WIST Quotations

Hoffer, Eric -- First Things, Last Things, ch. 8 “Thoughts on the Present” (1971)

Dave — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 13:04:57 +0000

A just society must strive with all its might to right wrongs even if righting wrongs is a highly perilous undertaking. But if it is to survive, a just society must be strong and resolute enough to deal swiftly and relentlessly with those who would mistake its good will for weakness.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
First Things, Last Things, ch. 8 “Thoughts on the Present” (1971)

Hoffer, Eric -- “The Madhouse of Change,” Playboy (Dec 1968)

Dave — Fri, 11 Nov 2022 21:09:19 +0000

We used to think that revolution is the cause of change. Actually, it is the other way around: revolution is a by-product of change. Change comes first, and it is the difficulties and irritations inherent in change that set the stage for revolution. To say that revolution is the cause of change is like saying juvenile delinquency is the cause of the change from boyhood to manhood.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
“The Madhouse of Change,” Playboy (Dec 1968)
(Source)

Reprinted in Voices of Concern: The Playboy College Reader (1971).

Hoffer, Eric -- “The Negro Revolution,” The Temper of Our Time (1967)

Dave — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 14:11:11 +0000

Up to now, America has not been a good milieu for the rise of a mass movement. What starts out here as a mass movement ends up as a racket, a cult, or a corporation. Unlike those anywhere else, the masses in America have never despaired of the present and are not willing to sacrifice it for a new life and a new world.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
“The Negro Revolution,” The Temper of Our Time (1967)
(Source)

Frequently misquoted as "Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, and eventually degenerates into a racket."

Originally published in the New York Times Magazine (1964-11-29).

Hoffer, Eric -- “Thoughts of Eric Hoffer,” New York Times Magazine (1971-04-25)

Dave — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 11:10:55 +0000

It is loneliness that makes the loudest noise. This is as true of men as of dogs.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
“Thoughts of Eric Hoffer,” New York Times Magazine (1971-04-25)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- “Thoughts of Eric Hoffer,” New York Times Magazine (1971-04-25)

Dave — Tue, 03 May 2011 13:34:43 +0000

How frighteningly few are the persons whose death would spoil our appetite and make the world seem empty.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
“Thoughts of Eric Hoffer,” New York Times Magazine (1971-04-25)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- “Thoughts of Eric Hoffer,” New York Times Magazine (25 Apr 1971)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

People who bite the hand that feeds them usually lick the boot that kicks them.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
“Thoughts of Eric Hoffer,” New York Times Magazine (25 Apr 1971)

Hoffer, Eric -- “Thoughts of Eric Hoffer,” New York Times Magazine (25 Apr 1971)

Dave — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 23:19:41 +0000

It is probably true that business corrupts everything it touches. It corrupts politics, sports, literature, art, labor unions and so on. But business also corrupts and undermines monolithic totalitarianism. Capitalism is at its liberating best in a noncapitalist environment.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
“Thoughts of Eric Hoffer,” New York Times Magazine (25 Apr 1971)

Hoffer, Eric -- “Thoughts of Eric Hoffer,” New York Times Magazine (25 Apr 1971)

Dave — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 18:52:20 +0000

Retribution often means that we eventually do to ourselves what we have done unto others.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
“Thoughts of Eric Hoffer,” New York Times Magazine (25 Apr 1971)

Hoffer, Eric -- “Thoughts of Eric Hoffer,” New York Times Magazine (25 Apr 1971)

Dave — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 19:05:29 +0000

There are similarities between absolute power and absolute faith: a demand for absolute obedience, a readiness to attempt the impossible, a bias for simple solutions — to cut the knot rather than unravel it, the viewing of compromise as surrender. Both absolute power and absolute faith are instruments of dehumanization. Hence, absolute faith corrupts as absolutely as absolute power.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
“Thoughts of Eric Hoffer,” New York Times Magazine (25 Apr 1971)

Hoffer, Eric -- “Thoughts of Eric Hoffer,” New York Times Magazine (25 Apr 1971)

Dave — Tue, 10 May 2011 12:36:41 +0000

It almost seems that nobody can hate America as much as native Americans. America needs new immigrants to love and cherish it.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
“Thoughts of Eric Hoffer,” New York Times Magazine (25 Apr 1971)

Hoffer, Eric -- “Thoughts of Eric Hoffer,” The New York Times Magazine (25 Apr 1971)

