Eric Hoffer
Eric Hoffer
Eric Hofferwas an American moral and social philosopher. He was the author of ten books and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in February 1983. His first book, The True Believer, was widely recognized as a classic, receiving critical acclaim from both scholars and laymen, although Hoffer believed that The Ordeal of Change was his finest work...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionWriter
Date of Birth25 July 1902
CountryUnited States of America
kindness be-kind kind
We are made kind by being kind.
relationship people safe
It is always safe to assume that people are more subtle and less sensitive than they seem.
inferiority overcoming resentment
The sense of inferiority inherent in the act of imitation breeds resentment. The impulse of the imitators is to overcome the model they imitate.
character woe doe
Woe to him inside a non-conformist clique who does not conform to non-conformity.
real passion liberty
Where freedom is real, equality is the passion of the masses. Where equality is real, freedom is the passion of a small minority.
winning generosity weakness
We cannot win the weak by sharing our wealth with them. They feel our generosity as oppression.
power evil promise
It is by its promise of a sense of power that evil often attracts the weak.
fate destiny frustration
It is the awareness of unfulfilled desires which gives a nation the feeling that it has a mission and a destiny.
modernism industry modernity
When you automate an industry you modernize it; when you automate a life you primitivize it.
life political understanding
There would be no society if living together depended upon understanding each other.
world passionate obsession
A passionate obsession with the outside world or the private lives of others is an attempt to compensate for a lack of meaning in one's own life
liberty libertarian failing
There can be no freedom without freedom to fail.
equality excellence matter
We clamor for equality chiefly in matters in which we ourselves cannot hope to obtain excellence.
work weakness power-corrupts
Power corrupts the few, while weakness corrupts the many.