The Alchemist

I just finished the book The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho. I'm not sure I expected it to be so allegorical and so in-your-face about it, but it was, and actually, that was fine. Some parts of it spoke more to me than others, but I was glad that I read it nevertheless. It was a quick read and sort of makes you examine your own life. In fact, I almost feel as if it confirmed to me that I am doing an alright job with my life - I can see it affecting me more if I felt like I wasn't. It's all about doing what it is you feel the most passionate about, and seeking knowledge and understanding. But more understanding. It says other things, too, about love and so on. I'd like to read it again in several years and see whether different parts of it mean different things to me then.

Here are some quotes:

"But the sheep had taught him something even more important (than how to speak Arabic): that there was a language in the world that everyone understood, a language the boy had used throughout the time that he was trying to improve things at the shop. It was the language of enthusiasm, of things accomplished with love and purpose, and as part of a search for something believed in and desired. Tangier was no longer a strange city, and he felt that, just as he had conquered this place, he could conquer the world."

"He still had some doubts about the decision he had made. But he was able to understand one thing: making a decision was only the beginning of things. When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he had never dreamed of when he first made the decision."