Dave — Mon, 02 May 2011 13:51:06 +0000

We can remember minutely and precisely only the things which never really happened to us.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
“Thoughts of Eric Hoffer,” The New York Times Magazine (25 Apr 1971)

Hoffer, Eric -- (Attributed)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

No matter what our achievements might be, we think well of ourselves only in rare moments. We need people to bear witness against our inner judge, who keeps book on our short-comings and transgressions. We need people to convince us that we are not as bad as we think we are.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
(Attributed)

Hoffer, Eric -- (Attributed)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

We are more ready to try the untried when what we do is inconsequential. Hence the remarkable fact that many inventions had their birth as toys.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
(Attributed)

Hoffer, Eric -- First Things, Last Things, ch. 8 “Thoughts on the Present” (1971)

Dave — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 13:55:55 +0000

When cowardice becomes a fashion its adherents are without number, and it masquerades as forbearance, reasonableness and whatnot.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
First Things, Last Things, ch. 8 “Thoughts on the Present” (1971)
(Source)

See also Hoffer (1955).

Hoffer, Eric -- Ordeal of Change, 15.4 (1964)

Dave — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:23:31 +0000

A dissenter is to the absoluteness of power what an exception is to the validity of a formulated scientific rule — both must be dealt with and somehow eliminated.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Ordeal of Change, 15.4 (1964)

Hoffer, Eric -- Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 6 (1955)

Dave — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:50:26 +0000

To believe that if we could have but this or that we would be happy is to suppress the realization that the cause of our unhappiness is in our inadequate and blemished selves. Excessive desire is thus a means of suppressing our sense of worthlessness.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 6 (1955)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 33 (1955)

Dave — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 12:07:43 +0000

When people are free to do as we please, they usually imitate each other.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 33 (1955)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 37 (1955)

Dave — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 13:20:51 +0000

Whenever we proclaim the uniqueness of a religion, a truth, a leader, a nation, a race, a part or a holy cause, we are also proclaiming our own uniqueness.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 37 (1955)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 41 (1955)

Dave — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 14:15:12 +0000

It has often been said that power corrupts. But it is perhaps equally important to realize that weakness, too, corrupts. Power corrupts the few, while weakness corrupts the many. Hatred, malice, rudeness, intolerance, and suspicion are the faults of weakness. The resentment of the weak does not spring from any injustice done to them but from the sense of inadequacy and impotence. They hate not wickedness but weakness. When it is their power to do so, the weak destroy weakness wherever they see it.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 41 (1955)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 58 (1955)

Dave — Tue, 17 May 2011 15:17:15 +0000

Far more crucial than what we know or do not know is what we do not want to know.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 58 (1955)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 60 (1955)

Dave — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 18:34:36 +0000

Vehemence is the expression of a blind effort to support and uphold something that can never stand on its own — something rootless, incoherent, and incomplete. Whether it is our own meaningless self we are upholding or some doctrine devoid of evidence, we can do it only in a frenzy of faith.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 60 (1955)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 61 (1955)

Dave — Thu, 10 Apr 2025 17:21:46 +0000

The weakness of a soul is proportionate to the number of truths that must be kept from it.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 61 (1955)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 62 (1955)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

If what we profess is not an organic part of our understanding, we are likely to profess it with vehemence and intolerance. Intolerance is the “Do Not Touch” sign on something that cannot bear touching. We do not mind having our hair ruffled, but we will not tolerate any familiarity with the toupee which covers our baldness.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 62 (1955)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 63 (1955)

Dave — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 16:26:35 +0000

The uncompromising attitude is more indicative of an inner uncertainty than of deep conviction. The implacable stand is directed more against the doubt within than the assailant without.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 63 (1955)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 68 (1955)

Dave — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 14:02:38 +0000

A doctrine insulates the devout not only against the realities around them but also against their own selves. The fanatical believer is not conscious of his envy, malice, pettiness and dishonesty. There is a wall of words between his consciousness and his real self.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 68 (1955)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 70 (1955)

Dave — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 14:43:26 +0000

We lie loudest when we lie to ourselves.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 70 (1955)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 83 (1955)

Dave — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 18:21:15 +0000

When we believe ourselves in possession of the only truth, we are likely to be indifferent to common everyday truths. Self-deception, credulity, and charlatanism are somehow linked together.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 83 (1955)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 85 (1955)

