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
art philosophy history
Far more crucial than what we know or do not know is what we do not want to know.
humor deep-thought degenerates
Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, and eventually degenerates into a racket.
work obvious spells
To spell out the obvious is often to call it in question.
giving sublime literature
There is sublime thieving in all giving. Someone gives us all he has and we are his.
men age answers
Language was invented to ask questions. Answers may be given by grunts and gestures, but questions must be spoken. Humanness came of age when man asked the first question. Social stagnation results not from a lack of answers but from the absence of the impulse to ask questions.
children knowledge grandparent
The central task of education is to implant a will and facility for learning; it should produce not learned but learning people. The truly human society is a learning society, where grandparents, parents, and children are students together.
kindness kind-deeds judging
It is futile to judge a kind deed by its motives. Kindness can become its own motive. We are made kind by being kind.
responsibility independence frustrated
To the frustrated, freedom from responsibility is more attractive than freedom from restraint. They are eager to barter their independence for relief from the burdens of willing, deciding and being responsible for inevitable failure. They willingly abdicate the directing of their lives to those who want to plan, command and shoulder all responsibility.
running society
We run fastest and farthest when we run from ourselves.
happiness happy laughter
The search for happiness is one of the chief sources of unhappiness.
clever fear halloween
You can discover what your enemy fears most by observing the means he uses to frighten you.
inspiration persistence achievement
They who lack talent expect things to happen without effort. They ascribe failure to a lack of inspiration or ability, or to misfortune, rather than to insufficient application. At the core of every true talent there is an awareness of the difficulties inherent in any achievement, and the confidence that by persistence and patience something worthwhile will be realized. Thus talent is a species of vigor.
fear real self-confidence
The real "haves" are they who can acquire freedom, self-confidence, and even riches without depriving others of them. They acquire all of these by developing and applying their potentialities. On the other hand, the real "have nots" are they who cannot have aught except by depriving others of it. They can feel free only by diminishing the freedom of others, self-confident by spreading fear and dependence among others, and rich by making others poor.
self burning way
The burning conviction that we have a holy duty toward others is often a way of attaching our drowning selves to a passing raft.