I'm not doing anything, and yet I'm also doing the most important thing a man can do: I'm listening to what I needed to hear from myself.
Paulo CoelhoRead
It took me 40 years to write my first book. When I was a child, I was encouraged to go to school. I was not encouraged to follow the career of a writer because my parents thought that I was going to starve to death.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Success in writing, like any other achievement, often takes time and persistence despite external discouragement.
Paulo Coelho's quote reflects on the long and often challenging journey of becoming a writer, emphasizing that even with encouragement to pursue education, societal or parental expectations can lead one to doubt their true passions. He acknowledges the fear that pursuing a creative career might lead to failure or poverty, illustrating the struggle between societal norms and personal aspirations in the pursuit of success.
Themes
WritingSuccessPersistenceCareerEducation
In practice
Example use cases
During a writing workshop, I shared Paulo Coelho's quote to inspire budding authors.
More from Paulo Coelho
All quotes →Each stone, each bend cries welcome to him. He identifies with the mountains and the streams, he sees something of his own soul in the plants and the animals and the birds of the field.
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We need to clear our minds of bad thoughts.
Paulo CoelhoRead
Having the courage to take the steps we always wanted to take is the only way of showing that we trust in God.
Paulo CoelhoRead
The fool who loves giving advice on our garden never tends his own plants
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Sometimes the Warrior feels as if he were living two lives at once.
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