Dave — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 13:57:49 +0000

There is a powerful craving in most of us to see ourselves as instruments in the hands of others and thus free ourselves from the responsibility for acts which are prompted by our own questionable inclinations and impulses. Both the strong and the weak grasp at this alibi. The latter hide their malevolence under the virtue of obedience: they acted dishonorably because they had to obey orders. The strong, too, claim absolution by proclaiming themselves the chosen instrument of a higher power — God, history, fate, nation or humanity.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 85 (1955)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 87 (1955)

Dave — Tue, 07 May 2024 16:19:14 +0000

Fear comes from uncertainty. When we are absolutely certain, whether of our worth or worthlessness, we are almost impervious to fear. Thus a feeling of utter unworthiness can be a source of courage.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 87 (1955)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 88 (1955)

Dave — Thu, 25 Sep 2025 17:28:29 +0000

Absolute power is partial to simplicity. It wants simple problems, simple solutions, simple definitions. It sees in complication a product of weakness — the torturous path compromise must follow.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 88 (1955)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 91 (1955)

Dave — Mon, 09 Aug 2021 14:58:42 +0000

When the weak want to give an impression of strength they hint meaningfully at their capacity for evil. It is by its promise of a sense of power that evil often attracts the weak.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 91 (1955)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 100 (1955)

Dave — Wed, 08 Jan 2014 13:43:29 +0000

The remarkable thing is that we really love our neighbor as ourselves: we do unto others as we do unto ourselves. We hate others when we hate ourselves. We are tolerant toward others when we tolerate ourselves. We forgive others when we forgive ourselves. We are prone to sacrifice others when we are ready to sacrifice ourselves.
It is not love of self but hatred of self which is at the root of the troubles that afflict our world.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 100 (1955)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 104 (1955)

Dave — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 16:09:41 +0000

The sick in soul insist that it is humanity that is sick, and they are the surgeons to operate on it. They want to turn the world into a sickroom. And once they get humanity strapped to the operating table, they operate on it with an ax.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 104 (1955)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 113 (1955)

Dave — Thu, 02 Oct 2025 19:39:18 +0000

The pleasure we derive from doing favors is partly in the feeling it gives us that we are not altogether worthless. It is a pleasant surprise to ourselves.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 113 (1955)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 115 (1955)

Dave — Wed, 02 Apr 2014 12:36:11 +0000

The real “haves” are they who can acquire freedom, self-confidence, and even riches without depriving others of them. They acquire all of these by developing and applying their potentialities.
On the other hand, the real “have nots” are those who cannot have aught except by depriving others of it. They can feel free only by diminishing the freedom of others, self-confident by spreading fear and dependence among others, and rich by making others poor.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 115 (1955)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 120 (1955)

Dave — Thu, 31 Jul 2025 16:57:04 +0000

We derive a certain satisfaction from being sinned against. It is not only that a grievance adds content to our lives, but also that it makes less monstrous the flame of malice which like a vigil light flickers in the dimness of our souls.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 120 (1955)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 123 (1955)

Dave — Sun, 29 May 2011 20:46:01 +0000

It is futile to judge a kind deed by its motives. Kindness can become its own motive. We are made kind by being kind.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 123 (1955)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 126 (1955)

Dave — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:04:29 +0000

To find the cause of our ills in something outside ourselves, something specific that can be spotted and eliminated, is a diagnosis that cannot fail to appeal. To say that the cause of our troubles is not in us but in the Jews, and pass immediately to the extermination of the Jews, is a prescription likely to find a wide acceptance.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 126 (1955)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 128 (1955)

Dave — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:39:29 +0000

Our credulity is greatest concerning the things we know least about. And since we know least about ourselves, we are ready to believe all that is said about us. Hence the mysterious power of both flattery and calumny.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 128 (1955)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 130 (1955)

Dave — Thu, 14 Aug 2025 16:02:14 +0000

The people we meet are the playwrights and stage managers of our lives: they cast us in a role, and we play it whether we will or not. It is not so much the example of others we imitate as the reflection of ourselves in their eyes and the echo of ourselves in their words.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 130 (1955)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 131 (1955)

Dave — Thu, 28 Aug 2025 15:34:21 +0000

The readiness to praise others indicates a desire for excellence and perhaps an ability to realize it.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 131 (1955)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 137 (1955)

