--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And the boy sat there by the well for a…" description: "\"“And the boy sat there by the well for a long time, remembering that one day in Tarifa the levanter had brought to him the perfume of that woman, and r..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbb/paulo-coelho-10_long-time_and-the-boy-sat-there-by-the-well-for-a_2012780.jpg" --- # And the boy sat there by the well for a long time… ![“And the boy sat there by the well for a long time, remembering that one day in Tarifa the levanter had brought to him the perfume of that woman, and realizing that he had loved her before he even knew she existed. He knew that his love for her would enable him to discover every treasure in the…” quote by Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbb/paulo-coelho-10_long-time_and-the-boy-sat-there-by-the-well-for-a_2012780.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbb/paulo-coelho-10_long-time_and-the-boy-sat-there-by-the-well-for-a_2012780.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbb/paulo-coelho-10_long-time_and-the-boy-sat-there-by-the-well-for-a_2012780.jpg) > ““And the boy sat there by the well for a long time, remembering that one day in Tarifa the levanter had brought to him the perfume of that woman, and realizing that he had loved her before he even knew she existed. He knew that his love for her would enable him to discover every treasure in the world.”” [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Love can awaken a deeper purpose, guiding one toward hidden riches beyond material wealth. **In simple terms:** Love reveals hidden purpose and treasure. Key Takeaway Let love guide your quest. Themes love purpose discovery destiny Mood hopeful reflective Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - personal growth - creative work - relationship building - adventure Key Concepts spirituality self‑realization romance Questions to Reflect On - How does love shape your goals? - What treasures have you discovered through love? A Different Perspective Love alone may not guarantee success without effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Treasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/treasure/) ## Related quotes > [“once in life, do suffer heartbreak; not necessarily with a person, but with ideas, dreams, and ambition. you will discover treasure in the aftermath.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bimlesh-yadav/once-in-life-do-suffer-heartbreak-not-necessarily-with-a-person-but/) Bimlesh Yadav > [“If you’re always looking back at what you’ve lost, you’ll never discover the treasure that lies just up ahead.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-e-b-spredemann/if-you-re-always-looking-back-at-what-you-ve-lost-you-ll-never/) [J.E.B. Spredemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-e-b-spredemann/) > [“Life, Enza decided, is not about what you get, but what is taken from you. It's in the things we lose that we discover…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adriana-trigiani/life-enza-decided-is-not-about-what-you-get-but-what-is-taken-from/) [Adriana Trigiani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adriana-trigiani/) > [“With each deep inhalation, he was aware of a sweet, pure fragrance that entered his nostrils and spread through his brain like a drug.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/with-each-deep-inhalation-he-was-aware-of-a-sweet-pure-fragrance-that/) [Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/) > [“The Master's Sacred Knowledge. Love is the treasure you should seek! The greatest treasure to be found is in your heart. It is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-rufus/the-master-s-sacred-knowledge-love-is-the-treasure-you-should-seek/) [Allan Rufus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-rufus/) > [From that day on, it was the desert that would be important. She would look to it everyday, and would try to guess which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/from-that-day-on-it-was-the-desert-that-would-be-important-she-would/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Do not try to explain feelings. Live everything intensely and treasure what you feel as a gift from God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/do-not-try-to-explain-feelings-live-everything-intensely-and-treasure/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“Show me where there is life in the desert. Only those who can see such signs of life are able to find treasure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/show-me-where-there-is-life-in-the-desert-only-those-who-can-see-such/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Why do we have to listen to our hearts?" the boy asked. "Because, wherever your heart is, that is where you will find your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/why-do-we-have-to-listen-to-our-hearts-the-boy-asked-because-wherever/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“Because, wherever your heart is, that is where you´ll find your treasure”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/because-wherever-your-heart-is-that-is-where-you-ll-find-your-treasure/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Something always went wrong, and the relationship would end precisely at the moment when she was sure that this was the person with whom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/something-always-went-wrong-and-the-relationship-would-end-precisely/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“I knew... I knew I was in love with you that moment I picked up the knife to kill Amarantha”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-j-maas/i-knew-i-knew-i-was-in-love-with-you-that-moment-i-picked-up-the/) [Sarah J. Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-j-maas/) > [“But as the day went on and Cole hadn’t returned, I’d sensed the same worry in him that was going through me. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-kennedy/but-as-the-day-went-on-and-cole-hadn-t-returned-i-d-sensed-the-same/) [Sloane Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-kennedy/) > [“I knew I was in love with The Hunger Games when I did not want to get off the treadmill”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/i-knew-i-was-in-love-with-the-hunger-games-when-i-did-not-want-to-get/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [“He was no fool; he knew that love existed. But he also believed in the power of the mind, and perhaps even more importantly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-quinn/he-was-no-fool-he-knew-that-love-existed-but-he-also-believed-in-the/) [Julia Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-quinn/) ## More by Paulo Coelho > [I have inside me the winds, the deserts, the oceans, the stars, and everything created in the universe. We were all made by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-have-inside-me-the-winds-the-deserts-the-oceans-the-stars-and/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Love will never separate a man from his personal