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
Eric Hoffer quotes about
novelty news bad-news
To the old, the new is usually bad news.
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.
life political understanding
There would be no society if living together depended upon understanding each other.
modernism industry modernity
When you automate an industry you modernize it; when you automate a life you primitivize it.
fate destiny frustration
It is the awareness of unfulfilled desires which gives a nation the feeling that it has a mission and a destiny.
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
power evil promise
It is by its promise of a sense of power that evil often attracts the weak.
work weakness power-corrupts
Power corrupts the few, while weakness corrupts the many.
kindness government ill-will
No matter how noble the objectives of a government, if it blurs decency and kindness, cheapens human life, and breeds ill will and suspicion; it is an evil government.
winning generosity weakness
We cannot win the weak by sharing our wealth with them. They feel our generosity as oppression.
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.
causes opinion holy
We can be satisfied with moderate confidence in ourselves and with a moderately good opinion of ourselves, but the faith we have in a holy cause has to be extravagant and uncompromising.