“Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.”
― Eric Hoffer (1902-1983)
“We lie the loudest when we lie to ourselves.”
― Eric Hoffer (1902-1983)
“In times of change, learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.”
― Eric Hoffer (1902-1983)
“People who bite the hand that feeds them usually lick the boot that kicks them.”
― Eric Hoffer (1902-1983)
“When people are bored, it is primarily with their own selves that they are bored.”
― Eric Hoffer (1902-1983)
“When people are free to do as they please, they usually imitate each other.”
― Eric Hoffer (1902-1983)
“You can never get enough of what you don't need to make you happy.”
― Eric Hoffer (1902-1983)
“Passionate hatred can give meaning and purpose to an empty life.”
― Eric Hoffer (1902-1983)
“Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, and eventually degenerates into a racket.”
― Eric Hoffer (1902-1983)
“Far more crucial than what we know or do not know is what we do not want to know.”
― Eric Hoffer (1902-1983)
“The greatest weariness comes from work not done.”
― Eric Hoffer (1902-1983)
“In a world of change, the learners shall inherit the earth, while the learned shall find themselves perfectly suited for a world that no longer exists.”
― Eric Hoffer (1902-1983)
“An empty head is not really empty; it is stuffed with rubbish. Hence the difficulty of forcing anything into an empty head.”
― Eric Hoffer (1902-1983)
“The quality of ideas seems to play a minor role in mass movement leadership. What counts is the arrogant gesture, the complete disregard of the opinion of others, the singlehanded defiance of the world.”
― Eric Hoffer (1902-1983)
“The beginning of thought is in disagreement - not only with others but also with ourselves.”
― Eric Hoffer (1902-1983)
“A movement is pioneered by men of words, materialized by fanatics and consolidated by men of action.”
― Eric Hoffer (1902-1983)
“It is the pull of opposite poles that stretches souls. And only stretched souls make music.”
― Eric Hoffer (1902-1983)
“Propaganda ... serves more to justify ourselves than to convince others; and the more reason we have to feel guilty, the more fervent our propaganda.”
― Eric Hoffer (1902-1983)
“If the Communists win Europe and a large part of the world, it will not be because they know how to stir up discontent or how to infect people with hatred, but because they know how to preach hope.”
― Eric Hoffer (1902-1983)
“Scratch an intellectual, and you find a would-be aristocrat who loathes the sight, the sound and the smell of common folk.”
― Eric Hoffer (1902-1983)
“There are no chaste minds. Minds copulate whenever they meet.”
― Eric Hoffer (1902-1983)
“Faith in a holy cause is to a considerable extent a substitute for the lost faith in ourselves.”
― Eric Hoffer (1902-1983)
“Passionate hatreds can give meaning and purpose to an empty life. These 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.”
― Eric Hoffer (1902-1983)
“The search for happiness is one of the chief sources of unhappiness.”
― Eric Hoffer (1902-1983)
“If a doctrine is not unintelligible, it has to be vague; and if neither unintelligible nor vague, it has to be unverifiable.”
― Eric Hoffer (1902-1983)