The Alchemist

“What’s the world’s greatest lie?” the boy asked, completely surprised.

“No,” the alchemist answered. “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 what alchemists do. They show that, when we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better, too.”

when each day is the same as the next, it’s because people fail to recognize the good things that happen in their lives every day that the sun rises.

The old man continued, “In the long run, what people think about shepherds and bakers becomes more important for them than their own Personal Legends.”

“Because it’s not love to be static like the desert, nor is it love to roam the world like the wind. And it’s not love to see everything from a distance, like you do. Love is the force that transforms and improves the Soul of the World.

The alchemist told the boy to place the shell over his ear. He had done that many times when he was a child, and had heard the sound of the sea. “The sea has lived on in this shell, because that’s its Personal Legend. And it will never cease doing so until the desert is once again covered by water.”

Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own.

“Listen to your heart. It knows all things, because it came from the Soul of the World, and it will one day return there.”