The Alchemist Fear Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Part.Paragraph)

Quote #4

"This is the first phase of the job," he said. "I have to separate out the sulfur. To do that successfully, I must have no fear of failure. It was my fear of failure that first kept me from attempting the Master Work. Now, I'm beginning what I could have started ten years ago. But I'm happy at least that I didn't wait twenty years." (2.298)

The Englishman crosses the desert to find the alchemist, only to learn that he needs to get his head out of the books and actually try to turn lead into gold. (That's the equivalent of straightening out your dollar bills and actually buying a lottery ticket.) The only thing the alchemist had to teach him was to stop being afraid.

Quote #5

"You will never be able to escape from your heart. So it's better to listen to what it has to say. That way, you'll never have to fear an unanticipated blow." (2.508)

Santiago realizes that his heart is a little bit of a waffler. Half of the time it tells him it wants the treasure, but the other half of the time it's all boohoo and sob story. He learns that the more he listens to his heart and notices its changing emotions, the better prepared he'll be for sudden desires—because they won't be sudden.

Quote #6

He lost his fear, and forgot about his need to go back to the oasis, because, one afternoon, his heart told him that it was happy. (2.509)

Santiago's biggest fear is losing Fatima, and he thinks that if he goes back to the oasis he'll no longer have to feel that fear. But he knows that the Personal Legend is part of his love story, and as his heart gets accustomed to the separation he loses his fear. Plus, video chatting is so good these days, it's practically like being in the same room.