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
acts breeds civilization decency evil government human ill judge life matter noble objectives people quality
The only index by which to judge a government or a way of life is by the quality of the people it acts upon. No matter how noble the objectives of a government, if it blurs decency and kindness, cheapens human life, and breeds ill will and suspicion- it is an evil government.
life-and-death realization flow
An easygoing person is probably more accessible to the realization of eternity--the endless flow of life and death--than one who takes his prospects and duties overseriously. It is the overserious who are truly frivolous.
life-is loses worthless
To lose one's life is but to lose the present; and, clearly, to lose a defiled, worthless present is not to lose much.
disappointment empty-life achievement
The remarkable thing is that it is the crowded life that is most easily remembered. A life full of turns, achievements, disappointments, surprises, and crises is a life full of landmarks. The empty life has even its few details blurred, and cannot be remembered with certainty.
life death praise
It is a sign of creeping inner death when we can no longer praise the living.
life wise wisdom
Wise living consists perhaps less in acquiring good habits than in acquiring as few habits as possible.
life men priorities
The necessary has never been man's top priority. The passionate pursuit of the nonessential and the extravagant is one of the chief traits of human uniqueness. Unlike other forms of life, man's greatest exertions are made in the pursuit not of necessities but of superfluities.
life book responsibility
Perhaps a modern society can remain stable only by eliminating adolescence, by giving its young, from the age of ten, the skills, responsibilities, and rewards of grownups, and opportunities for action in all spheres of life. Adolescence should be a time of useful action, while book learning and scholarship should be a preoccupation of adults.
inspirational life motivational
In times of change learners inherit the earth; while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.
life political understanding
There would be no society if living together depended upon understanding each other.
majority life-is busy
The majority prove their worth by keeping busy. A busy life is the nearest thing to a purposeful life.
life hate giving
Passionate hatred can give meaning and purpose to an empty life.
inspirational life motivational
We are told that talent creates its own opportunities. But it sometimes seems that intense desire creates not only its own opportunities, but its own talents.
corrupts destroy hate injustice power resentment spring weakness wherever wickedness
Power corrupts the few, while weakness corrupts the many. The resentment of the weak does not spring from any injustice done to them but from the sense of their inadequacy and impotence. They hate not wickedness but weakness. When it is in their power to do so, the weak destroy weakness wherever they see it.