legend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/love-will-never-separate-a-man-from-his-personal-legend/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [The world has a soul and whoever understands that soul can also understand the language of many things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-world-has-a-soul-and-whoever-understands-that-soul-can-also/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [You dont choose your life; it chooses you. Theres no point asking why life has reserved certain joys or griefs, you just accept them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/you-dont-choose-your-life-it-chooses-you-theres-no-point-asking-why/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [To love is to be in communion with the other and to discover in that other the spark of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/to-love-is-to-be-in-communion-with-the-other-and-to-discover-in-that/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [It is not enough to dream of the Impossible Love - it is necessary to conquer it too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/it-is-not-enough-to-dream-of-the-impossible-love-it-is-necessary-to/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Eat when it is time to eat. And walk when it is time to walk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/eat-when-it-is-time-to-eat-and-walk-when-it-is-time-to-walk/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [People are reading more and writing more because of the internet. So the virtual world is a way for me to listen to my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/people-are-reading-more-and-writing-more-because-of-the-internet-so/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“Joy is like sex – it begins and ends. I want pleasure. I want to be contended, but happiness? I no longer fall into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/joy-is-like-sex-it-begins-and-ends-i-want-pleasure-i-want-to-be/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“Trudi se da zivis, sjecanja su za starije ljude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/trudi-se-da-zivis-sjecanja-su-za-starije-ljude/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [I've always been a very restless person. I work hard, spend too much time looking after my son, I dance like a mad thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-ve-always-been-a-very-restless-person-i-work-hard-spend-too-much/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [When someone leaves, it's because someone else is about to arrive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/when-someone-leaves-it-s-because-someone-else-is-about-to-arrive/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [The past and the future become unimportant. There is only that moment, and the incredible certainty that everything under the sun has been written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-past-and-the-future-become-unimportant-there-is-only-that-moment/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [She didn't need to understand the meaning of life; it was enough to find someone who did, and then fall asleep in his arms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/she-didn-t-need-to-understand-the-meaning-of-life-it-was-enough-to/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“The simpler the pose, the better; the more sober, the more beautiful.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-simpler-the-pose-the-better-the-more-sober-the-more-beautiful/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) [Explore all 3,665 Paulo Coelho quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) ## More Long time quotes > [“I locked the door and turned on the water to fill the tub. 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Growing up in the segregated South, it was a very painful experience for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cybill-shepherd/well-i-ve-been-politically-involved-for-a-really-long-time-growing-up/) [Cybill Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cybill-shepherd/) > [It was only when I started making short films in college and I was looking for girls to play the me-ish parts that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/it-was-only-when-i-started-making-short-films-in-college-and-i-was/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [“For a very long time, Viviane and Jack lived in that world people inhabit before love. Some people called that place friendship; others called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslye-walton/for-a-very-long-time-viviane-and-jack-lived-in-that-world-people/) [Leslye Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslye-walton/) > [“If any woman opens her legs for you, don't feel so lucky to be fed with nonsense, she has been a bitch for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/if-any-woman-opens-her-legs-for-you-don-t-feel-so-lucky-to-be-fed/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [Hollywood is so fixated on keeping it that way because it's generating the buzz, but that representation isn't right. I definitely feel like it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boyega/hollywood-is-so-fixated-on-keeping-it-that-way-because-it-s/) [John Boyega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boyega/) > [I've been around in public life for a long time. I think people know what I stand for. They know that I have strong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-turnbull/i-ve-been-around-in-public-life-for-a-long-time-i-think-people-know/) [Malcolm Turnbull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-turnbull/) > [“For a long time before I met you, I felt my life was this kind of test. I was in deep, cold water, swimming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-raeder/for-a-long-time-before-i-met-you-i-felt-my-life-was-this-kind-of-test/) [Leah Raeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-raeder/) > [“If you go to bed too early and get up too late you probably won't sleep especially well. This could show up as either…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-a-lewis/if-you-go-to-bed-too-early-and-get-up-too-late-you-probably-won-t/) [Penelope A. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-a-lewis/) > [I have been famous for a long time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-beatty/i-have-been-famous-for-a-long-time/) [Warren Beatty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-beatty/) > [I agreed a long time ago, I would not live at any cost. If I am moved or forced away from what I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-agreed-a-long-time-ago-i-would-not-live-at-any-cost-if-i-am-moved/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) Browse all 9,064 Long time quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“And the boy sat there by the well for a long time, remembering that one day in Tarifa the levanter had brought to him the perfume of that woman, and realizing that he had loved her before he even knew she existed. 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