Eric Hoffer ( 10 of 253 )
Unless a man has talents to make something of himself, freedom is an irksome burden. Of what avail is freedom read more
Unless a man has talents to make something of himself, freedom is an irksome burden. Of what avail is freedom to choose if the self be ineffectual? We join a mass movement to escape individual responsibility, or, in the words of the ardent young Nazi, "to be free from freedom.".
A war is not won if the defeated enemy has not been turned into a friend.
A war is not won if the defeated enemy has not been turned into a friend.
It is easier to love humanity as a whole than to love one's neighbor.
It is easier to love humanity as a whole than to love one's neighbor.
To be truly selfish one needs a degree of self-esteem. The self-despisers are less intent on their own increase than read more
To be truly selfish one needs a degree of self-esteem. The self-despisers are less intent on their own increase than on the diminution of others. Where self-esteem is unattainable, envy takes the place of greed.
It is remarkable by how much a pinch of malice enhances the penetrating power of an idea or an opinion. read more
It is remarkable by how much a pinch of malice enhances the penetrating power of an idea or an opinion. Our ears, it seems, are wonderfully attuned to sneers and evil reports about our fellow men.
We clamor for equality chiefly in matters in which we ourselves cannot hope to attain excellence. To discover what a read more
We clamor for equality chiefly in matters in which we ourselves cannot hope to attain excellence. To discover what a man truly craves but knows he cannot have we must find the field in which he advocates absolute equality. By this test Communists are frustrated Capitalists.
There is a guilty conscience behind every brazen word and act and behind every manifestation of self-righteousness.
There is a guilty conscience behind every brazen word and act and behind every manifestation of self-righteousness.
The unpredictability inherent in human affairs is due largely to the fact that the by-products of a human process are read more
The unpredictability inherent in human affairs is due largely to the fact that the by-products of a human process are more fateful than the product.
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.
The greatest weariness comes from work not done.
The greatest weariness comes from work not done.
