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
love hate looks
We do not usually look for allies when we love. Indeed, we often look on those who love with us as rivals and trespassers. But we always look for allies when we hate.
religious atheist opposites
The opposite of the religious fanatic is not the fanatical atheist but the gentle cynic who cares not whether there is a god or not.
laughter animal quality
Laughter to begin with was probably glee at the misfortunes of others. The baring of the teeth in laughter hints at its savage ancestry. Animals have no malice, hence also no laughter. They never savor the sudden glory of Schadenfreude. It was its infectious quality that made of laughter a medium of mutuality.
leadership coaching vision
The leader has to be practical and a realist, yet must talk the language of the visionary and the idealist.
art revolutionary genuine
The genuine artist is as much a dissatisfied person as the revolutionary, yet how diametrically opposed are the products each distills from his dissatisfaction.
creativity order chaos
Creativity is the ability to introduce order into the randomness of nature.
success opportunity men
It still holds true that man is most uniquely human when he turns obstacles into opportunities.
games history political
The game of history is usually played by the best and the worst over the heads of the majority in the middle.
failure people achievement
For many people, an excuse is better than an achievement because an achievement, no matter how great, leaves you having to prove yourself again in the future; but an excuse can last for life.
being-yourself being-single men
Men weary as much of not doing the things they want to do as of doing the things they do not want to do.
humanness-is language asks
Language was invented to ask questions.
sheep people humanity
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.
lying lied lies-truth
We lie loudest when we lie to ourselves.
patriotic europe asia
A ruling intelligentsia, whether in Europe, Asia or Africa, treats the masses as raw material to be experimented on, processed, and wasted at will.