Maxioms by Eric Hoffer
It is a perplexing and unpleasant truth that when men already have "something worth fighting for," they do not feel read more
It is a perplexing and unpleasant truth that when men already have "something worth fighting for," they do not feel like fighting.
It is not sheer malice that pricks our ears to evil reports about our fellow men. For there are frequent read more
It is not sheer malice that pricks our ears to evil reports about our fellow men. For there are frequent moments when we feel lower than the lowest of mankind, and this opinion of ourselves isolates us. Hence the rumor that all flesh is base comes almost as a message of hope. It breaks down the wall that has kept us apart, and we feel one with humanity.
When we leave people on their own, we are delivering them into the hands of a ruthless taskmaster from whose read more
When we leave people on their own, we are delivering them into the hands of a ruthless taskmaster from whose bondage there is no escape. The individual who has to justify his existence by his own efforts is in eternal bondage to himself.
The leader has to be practical and a realist, yet must talk the language of the visionary and the idealist.
The leader has to be practical and a realist, yet must talk the language of the visionary and the idealist.
There are many who find the burdens, the anxiety, and the isolation of an individual existence unbearable. This is particularly read more
There are many who find the burdens, the anxiety, and the isolation of an individual existence unbearable. This is particularly true when the opportunities for self-advancement are relatively meager, and one's individual interests and prospects do not seem worth living for. Such persons sooner or later turn their backs on an individual existence and strive to acquire a sense of worth and a purpose by an identification with a holy cause, a leader, or a movement. The faith and pride they derive from such an identification serve them as substitutes for the unattainable self-confidence and self-respect.