Dave — Thu, 04 Sep 2025 17:05:14 +0000

A valid index by which to evaluate the influence other people have on us is by how much they increase or diminish our benevolence toward our fellow men.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 137 (1955)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 139 (1955)

Dave — Thu, 23 Jun 2022 15:09:50 +0000

Compassion is probably the only antitoxin of the soul. Where there is compassion even the most poisonous impulses remain relatively harmless. One would rather see the world run by men who set their hearts on toys but are accessible to pity, than by men animated by lofty ideals whose dedication makes them ruthless. In the chemistry of man’s soul, almost all noble attributes — courage, honor, hope, faith, duty, loyalty, etc. — can be transmuted into ruthlessness. Compassion alone stands apart from the continuous traffic between good and evil proceeding within us.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 139 (1955)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 140 (1955)

Dave — Thu, 30 Jun 2022 14:07:04 +0000

It is compassion rather than the principle of justice which can guard us against being unjust to our fellow men.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 140 (1955)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 141 (1955)

Dave — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 15:19:30 +0000

Good judgment in our dealings with others consists not in seeing through deceptions and evil intentions but in being able to waken the decency dormant in every person.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 141 (1955)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 142 (1955)

Dave — Fri, 24 Oct 2025 15:27:56 +0000

The taint hidden in selflessness is that selflessness is the only moral justification of ruthlessness.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 142 (1955)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 147 (1955)

Dave — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:31:02 +0000

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.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 147 (1955)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 151 (1955)

Dave — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:52:50 +0000

To become different from what we are, we must have some awareness of what we are.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 151 (1955)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 166 (1955)

Dave — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 11:45:56 +0000

To have a grievance is to have a purpose in life. A grievance can almost serve as a substitute for hope; it not infrequently happens that those who hunger for hope give their allegiance to him who offers them a grievance.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 166 (1955)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 176 (1955)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

The basic test of freedom is perhaps less in what we are free to do than in what we are free not to do.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 176 (1955)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 181 (1955)

Dave — Thu, 28 May 2015 13:16:17 +0000

There are many who find a good alibi far more attractive than an achievement. For an achievement does not settle anything permanently. We still have to prove our worth anew each day: we have to prove that we are as good today as we were yesterday. But when we have a valid alibi for not achieving anything we are fixed, so to speak, for life. Moreover, when we have an alibi for not writing a book, painting a picture, and so on, we have an alibi for not writing the greatest book and not painting the greatest picture. Small wonder that the effort expended and the punishment endured in obtaining a good alibi often exceed the effort and grief requisite for the attainment of a most marked achievement.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 181 (1955)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 184 (1955)

Dave — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 14:54:09 +0000

Rabid suspicion has nothing in it of skepticism. The suspicious mind believes more than it doubts. It believes in a formidable and ineradicable evil lurking in every person.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 184 (1955)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 196 (1955)

Dave — Thu, 11 Sep 2025 16:13:04 +0000

The control of our being is not unlike the combination of a safe. One turn of the knob rarely unlocks the safe. Each advance and retreat is a step toward one’s goal.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 196 (1955)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 200 (1955)

Dave — Thu, 18 Dec 2025 16:55:51 +0000

We ought to beware of people who do not think it necessary to pretend that they are good and decent. Lack of hypocrisy in such things hints at a capacity for a most depraved ruthlessness.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 200 (1955)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 203 (1955)

Dave — Thu, 01 Jan 2026 22:14:11 +0000

When cowardice is made respectable, its followers are without number both from among the weak and the strong; it easily becomes a fashion.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 203 (1955)
(Source)

See also Hoffer (1971).

Hoffer, Eric -- Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 215 (1955)

Dave — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 22:14:37 +0000

To know a person’s religion we need not listen to his profession of faith but must find his brand of intolerance.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 215 (1955)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 218 (1955)

Dave — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 13:56:51 +0000

The real persuaders are our appetites, our fears, and above all our vanity. The skillful propagandist stirs and coaches these internal persuaders.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 218 (1955)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 220 (1955)

Dave — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 14:49:20 +0000

To spell out the obvious is often to call it into question.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 220 (1955)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 222 (1955)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

You can discover what your enemy fears most by observing the means he uses to frighten you.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 222 (1955)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 238 (1955)

