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
israel holocaust should
Should Israel perish, the holocaust will be upon us.
dissent disagreement
The beginning of thought is in disagreement - not only with others but also with ourselves.
strong struggle self
Unlike the pattern which seems to prevail in the rest of life, in the human species the weak not only survive but often triumph over the strong. The self-hatred inherent in the weak unlocks energies far more formidable then those mobilized by an ordinary struggle for existence.
woe doe conformity
Nonconformists travel as a rule in bunches. You rarely find a nonconformist who goes it alone. And woe to him inside a nonconformist clique who does not conform with nonconformity.
people mind faces
What monstrosities would walk the streets were some people's faces as unfinished as their minds.
hater nature angel
The savior who wants to turn men into angels is as much a hater of human nature as the totalitarian despot who wants to turn them into puppets.
positive prelude
Anger is a prelude to courage.
trust beauty math
Our greatest pretenses are built up not to hide the evil and the ugly in us, but our emptiness. The hardest thing to hide is something that is not there.
atheist religion atheism
To know a person's religion we need not listen to his profession of faith but must find his brand of intolerance.
opportunity self giving
The untalented are more at ease in a society that gives them valid alibis for not achieving than in one where opportunities are abundant. In an affluent society, the alienated who clamor for power are largely untalented people who cannot make use of the unprecedented opportunities for self-realization, and cannot escape the confrontation with an ineffectual self.
respect gratitude hands
People who bite the hand that feeds them usually lick the boot that kicks them.
happiness time work
The feeling of being hurried is not usually the result of living a full life and having no time. It is on the contrary born of a vague fear that we are wasting our life. When we do not do the one thing we ought to do, we have no time for anything else--we are the busiest people in the world.
trust cheating thinking
Someone who thinks the world is always cheating him is right. He is missing that wonderful feeling of trust in someone or something.
majority life-is busy
The majority prove their worth by keeping busy. A busy life is the nearest thing to a purposeful life.