I have few issues in appreciating the core. One may not believe in the soul of the world, or god but these are things which still make for faith.

Another such part says something I partially believe in, not really believing in the second part.
"We are afraid of losing what we have, whether it's our life or our possessions and property. But this fear evaporates when we understand that our life stories and the history of the world were written by the same hand."

I conclude with a few quotes which took my breath away when I read them, you have to read the book to really appreciate them.
“The boy had met the alchemist.”
"I'm a woman of the desert," she said, averting her face. "But above all, I'm a woman."
“The boy smiled. It was the first time she had done that.”
"Treason is a blow that comes unexpectedly. If you know your heart well, it will never be able to do that to you. Because you'll know its dreams and wishes, and will know how to deal with them.”
“There's one that says, 'Everything that happens once can never happen again. But everything that happens twice will surely happen a third time.' "

"No matter what he does, every person on earth plays a central role in the history of the world. And normally he doesn't know it."
Because now he knew where his treasure was.”
Enough about The Alchemist. Next in line is my single most favorite piece of literature. Beyond the wildest dreams of most people, funnier than anything else I have read, more profound than the Bible or Geeta (No offence Meant), More meaningless than any conversation I have had but Ah so memorable – The long dark tea –time of the soul.
Ciao,
Abhilash