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Eric Hoffer Quotes - Page 4

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

Many of the insights of the saint stem from his experience as a sinner.

Many of the insights of the saint stem from his experience as a sinner.

Experience, Saint, Literature

"The Passionate State of Mind".

Naivete in grownups is often charming; but when coupled with vanity it is indistinguishable from stupidity.

Ignorance, Vanity, Stupidity

Absolute power corrupts even when exercised for humane purposes. The benevolent despot who sees himself as a shepherd of the people still demands from others the submissiveness of sheep. The taint inherent in absolute power is not its inhumanity but its anti-humanity.

Sheep, People, Humanity

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

They who lack talent expect things to happen without effort. They ascribe failure to a lack of inspiration or ability, or to misfortune, rather than to insufficient application. At the core of every true talent there is an awareness of the difficulties inherent in any achievement, and the confidence that by persistence and patience something worthwhile will be realized. Thus talent is a species of vigor.

Failure, Inspiration, Persistence

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

A dissenting minority feels free only when it can impose its will on the majority: what it abominates most is the dissent of the majority.

Liberty, Majority, Minorities

"Reflections on the Human Condition". Book by Eric Hoffer, 1973.

The real "haves" are they who can acquire freedom, self-confidence, and even riches without depriving others of them. They acquire all of these by developing and applying their potentialities. On the other hand, the real "have nots" are they who cannot have aught except by depriving others of it. They can feel free only by diminishing the freedom of others, self-confident by spreading fear and dependence among others, and rich by making others poor.

Fear, Real, Self Confidence

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

It is not actual suffering but the taste of better things which excites people to revolt.

People, Suffering, Taste

Eric Hoffer (1980). “The True Believer”

The atheist is a religious person. He believes in atheism as though it were a new religion. According to Renan, "The day after that on which the world should no longer believe in God, atheists would be the wretchedest of all men."

Religious, Atheist, Believe

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

Self-righteousness is a loud din raised to drown the voice of guilt within us.

Humility, Self, Voice

Eric Hoffer (1980). “The True Believer”

People haunted by the purposelessness of their lives try to find a new content not only by dedicating themselves to a holy cause but also by nursing a fanatical grievance. A mass movement offers them unlimited opportunities for both.

Nursing, Opportunity, People

Eric Hoffer (1980). “The True Believer”

The only way to predict the future is to have power to shape the future.

Future, Power, Shapes

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

Absolute faith corrupts as absolutely as absolute power.

Inspirational, Faith, Atheist

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

To most of us nothing is so invisible as an unpleasant truth. Though it is held before our eyes, pushed under our noses, rammed down our throats- we know it not.

Education, Truth, Ignorance

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

The passion for equality is partly a passion for anonymity: to be one thread of the many which make up a tunic; one thread not distinguishable from the others. No one can then point us out, measure us against others and expose our inferiority.

Passion, Inferiority, Thread

Eric Hoffer (1980). “The True Believer”

There is need for some kind of make-believe in order to face death unflinchingly. To our real, naked selves there is not a thing on earth or in heaven worth dying for.

Death, Real, Believe

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

The remarkable thing is that we really love our neighbor as ourselves: we do unto others as we do unto ourselves. We hate others when we hate ourselves. We are tolerant toward others when we tolerate ourselves. We forgive others when we forgive ourselves. We are prone to sacrifice others when we are ready to sacrifice ourselves.

Love, Forgiveness, Attitude

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

To the frustrated, freedom from responsibility is more attractive than freedom from restraint. They are eager to barter their independence for relief from the burdens of willing, deciding and being responsible for inevitable failure. They willingly abdicate the directing of their lives to those who want to plan, command and shoulder all responsibility.

Responsibility, Frustrated, Independence

ERIC HOFFER (1963). “THE TRUE BELIEVER”

It would be difficult to exaggerate the degree to which we are influenced by those we influence.

Degrees, Would Be, Literature

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

Take away hatred from some people, and you have men without faith.

Men, People, Hatred

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

Our credulity is greatest concerning the things we know least about.

Calumny Is, Gullibility, Knows

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

Our credulity is greatest concerning the things we know least about. And since we know least about ourselves, we are ready to believe all that is said about us. Hence the mysterious power of both flattery and calumny.

Believe, Knowledge, Calumny Is

Eric Hoffer (1955). “The passionate state of mind, and other aphorisms”

A great man's greatest good luck is to die at the right time.

Time, Good Luck, Greatness

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

All leaders strive to turn their followers into children.

Children, Leader, Followers

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

Jesus was not a Christian, nor was Marx a Marxist.

Christian, Jesus, Marxist

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

We feel free when we escape - even if it be but from the frying pan to the fire.

Freedom, Fire, Frying Pans

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

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