Paulo Coelho once said, “The world is changed by your example, not by your opinion.” Paulo is a Brazilian lyricist, novelist, and recipient of many awards for his work. Paulo was born in Rio de janero Brazil to very religious Catholic parents. Growing up he decided to become a writer, but his parents had major objections to this because they thought he would have no future. After refusing to change careers, in a last-ditch effort, his parents locked him in a mental institution three times. After getting out, he enrolled in law school but soon dropped out to participate in the counterculture of the 1970’s. His biggest change came when he went to Spain in 1986 where he walked 500 miles on the Road to Santiago de Compostela. While walking the road, he experienced a spiritual awakening; inspiring the creation of his autobiographical book “The Pilgrimage.” A year later he wrote, “The Alchemist” which is his most successful book, selling 35 million copies.
Coelho’s quote is simple in its meaning. In simplest terms, his quote means that talk is cheap and if you want to change the world, you must act. Everyone has an opinion on how the world should work, what is right and wrong, and how we should respond; but these are just opinions, they won’t change anything on their own, only showing what we believe through actions will change the world. This quote relates to Coelho’s life because instead of speaking out against poverty, he used the money he got from his books and started an institute that helps needy children and the elderly. These actions show that Coelho’s example is making an actual difference in the world, more than his opinion ever could.
In relating the quote to my observation, I can say this quote is correct. I have seen concrete examples of this quote in action. One example was how a classmate stood up to a bully causing him to stop. Another example was when my friend wanted to help the community, he volunteered instead of just talking about helping. A Final example of why this quote is true is when another one of my friends wanted to help the environment, so he started going green. It would’ve been so easy for these people to talk about these things and not do anything, but by acting, they showed they trust in their beliefs, and that can change the world.
Works Cited
Biography.com Editors. “Paulo Coelho Biography.com” Biography.com, A&E Television Networks, 2014, https://www.biography.com/people/paulo-coelho-5524. Accessed 23 Oct. 2017
“Paulo Coelho.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 20 Oct. 2017, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paulo_Coelho. Accessed 23 Oct. 2017