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Eric Hoffer Quotes - Page 18

All Quotes Acceptance Achievement Age Ambition Anxiety Art Atheism Atheist Attitude Awareness Balance Belief Business Change Character Children Communism Compassion Conformity Conservatism Country Creativity Death Deception Dedication Desire Destiny Devil Diversity Doubt Dying Education Effort Energy Environment Envy Equality Evil Excellence Experience Failure Faith Fashion Fate Fear Feelings Fighting Freedom Frustration Future Generosity Giving Glory Growing Up Growth Happiness Hate Hatred Heart History Home Hope Humanity Humility Hunger Ignorance Impulse Independence Individuality Inspirational Integrity Judging Justice Kindness Knowledge Language Laughter Leadership Learning Liberty Life Literature Loneliness Love Loyalty Lying Manifestation Motivational Nature Opportunity Originality Overcoming Passion Past Philosophy Power Prejudice Pride Propaganda Prophet Protest Purpose Quality Reality Reflection Rejection Religion Resentment Respect Responsibility Righteousness Running Sacrifice Sadness Self Confidence Self Esteem Self Respect Sin Society Soul Spring Success Suffering Talent Teaching Technology Time Tolerance Truth Unity Vision Water Weakness Winning Wisdom Work Writing Youth

The monstrous evils of the twentieth century have shown us that the greediest money grubbers are gentle doves compared with money-hating wolves like Lenin, Stalin, and Hitler, who in less than three decades killed or

The monstrous evils of the twentieth century have shown us that the greediest money grubbers are gentle doves compared with money-hating wolves like Lenin, Stalin, and Hitler, who in less than three decades killed or maimed nearly a hundred million men, women, and children and brought untold suffering to a large portion of mankind.

Children, Hate, Men

Eric Hoffer (1982). “Between the Devil and the Dragon: The Best Essays and Aphorisms of Eric Hoffer”, HarperCollins Publishers

Good writing , like gold , combines lustrous lucidity with high density. What this means is good writing is packed with hints.

Writing, Mean, Gold

"Eric Hoffer and the Art of the Notebook" by Tom Bethell in Harper's Magazine, July 2005.

In products of the human mind, simplicity marks the end of a process of refining, while complexity marks a primitive stage. Michelangelo 's definition of art as the purgation of superfluities suggests that the creative effort consists largely in the elimination of that which complicates and confuses a pattern.

Art, Simplicity, Effort

"Eric Hoffer and the Art of the Notebook" by Tom Bethell in Harper's Magazine, July 2005.

Every era has a currency that buys souls. In some the currency is pride, in others it is hope, in still others it is a holy cause. There are of course times when hard cash will buy souls, and the remarkable thing is that such times are marked by civility, tolerance, and the smooth working of everyday life.

Wise, Wisdom, Pride

Eric Hoffer (1979). “Before the Sabbath”, Harpercollins

People in a hurry cannot think, cannot grow, nor can they decay. They are preserved in a state of perpetual puerility.

Thinking, People, Decay

Eric Hoffer (1996). “The Passionate State of Mind”

The link between ideas and action is rarely direct. There is almost always an intermediate step in which the idea is overcome.

Ideas, Overcoming, Links

All great art is revolutionary because it touches upon the reality of man and questions the reality of the various transitory forms of human society.

Art, Reality, Men

Spiritual stagnation ensues when man's environment becomes unpredictable or when his inner life is made wholly predictable.

Spiritual, Men, Society

Eric Hoffer (1982). “Between the Devil and the Dragon: The Best Essays and Aphorisms of Eric Hoffer”, HarperCollins Publishers

A society that refuses to strive for superfluities is likely to end up lacking in necessities.

Society, Strive, Ends

Eric Hoffer (1969). “Working and Thinking on the Waterfront: A Journal, June 1958-May 1959”

Faith is primarily a process of identification; the process by which the individual ceases to be himself and becomes part of something eternal.

Individual, Identification, Process

Eric Hoffer (1982). “Between the Devil and the Dragon: The Best Essays and Aphorisms of Eric Hoffer”, HarperCollins Publishers

It is a sign of creeping inner death when we can no longer praise the living.

Life, Death, Literature

Self-esteem and self-contempt have specific odors; they can be smelled.

Self Esteem, Odor, Literature

Eric Hoffer (1996). “The Passionate State of Mind”

A heresy can spring only from a system that is in full vigor.

Spring, Vigor, Literature

Eric Hoffer (1982). “Between the Devil and the Dragon: The Best Essays and Aphorisms of Eric Hoffer”, HarperCollins Publishers

I could never figure out or probably did not take the trouble to figure out what the great philosophical problems are about. The momentous statements I come across are at best a storm in a teacup. There are quite a number of people who have a vested interest in the stuff, make a noble living out of it, and they conspire with one another to keep it alive.

Philosophical, Numbers, People

Animals often strike us as passionate machines.

Animal, Machines, Passionate

The chief difference between me and others is that I have plenty of time not only because I am without a multitude of responsibilities and without daily tasks, which demand attention: But also because I am basically without ambition. Neither the present nor the future has claims on me.

Ambition, Responsibility, Daily Tasks

"Eric Hoffer and the Art of the Notebook" by Tom Bethell in Harper's Magazine, July 2005.

To the frustrated, freedom from responsibility is more attractive than freedom from restraint.

Responsibility, Frustrated, Attractive

ERIC HOFFER (1963). “THE TRUE BELIEVER”

There is a close connection between lack of confidence and the passionate state of mind.

Mind, Connections, Passionate

Eric Hoffer (1982). “Between the Devil and the Dragon: The Best Essays and Aphorisms of Eric Hoffer”, HarperCollins Publishers

One is not quite certain that creativeness in the arts, literature, and science functions best in an environment of absolute freedom. Chances are that a relatively mild tyranny stimulates creativeness.

Art, Literature, Chance

"Eric Hoffer and the Art of the Notebook" by Tom Bethell in Harper's Magazine, July 2005.

The urge to escape our real self is also an urge to escape the rational and the obvious.

Real, Self, Obvious

Eric Hoffer (1980). “The True Believer”

That which is unique and worthwhile in us makes itself felt only in flashes. If we do not know how to catch and savor the flashes we are without growth and exhilaration.

Unique, Growth, Exhilaration

Eric Hoffer (1982). “Between the Devil and the Dragon: The Best Essays and Aphorisms of Eric Hoffer”, HarperCollins Publishers

Intolerance is the ''Do Not Touch'' sign on something that cannot bear touching. We do not mind having our hair ruffled, but we will not tolerate any familiarity with the toupee which covers our baldness.

Funny, Humorous, Hair

Eric Hoffer (1996). “The Passionate State of Mind”

People whose lives are barren and insecure seem to show a greater willingness to obey than people who are self-sufficient and self-confident. To the frustrated, freedom from responsibility is more attractive than freedom from restraint.

Responsibility, Insecure, Self

ERIC HOFFER (1963). “THE TRUE BELIEVER”

There is a powerful craving in most of us to see ourselves as instruments in the hands of others and thus free ourselves from the responsibility for acts which are prompted by our own questionable inclinations and impulses.

Powerful, Responsibility, Hands

Eric Hoffer (1996). “The Passionate State of Mind”

Dissipation is a form of self-sacrifice.

Sacrifice, Self, Despair

Eric Hoffer (1996). “The Passionate State of Mind”

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