Dave — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 15:19:24 +0000

We usually see only the things we are looking for — so much so that we sometimes see them where they are not.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 238 (1955)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 241 (1955)

Dave — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:40:33 +0000

Rudeness is the weak man’s imitation of strength.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 241 (1955)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 243 (1955)

Dave — Thu, 12 Feb 2026 21:36:08 +0000

We are unified both by hating in common and by being hated in common.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 243 (1955)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 260 (1955)

Dave — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 12:34:18 +0000

Propaganda does not deceive people; it merely helps them to deceive themselves.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 260 (1955)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 261 (1955)

Dave — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 18:49:12 +0000

Much of man’s thinking is propaganda of his appetites.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 261 (1955)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 262 (1955)

Dave — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 22:32:37 +0000

A man by himself is in bad company.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 262 (1955)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 263 (1955)

Dave — Tue, 25 Nov 2014 14:08:54 +0000

Suffering cleanses only when it is free of resentment. Wholehearted contempt for our tormentors safeguards our soul from the mutilations of bitterness and hatred.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 263 (1955)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 276 (1955)

Dave — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 17:10:13 +0000

A great man’s greatest good luck is to die at the right time.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 276 (1955)
(Source)

Also see Rogers (1928), Muggeridge (1972).

Hoffer, Eric -- Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 280 (1955)

Dave — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 16:31:25 +0000

The search for happiness is one of the chief sources of unhappiness.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 280 (1955)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Reflections on the Human Condition, Aphorism 7 (1973)

Dave — Sun, 05 May 2019 22:16:42 +0000

Animals often strike us as passionate machines.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Reflections on the Human Condition, Aphorism 7 (1973)

Hoffer, Eric -- Reflections on the Human Condition, ch. 1, § 32 (1973)

Dave — Mon, 21 Nov 2022 17:58:06 +0000

In a time of drastic change it is the learners who inherit the future. The learned usually find themselves equipped to live in a world that no longer exists.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Reflections on the Human Condition, ch. 1, § 32 (1973)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Reflections on the Human Condition, ch. 1, # 32 (1973)

Dave — Tue, 12 Mar 2024 15:50:31 +0000

The central task of education is to implant a will and facility for learning; it should produce not learned but learning people. The truly human society is a learning society, where grandparents, parents, and children are students together.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Reflections on the Human Condition, ch. 1, # 32 (1973)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Reflections on the Human Condition, Sec. 163 (1973)

Dave — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 13:04:04 +0000

To the excessively fearful the chief characteristic of power is its arbitrariness. Man had to gain enormously in confidence before he could conceive an all-powerful God who obeys his own laws.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Reflections on the Human Condition, Sec. 163 (1973)

Hoffer, Eric -- Reflections on the Human Condition, Sec. 36 (1973)

Dave — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 17:04:34 +0000

Nature has no compassion. Nature accepts no excuses and the only punishment it knows is death.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Reflections on the Human Condition, Sec. 36 (1973)

Hoffer, Eric -- Reflections on the Human Condition, Sec. 55 (1973)

Dave — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 06:26:31 +0000

We take for granted the need to escape the self. Yet the self can also be a refuge. In totalitarian countries the great hunger is for private life. Absorption in the minutiae of an individual existence is the only refuge from the apocalyptic madhouse staged by maniacal saviors of humanity.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Reflections on the Human Condition, Sec. 55 (1973)

Hoffer, Eric -- Reflections on the Human Condition, Section 178 (1973)

Dave — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 14:33:44 +0000

Our greatest weariness comes from work not done.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Reflections on the Human Condition, Section 178 (1973)

Hoffer, Eric -- Reflections on the Human Condition, Section 50 (1973)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

Nonconformists travel as a rule in bunches. You rarely find a nonconformist who goes it alone. And woe to him inside a nonconformist clique who does not conform with nonconformity.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Reflections on the Human Condition, Section 50 (1973)

Hoffer, Eric -- The Art of Loving, 2.3d (1956)

Dave — Wed, 01 Jan 2014 20:52:56 +0000

If it is a virtue to love my neighbor as a human being, it must be a virtue — and not a vice — to love myself, since I am a human being, too.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
The Art of Loving, 2.3d (1956)

Hoffer, Eric -- The Ordeal of Change

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

The ruthlessness born of self-seeking is ineffectual compared with the ruthlessness sustained by dedication to a holy cause.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
The Ordeal of Change

