Eric Hoffer Quotes

The leader has to be practical and a realist, yet must talk the language of the visionary and the idealist.

The leader has to be practical and a realist, yet must talk the language of the visionary and the idealist.

That hatred springs more from self-contempt than from a legitimate grievance is seen in the intimate connection between hatred and read more

That hatred springs more from self-contempt than from a legitimate grievance is seen in the intimate connection between hatred and a guilty conscience.

The end comes when we no longer talk with ourselves. It is the end of genuine thinking and the beginning read more

The end comes when we no longer talk with ourselves. It is the end of genuine thinking and the beginning of the final loneliness.

Those who lack the capacity to achieve much in an atmosphere of freedom will clamor for power.

Those who lack the capacity to achieve much in an atmosphere of freedom will clamor for power.

Animals can learn, but it is not by learning that they become dogs, cats, or horses. Only man has to read more

Animals can learn, but it is not by learning that they become dogs, cats, or horses. Only man has to learn to become what he is supposed to be.

It is doubtful if the oppressed ever fight for freedom. They fight for pride and power- power to oppress others. read more

It is doubtful if the oppressed ever fight for freedom. They fight for pride and power- power to oppress others. The oppressed want above all to imitate their oppressors; they want to retaliate.

The unpredictability inherent in human affairs is due largely to the fact that the by-products of a human process are read more

The unpredictability inherent in human affairs is due largely to the fact that the by-products of a human process are more fateful than the product.

We have perhaps a natural fear of ends. We would rather be always on the way than arrive. Given the read more

We have perhaps a natural fear of ends. We would rather be always on the way than arrive. Given the means, we hang on to them and often forget the ends.

It is easier to love humanity than to love one's neighbor.

It is easier to love humanity than to love one's neighbor.

There is a fundamental difference between the appeal of a mass movement and the appeal of a practical organization. The read more

There is a fundamental difference between the appeal of a mass movement and the appeal of a practical organization. The practical organization offers opportunities for self-advancement, and its appeal is mainly to self-interest. On the other hand, a mass movement, particularly in its active, revivalist phase, appeals not to those intent on bolstering and advancing a cherished self, but to those who crave to be rid of an unwanted self. A mass movement attracts and holds a following not because it can satisfy the desire for self-advancement, but because it can satisfy the passion for self-renunciation.