CLOSURE: Central Library will be closed Tuesday, July 21, through Saturday, July 25, while emergency repairs are made to the building’s cooling system. We expect to reopen Monday, July 27. Click for more details on holds, program schedules, and returns during the closure. 

The supreme gift : love is the greatest thing in the world

Call Number

  • 241.4 C6727 (CEN, OSH, WSQ)

Browse similar titles by call number

Edition

First US edition.

Languages

In English translated from Portuguese.

Publication Information

New York, NY : HarperOne, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, [2026]

Physical Description

98 pages : illustrations ; 21 cm

Summary

In The Supreme Gift, Paulo Coelho presents a reflective essay on the nature of love, drawing on themes adapted from a 19th-century sermon by Henry Drummond. The text outlines key qualities associated with love, such as patience, kindness, and humility, and considers their relevance to everyday life and personal development.

"What is love? In his nineteenth century classic sermon 'The Greatest Thing in the World,' the young missionary Henry Drummond defined love as the culmination of nine elements: patientce, kindness, generosity, humility, gentleness, dedication, tolerance, sincerity, and innocence. Relfecting on this sermon and its subject, St. Paul's Letter to the Corinithians, the admired spiritual teacher Paulo Coelho adapts Henry Drummond's text, offering a real and powerful message that will help us incorporate love into our daily life and experience all its transformational power."

Notes

Publication information from publisher's website.

"Originally adapted from The Greatest Thing in the World by Henry Drummond (1884) and published as O Dom Supremo in Brazil in 1991 by Editora Paralela." -- Title page verso.

Includes a preview of Paulo Coehlo's "The Alchemist" and "Maktub" (pages 81-98).