By: Ozzy Etomi
One of the stunning books that changed my life is “Manuscript Found In Accra” by Paul Coehlo. It was recommended to me by an awesome friend, and every now and again, I read my highlighted excerpts to refresh my mind on these amazing life lessons. I, like many others, fell in love with ‘The Alchemist’ many moons ago, but it was this book that truly took my breath away. It felt like I was having a conversation with my soul.
I decided to take a breather today and share them with you:
“Seek friends and allies among people who believe in what they are doing and in who they are. Because friendship is one of the many faces of love and love is not swayed by opinions; Love accepts its companion unconditionally and allows each to grow in their own way.”
“People who seek only success rarely find it: for it is not an end, but a consequence. It is the fruit of a seed you have lovingly planted.”
“Avoid those who believe they are stronger than you, because they are actually concealing their own fragility.”
“Avoid those who seek friends in order to maintain a certain social status or to open doors they would not otherwise be able to approach. Stay close to those who are interested in opening only one important door: the door to your heart. They will never invade your soul without your consent or shoot a deadly arrow through that open door.”
“Avoid those who talk a great deal before acting, those who never take a step without being quite sure what it will bring them.”
“Stay close to those who, when you make a mistake, never said : “I would have done it differently”. They did not make that particular mistake, and are in no position to judge”
“Stay close to those who are not afraid to be vulnerable, because they have confidence in themselves and know that, at some point in our lives, we all stumble; they do not interpret this as a sign of weakness, but of humanity.”
“Blessed are those who do not fear solitude, who are not afraid of their own company, who are not always desperately looking for something to do, something to amuse themselves with, something to judge.
If you are never alone, you cannot know yourself.
And if you do not know yourself, you will begin to fear the void.”
“We are used to thinking that what we give is the same as what we receive, but people who love, expecting to be loved in return, are wasting their time.
Love is an act of faith, not an exchange.”
“We forget everything we are taught about love, because each new encounter brings its own agonies and its own ecstasies”
“In a desperate attempt to give meaning to life, many turn to religion, because a struggle in the name of faith is always a justification for some grand action that could transform the world. “We are doing God’s work”, they tell themselves. And they become devout followers, then evangelists, then finally fanatics. But they don’t understand that religion was created in order to share the mystery and to worship, not to oppress or convert others”
“Don’t allow your wounds transform you into someone you’re not”
I hope these words leave you feeling inspired, encouraged & reassured.
