Eric Hoffer ( 10 of 253 )
Despair and misery are static factors. The dynamism of an uprising flows from hope and pride. Not actual suffering but read more
Despair and misery are static factors. The dynamism of an uprising flows from hope and pride. Not actual suffering but the hope of better things incites people to revolt.
When grubbing for necessities man is still an animal. He becomes uniquely human when he reaches out for the superfluous read more
When grubbing for necessities man is still an animal. He becomes uniquely human when he reaches out for the superfluous and extravagant.
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.
The fact is that up to now a free society has not been good for the intellectual. It has neither read more
The fact is that up to now a free society has not been good for the intellectual. It has neither accorded him a superior status to sustain his confidence nor made it easy for him to acquire an unquestioned sense of social usefulness. For he derives his sense of usefulness mainly from directing, instructing, and planning- from minding other people's business- and is bound to feel superfluous and neglected where people believe themselves competent to manage individual and communal affairs, and are impatient of supervision and regulation. A free society is as much a threat to the intellectual's sense of worth as an automated economy is to the workingman's sense of worth. Any social order that can function with a minimum of leadership will be anathema to the intellectual.
Passionate hatred can give meaning and purpose to an empty life. Thus people haunted by the purposelessness of their lives read more
Passionate hatred can give meaning and purpose to an empty life. Thus people haunted by the purposelessness of their lives try to find a new content not only by dedicating themselves to a holy cause but also by nursing a fanatical grievance. A mass movement offers them unlimited opportunities for both.
Retribution often means that we eventually do to ourselves what we have done unto others.
Retribution often means that we eventually do to ourselves what we have done unto others.
Rudeness luxuriates in the absence of self-respect.
Rudeness luxuriates in the absence of self-respect.
Compassion is the antitoxin of the soul: where there is compassion even the most poisonous impulses remain relatively harmless.
Compassion is the antitoxin of the soul: where there is compassion even the most poisonous impulses remain relatively harmless.
The fanatic is not really a stickler to principle. He embraces a cause not primarily because of its justness or read more
The fanatic is not really a stickler to principle. He embraces a cause not primarily because of its justness or holiness but because of his desperate need for something to hold onto.
The less satisfaction we derive from being ourselves, the greater is our desire to be like others.
The less satisfaction we derive from being ourselves, the greater is our desire to be like others.
