“He never realized that people are capable, at any time in their lives, of doing what they dream of.” (p. 23) . “Life will be a party for you, a grand festival, because life is the moment we’re living right now.” (p. 85) . “No matter what he does, every person on earth plays a central role in the history of the world. And normally he doesn’t know it.” (p. 139 . . <The Alchemist> is about the story of the shepherd boy. To find his “Personal Legend,” he decides to travel to Egypt. Along the journey, he meets a Gypsy woman, an old man who calls himself a King of Salem, and an alchemist, all of whom advise him the way he should go. At last, he finds the treasure he was looking for in the church where he used to sleep with his sheep, not in Egypt. The young boy learns to use his heart to overcome fear; he learns to use his soul never to lose hope when faced with adversity; he learns to focus on his own journey. While reading, I envied the boy so much. I wanted to have his courage to leave the comfortable, stable life behind and to challenge against many possible obstacles or pitfalls. This book taught me many things. Among them, I think this is the most important one: “You will never be able to escape from your heart. So it’s better to listen to what it has to say.” I don’t know my own Personal Legend yet, but I suddenly realized that I’ve been ignoring it. I’ve believed that ‘studying’, and ‘going to the world’s top university’ were the only things I should pursue in my life as a student. But from now on, I’ll start the journey to find my own; because now I know that the Personal Legend is unique to my identity, my dreams, and to where I want to go. . . <The Alchemist> gives tons of important lessons in life and dreams. It underscores the importance of listening to our hearts and following what our hearts desire. I recommend this book to anyone still in the process of accomplishing their dreams.