The Alchemist Quotes

In The Alchemist, Santiago becomes friendly with the camel driver who traveled alongside him. Santiago tells him about his adventures as a shepherd, and one night, during one of those conversations, the camel driver talks about his own life. He talks about how he satisfied his only unmet desire in his life, and how he felt fulfilled. Then one day, the earth trembled, the Nile overflowed, and the land in which he made his living was destroyed. But the disaster taught him to understand the word of Allah: "People need not fear the unknown if they are capable of achieving what they need and want. We are afraid of losing what we have, whether it's our life or our possessions and property.”(Coelho 80). The general meaning of this quote is that people …show more content…
Whether or not the statement is actually true, believing in its truth may help someone comprehend that many people give up on their dreams, because they are afraid of leaving the comfort of their normal life and what they have adapted to. For example, if someone had the dream of traveling the world, and seeing new places, and they had the ability to do so, why wouldn't they do it? They might be afraid of the fact that they would be in an entirely new country, where they don't understand the language, and they would feel stranded. They might be concerned that once they quit the life that they are used to, they might never come back. They might think that they will lose everything that they have worked for if they choose to pursue their dream. But going back to the quote, part of it states that “people need not fear the unknown if they are capable of achieving what they need and want.” Therefore, if a person has the ability to follow their dreams, then they shouldn’t fear the unknown. In modern times, if a person has the money and the skill to travel the world and see new places, then they shouldn't worry about losing everything they have, because chances are, they will turn out to be