Book Club Meeting: The Alchemist, Final Post

The Alchemist is such a quick read, it seems like this book has just flown by! I really enjoyed diving back into the passages of this book and finding new meaning in them. This is definitely one of those books that stays with you long after you’ve turned the final page and even after years pass you may find yourself recalling certain quotes and thoughts and applying them to your life. I think my favorite concept to take away from this book is the idea of a universal language – one that transcends all dialect and boundaries, and can be understood just by a glance or by listening to the song of the wind or watching the changing colors of leaves in fall. What stood out to you most about The Alchemist?

“I had a dream, and I met with a king. I sold crystal and crossed the desert. And, because the tribes declared war, I went to the well, seeking the alchemist. So, I love you because the entire universe conspired to help me find you.”

Click on images for sources; lead image source.

on a beach

“But you are in the desert. So immerse yourself in it. The desert will give you an understanding of the world; in fact, anything on the face of the earth will do that. You don’t even have to understand the desert: all you have to do is contemplate a simple grain of sand, and you will see in it all the marvels of creation.”

beauty

“Well, then, why should I listen to my heart?” “Because you will never again be able to keep it quiet. Even if you pretend not to have heard what it tells you, it will always be there inside you, repeating to you what you’re thinking about life and about the world.”

sunset

“My heart is afraid that it will have to suffer,” the boy told the alchemist one night as they looked up at the moonless sky.” “Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams.”

hand shadow

“Everyone on earth has a treasure that awaits him,” his heart said. “We, people’s hearts, seldom say much about those treasures, because people no longer want to go in search of them. We speak of them only to children. Later, we simply let life proceed, in its own direction, toward its own fate. But, unfortunately, very few follow the path laid out for them – the path to their Personal Legends, and to happiness. Most people see the world as a threatening place, and, because they do, the world turns out, indeed, to be a threatening place.”

artwork

“But, actually, the wind came from no place at all, nor did it go to any place; that’s why it was stronger than the desert. Someone might one day plant trees in the desert, and even raise sheep there, but never would they harness the wind.”

alexandra valenti

“That’s what alchemists do. They show that, when we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.”

What stood out to you most about The Alchemist?

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11 years ago

Can’t wait for another Book!

Moni
11 years ago

I agree with Jennifer. I definitely can’t wait to see what the next book is! How about something to put everyone in the fall spirit or should I say Halloween spirt. Edgar Allen Poe or The Legend of Sleepy Hollows, anyone?

Allie
11 years ago

Loved this book! What’s next?