I’d heard of this book and considered reading it a few times and just never did. One of my bosses at work recommended it and since it was easily available at the library I thought I’d go ahead. I listened to part of it and read part of it.
Santiago is a shepherd boy who wants more from life in a sense. He became a shepherd in order to travel but has no idea how far his travels will take him. He sets out on a journey to discover his Personal Legend (read: purpose) and finds a gypsy, a king, an alchemist, a chief in an oasis, and a beautiful girl.
I’m not sure that I can do justice to the book. It was about purpose, about being true to oneself, about the impact we have on everyone around us, about fate, about persistence, about love, about so many things that happen as part of the human existence. It was also about not giving up on your dreams and always having hope.
A couple of my favorite quotes from the book:
“When you want something, the whole universe conspires to help you.”
“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.”
Overall, I loved this book. It came at a time when I really, desperately, needed to hear what it had to say. I’m not naive enough to think that wanting something bad enough will cause you to receive it because sometimes what we want might be bad for us. But not everything.
All-in-all, the author summed up the book very well in his forward to the book:
The story of one person is the story of everyone, and one man’s quest is the quest of all of humanity, whiccch is why I believe The Alchemist continues all these years later to resonate with people from inferential cultures all around the world, touching them emotionally and spiritually, equally, without prejudice.
Two more quotes on love because I’m a sap: “One is loved because one is loved. No reason is needed for loving.” and “So, I love you because the entire universe conspired to help me find you.”
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