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PAOLO COELHO'S "SOCCER 101"

It is not enough for Paulo Coelho to offer himself to the world as a spiritual sage—the world's wise uncle, tender lover and confession-receiving priest all in one. Ask and ye shall receive, he always seems to say in his purposeful and somewhat soggy prose. Well, apparently enough of his readers have asked for him to explain not only the mysteries of life, but also the rules of football. His indulgent response is this Soccer 101 on his blog, as well as a few grand tweets of wisdom we might glean from the sport itself:

Life is like football: When the music changes, so does the dance

Life is like football: the adversary is the best teacher

Life is like football: if you resist the first blows, you will win

What about "Life is like football: it's exhausting and occasionally boring with pockets of excitement; your teammates and rivals are essential yet random; men dominate; the big money is in the hands of a few; and spectators drink and judge and are full of barely explicable feelings of love and hate."

Coelho's insight is particularly well suited for tweeting, given its Pez-dispenser approach to information delivery. Indeed, the man who believes every person must follow his own Personal Legend (and whose "The Alchemist" has spent nearly three years on the New York Times bestseller list) appears to be a tireless tweeter, generating an array that includes the following in just the past 48 hours or so:

An intense life needs a touch of madness.

Creativity is an act of courage. Avoid opinions.

Small decisions may hold significant consequences.

Discipline + inspiration = the perfect combination!

Reputation is only a candle. You still need matches to make it worth.

When you don't play roles, your actions have greater power.