Eric Hoffer ( 10 of 253 )
It is the awareness of unfulfilled desires which gives a nation the feeling that it has a mission and a read more
It is the awareness of unfulfilled desires which gives a nation the feeling that it has a mission and a destiny.
The monstrous evils of the twentieth century have shown us that the greediest money grubbers are gentle doves compared with read more
The monstrous evils of the twentieth century have shown us that the greediest money grubbers are gentle doves compared with money-hating wolves like Lenin, Stalin, and Hitler, who in less than three decades killed or maimed nearly a hundred million men, women, and children and brought untold suffering to a large portion of mankind.
How frighteningly few are the persons whose death would spoil our appetite and make the world seem empty.
How frighteningly few are the persons whose death would spoil our appetite and make the world seem empty.
It is not at all simple to understand the simple.
It is not at all simple to understand the simple.
People unfit for freedom - who cannot do much with it - are hungry for power. The desire for freedom read more
People unfit for freedom - who cannot do much with it - are hungry for power. The desire for freedom is an attribute of a "have" type of self. It says: leave me alone and I shall grow, learn, and realize my capacities. The desire for power is basically an attribute of a "have not" type of self.
When we debunk a fanatical faith or prejudice, we do not strike at the root of fanaticism. We merely prevent read more
When we debunk a fanatical faith or prejudice, we do not strike at the root of fanaticism. We merely prevent its leaking out at a certain point, with the likely result that it will leak out at some other point. Thus by denigrating prevailing beliefs and loyalties, the militant man of words unwittingly creates in the disillusioned masses a hunger for faith. For the majority of people cannot endure the barrenness and futility of their lives unless they have some ardent dedication, or some passionate pursuit in which they can lose themselves. Thus, in spite of himself, the scoffing man of words becomes the precursor of a new faith.
Naivete in grownups is often charming; but when coupled with vanity it is indistinguishable from stupidity.
Naivete in grownups is often charming; but when coupled with vanity it is indistinguishable from stupidity.
The basic test of freedom is perhaps less in what we are free to do than in what we are read more
The basic test of freedom is perhaps less in what we are free to do than in what we are free not to do.
Whoever originated the cliche that money is the root of all evil knew hardly anything about the nature of evil read more
Whoever originated the cliche that money is the root of all evil knew hardly anything about the nature of evil and very little about human beings.
It would be difficult to exaggerate the degree to which we are influenced by those we influence.
It would be difficult to exaggerate the degree to which we are influenced by those we influence.
