We had yet to learn that the Devil created youth so that we could make our mistakes, and that God established maturity and old age so that we could pay for them.
Carlos Ruiz ZafonRead
Destiny doesn't do home visits... you have to go for it yourself.
Interpretation
You must take initiative to shape your own future.
This quote emphasizes the importance of personal responsibility and proactive effort in achieving one's goals. Carlos Ruiz ZafΓ³n reminds us that destiny or success will not come to us; rather, we must actively pursue our dreams and take the necessary steps to fulfill our potential.
In practice
During a motivational speech to inspire students to take charge of their careers.
We had yet to learn that the Devil created youth so that we could make our mistakes, and that God established maturity and old age so that we could pay for them.
The haunting of history is ever present in Barcelona. I see cities as organisms, as living creatures. To me, Madrid is a man and Barcelona is a woman. And it's a woman who's extremely vain.
I think today will be the day. Today our luck will change,' I proclaimed on the wings of the first coffee of the day, pure optimism in a liquid state.
We spend a good part of our lives dreaming, especially when we're awake.
Destiny is usually just around the corner. Like a thief, a hooker, or a lottery vendor: its three most common personifications. But what destiny does not do is home visits. You have to go for it.
All interpretation or observation of reality is necessarily fiction. In this case, the problem is that man is a moral animal abandoned in an amoral universe and condemned to a finite existence with no other purpose than to perpetuate the natural cycle of the species. It is impossible to survive in a prolonged state of reality, at least for a human being. We spend a good part of our lives dreaming, especially when we're awake.
One of the great movements in my lifetime among educated people is the need to commit themselves to action. Most people are not satisfied with giving money; we also feel we need to work.
We won't be distracted by comparison if we're captivated with purpose.
You are not judged by the height you have risen, but from the depth you have climbed.
Each of you, as an individual, must pick your own goals. Listen to others, but do not become a blind follower.
Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other.
I have discovered in life that there are ways of getting almost anywhere you want to go, if you really want to go.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.