Brida by Paulo Coelho
Book Summary
Brida, a young Irish girl, has long been interested in various aspects of magic but is searching for something more. Her search leads her to people of great wisdom. She meets a wise man who dwells in a forest, who teaches her to trust in the goodness of the world; and a woman who teacher her how to dance to the music of the world. As Brida seeks her destiny, she struggles to find a balance between her relationships and her desire to become a witch.
Favorite lines from the book:
"When you find your path, you must not be afraid. You need to have sufficient courage to make mistakes. Disappointment, defeat, and despair are tools God uses to show us the way."
"The more you understand yourself, the more you understand the world."
"It isn't explanations that carry us forward, it's our desire to go on."
"Whenever you want to find out about something, plunge straight in."
"We are responsible of the universe, because we are the universe."
"Only the present has power over our lives."
"What is outside is more difficult to change than what is inside. When she was considering changing on the outside, could she realized how much she change inside."
"What is now proved was once only imagined."
"Finding one important thing in your life doesn't mean you have to give up all other important things."
"Being human is having doubts and yet still continuing with your path."
"The first road to God is prayer, the second road is joy."
"Accept what life offers you and try to drink from every cup. All wines should be tasted; some should only be sipped, but with others, drink the whole bottle."
"People give flowers as presents because flowers contain the true meaning of love. Anyone who tries to possess a flower will have to watch its beauty fading. But if you simply look at the flower, you will keep it forever, because the flower is part of the evening and the sunset and the smell of damp earth and the clouds on horizon."
"That you will never be mine, and that I why I will never lose you. That is what the forest taught me."
"You came to me to free me from slavery I myself had created, to tell me that I was free to return to the world and to the things of the world."
"Love is liberty. All the things we'll always have because we can't possess them."
Prayer
"We are human beings, Lord, we do not know our own greatness. Lord, give us humility for what we need, because no desire is vain and no request is futile. Each of us knows how best to feed our own soul; give us the courage to see our desires as coming from the fount of Your eternal wisdom. Only by accepting our desires can we begin to understand who we are. Amen." - Magus
"Lord, help me understand that all good things in life happen to me because I deserve them. Help me understand that what moves me to seek out Your truth is the same force that moved the saints, and the doubts I have are the same doubts that the saints had, and my frailties are the same frailties. Help me to be humble enough to accept that I am no different from other people." - Brida
