The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho was actually published in 1988 but since then the book has been published many times and has been translated in more then 50 languages.

It is a story about a Shepard who follows his dream about some hidden treasure buried at the base of the Egyptian pyramids. In his journey he has been helped and guided by many people who leaves profound impression on him.

Does he really find the treasure is the question which will keep propelling to read further till the end of the book. Some twist in the story were also interesting enough to keep me glued to the book.

It is just not any other adventure book on treasure hunt. Of course the Shepard is looking for monetary treasure but this is book is much more then that. In his quest for the treasure he also get the real richness in form of wisdom from life and spirituality.

There are many small wisdom messages throughout the book which makes the book worth a read. Some of my favorite quotes are as follows

“And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”

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

“If someone isn’t what others want them to be, the others become angry. Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own.”

“Everything tells me that I am about to make a wrong decision, but making mistakes is just part of life. What does the world want of me? Does it want me to take no risks, to go back to where I came from because I didn’t have the courage to say “yes” to life?”

“Love is an untamed force. When we try to control it, it destroys us. When we try to imprison it, it enslaves us. When we try to understand it, it leaves us feeling lost and confused.”

“When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.”