15 Takeaways from Paulo Coelho's 'The Devil and Miss Prym'
In this stunning novel, Paulo Coelho, dramatises the struggle within every soul between light and darkness, and its relevance to our everyday struggles. Can we dare to follow our dreams, to have the courage to be different and to master the fear that prevents us from truly living? The Devil and Miss Prym is a story charged with emotion, in which the integrity of being human meets a terrifying test.
I finished reading this book in a day. The line in the blurb of the book-"Can we dare to follow our dreams, to have the courage to be different and to master the fear that prevents us from truly living?"- caught my attention at the outset. It was more a sense of Deja Vu that made me read the book. I have read Paulo Coelho's 'The Alchemist' long back and hence, getting back to some book reading with him was definitely a good idea.
Some books do not need reviews, instead, you get to learn or takeaway so many realisations that you tend to relate to them more often than not.
So, this time instead of a review, here is what I leave you guys with.
15 Takeaways from Paulo Coelho's 'The Devil and Miss Prym' (I identified with most of them, and am sure you will too.)
1) ".. Devils come and go all the time without necessarily affecting anything by their presence. They are constantly abroad in the world, some times simply to find out what's going on, at others to put some soul or other to the test. But they are fickle creatures, and there is no logic in their choice of target, being drawn merely by the pleasure of a battle worth fighting.."
2) ".. You shouldn't believe in promises. The world is full of them: promises of riches, of eternal salvation, of infinite love. Some people think they can promise anything, others accept whatever seems to guarantee better days ahead... Those who make promises they don't keep end up powerless and frustrated, and exactly the same fate awaits those who believe those promises.."
3) ".. Good and Evil have the same face. It all depends on when they cross the path of each individual human being.."
4) ".. Playing the part of a charitable soul was only for those who were afraid of taking a stand in life. It is always far easier to have faith in your own goodness than to confront others and fight for your rights. It is always easier to hear an insult and not retaliate than have the courage to fight back against someone stronger than yourself; we can always say we're not hurt by the stones others throw at us, and it's only at night that we can silently grieve over our own cowardice.."
5) "..Whenever you want to achieve something, make sure you keep your eyes open, concentrate and make sure you know exactly what you want. No one can hit their target with eyes closed.."
6) "..There are two kinds of idiots. Those who don't take action because they have received a threat and those who think they are taking action because they have issued a threat.."
7) "..A coward is one who uses others to resolve their own conflicts and is incapable of taking certain decisions.."
8) "..Tragedy always happens and nothing we do cna alter by one jot the evil that awaits us.."
9) "..There is no such thing as Good: virtue is simply one of the many faces of terror. When a man understands that, he will realise that this world is just a little joke played on him by God.."
10) "..Life is a reign of terror.."
11) "..Man needs what's worse in him in order to achieve what's best in him.."
12) "..Evil needs to manifest itself (in a man) to understand the value of good.."
13) "..Silence does not always mean consent. It meant sometimes people were incapable of coming up with an immediate response.."
14) "..People seek suffering in the most joyous of places because they feel they are unworthy of happiness.."
15) "..Death often frees us from a lot of senseless suffering.."
Happy Reading! :-)
Next in line: The Zahir [Let's see what takeaways can I give you from the book]
I finished reading this book in a day. The line in the blurb of the book-"Can we dare to follow our dreams, to have the courage to be different and to master the fear that prevents us from truly living?"- caught my attention at the outset. It was more a sense of Deja Vu that made me read the book. I have read Paulo Coelho's 'The Alchemist' long back and hence, getting back to some book reading with him was definitely a good idea.
Some books do not need reviews, instead, you get to learn or takeaway so many realisations that you tend to relate to them more often than not.
So, this time instead of a review, here is what I leave you guys with.
15 Takeaways from Paulo Coelho's 'The Devil and Miss Prym' (I identified with most of them, and am sure you will too.)
1) ".. Devils come and go all the time without necessarily affecting anything by their presence. They are constantly abroad in the world, some times simply to find out what's going on, at others to put some soul or other to the test. But they are fickle creatures, and there is no logic in their choice of target, being drawn merely by the pleasure of a battle worth fighting.."
2) ".. You shouldn't believe in promises. The world is full of them: promises of riches, of eternal salvation, of infinite love. Some people think they can promise anything, others accept whatever seems to guarantee better days ahead... Those who make promises they don't keep end up powerless and frustrated, and exactly the same fate awaits those who believe those promises.."
3) ".. Good and Evil have the same face. It all depends on when they cross the path of each individual human being.."
4) ".. Playing the part of a charitable soul was only for those who were afraid of taking a stand in life. It is always far easier to have faith in your own goodness than to confront others and fight for your rights. It is always easier to hear an insult and not retaliate than have the courage to fight back against someone stronger than yourself; we can always say we're not hurt by the stones others throw at us, and it's only at night that we can silently grieve over our own cowardice.."
5) "..Whenever you want to achieve something, make sure you keep your eyes open, concentrate and make sure you know exactly what you want. No one can hit their target with eyes closed.."6) "..There are two kinds of idiots. Those who don't take action because they have received a threat and those who think they are taking action because they have issued a threat.."
7) "..A coward is one who uses others to resolve their own conflicts and is incapable of taking certain decisions.."
8) "..Tragedy always happens and nothing we do cna alter by one jot the evil that awaits us.."
9) "..There is no such thing as Good: virtue is simply one of the many faces of terror. When a man understands that, he will realise that this world is just a little joke played on him by God.."
10) "..Life is a reign of terror.."
11) "..Man needs what's worse in him in order to achieve what's best in him.."
12) "..Evil needs to manifest itself (in a man) to understand the value of good.."
13) "..Silence does not always mean consent. It meant sometimes people were incapable of coming up with an immediate response.."
14) "..People seek suffering in the most joyous of places because they feel they are unworthy of happiness.."
15) "..Death often frees us from a lot of senseless suffering.."
Happy Reading! :-)
Next in line: The Zahir [Let's see what takeaways can I give you from the book]
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