Tuesday, September 13, 2005
excerpts. :)
these are excerpts from three of paulo coelho's books.
veronika decides to die. eleven minutes. manual of the warrior of light.
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Two very simple reasons lay behind her decision to die, and she was sure that, were she to leave a note explaining, many people would agree with her. The first reason: everything in her life was the same and, once her youth was gone, it would be downhill all the way, with old age beginning to leave irreversible marks, the onset of illness, the departure of friends. She would gain nothing by continuing to live; indeed, the likelihood of suffering only increased. The second reason was more philosophical: Veronika read the newspapers, watched TV, and she was aware of what was going on in the world. Everything was wrong, and she had no way of putting things right – that gave her a sense of complete powerlessness.
veronika decides to die
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a warrior of the light does not spend his days trying to play the role that others have chosen for him. a warrior of the light does not waste his time listening to provocations; he has a destiny to fulfil. a warrior of the light knows his own faults, but he also knows his own qualities. a warrior of the light always does his best and expects the best of others. A warrior knows that the farthest-flung star in the Universe reveals itself in the things around him. the Manual of the Warrior of the Light is an invitation to each of us to live our dream, to embrace the uncertainty of life, and to rise to meet our own unique destiny.
manual of the warrior of light
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If I were to tell someone about my life today, I could do it in a way that would make them think me a brave, happy, independent woman. Rubbish: I am not even allowed to mention the only word that is more important than the eleven minutes – love.All my life, I thought of love as some kind of voluntary enslavement. Well, that's a lie: freedom only exists when love is present. The person who gives him or herself wholly, the person who feels freest, is the person who loves most wholeheartedly.And the person who loves wholeheartedly feels free.That is why, regardless of what I might experience, do or learn, nothing makes sense. I hope this time passes quickly, so that I can resume my search for myself – in the form of a man who understands me and does not make me suffer.But what am I saying? In love, no one can harm anyone else; we are each of us responsible for our own feelings and cannot blame someone else for what we feel.It hurt when I lost each of the various men I fell in love with. Now, though, I am convinced that no one loses anyone, because no one owns anyone.That is the true experience of freedom: having the most important thing in the world without owning it.
eleven minutes
posted at [12:35 AM]
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