Hoffer, Eric -- The Ordeal of Change (1963)

Dave — Fri, 17 Apr 2015 12:40:24 +0000

It needs inordinate self-confidence to face drastic change without inner trembling.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
The Ordeal of Change (1963)

Hoffer, Eric -- The Ordeal of Change, ch. 11 “Brotherhood” (1963)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

It is easier to love humanity as a whole than to love one’s neighbor. There may even be a certain antagonism between love of humanity and love of neighbor; a low capacity for getting along with those near us often goes hand in hand with a high receptivity to the idea of the brotherhood of men.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
The Ordeal of Change, ch. 11 “Brotherhood” (1963)

Hoffer, Eric -- The Ordeal of Change, ch. 11 (1964)

Dave — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 14:11:11 +0000

Man’s only legitimate end in life is to finish God’s work — to bring to full growth the capacities and talents implanted in us.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
The Ordeal of Change, ch. 11 (1964)

Hoffer, Eric -- The Ordeal of Change, ch. 15 “The Unnaturalness of Human Nature” (1963)

Dave — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 20:49:37 +0000

The corruption inherent in absolute power derives from the fact that such power is never free from the tendency to turn man into a thing, and press him back into the matrix of nature from which he has risen. For the impulse of power is to turn every variable into a constant, and give to commands the inexorableness and relentlessness of laws of nature. Hence absolute power corrupts even when exercised for humane purposes. The benevolent despot who sees himself as a shepherd of the people still demands from others the submissiveness of sheep. The taint inherent in absolute power is not its inhumanity but its anti-humanity.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
The Ordeal of Change, ch. 15 “The Unnaturalness of Human Nature” (1963)

Hoffer, Eric -- The Ordeal of Change, ch. 16 (1964)

Dave — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 14:09:18 +0000

There must be in this world a task with an appeal so strong that were we to have a taste of it we would hold on and be rid for good of our restlessness.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
The Ordeal of Change, ch. 16 (1964)

Hoffer, Eric -- The Ordeal of Change, ch. 2 “The Awakening of Asia” (1963)

Dave — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 12:52:39 +0000

It has often been said that power corrupts. But it is perhaps equally important to realize that weakness, too, corrupts. Power corrupts the few, while weakness corrupts the many. Hatred, malice, rudeness, intolerance, and suspicion are the faults of weakness. The resentment of the weak does not spring from any injustice done to them but from the sense of inadequacy and impotence. We cannot win the weak by sharing our wealth with them. They feel our generosity as oppression. St. Vincent De Paul cautioned his disciples to deport themselves so that the poor “will forgive them the bread you give them.”

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
The Ordeal of Change, ch. 2 “The Awakening of Asia” (1963)

This passage uses phrases from his earlier work The Passionate State Of Mind, and Other Aphorisms (1955)

Hoffer, Eric -- The Ordeal of Change, ch. 4 (1964)

Dave — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 14:17:23 +0000

There is apparently no surer way of turning a thing into its opposite than by exaggerating it.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
The Ordeal of Change, ch. 4 (1964)

Hoffer, Eric -- The Ordeal of Change, ch. 6 (1963)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

Discontent is at the root of the creative process.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
The Ordeal of Change, ch. 6 (1963)

Hoffer, Eric -- The Ordeal of Change, ch. 6 (1964)

Dave — Mon, 30 May 2011 07:54:22 +0000

When the intellectual comes into his own, he becomes a pillar of stability and finds all kinds of lofty reasons for siding with the strong against the weak.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
The Ordeal of Change, ch. 6 (1964)

Hoffer, Eric -- The Temper of Our Time (1967)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

Free men are aware of the imperfection inherent in human affairs, and they are willing to fight and die for that which is not perfect. They know that basic human problems can have no final solutions, that our freedom, justice, equality, etc. are far from absolute, and that the good life is compounded of half measures, compromises, lesser evils, and gropings toward the perfect. The rejection of approximations and the insistence on absolutes are the manifestation of a nihilism that loathes freedom, tolerance, and equity.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
The Temper of Our Time (1967)

Hoffer, Eric -- The True Believer, Part III, sec. 100 (1951)

Dave — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 17:21:45 +0000

Self-contempt, however vague, sharpens our eyes for the imperfections of others. We usually strive to reveal in others the blemishes we hide in ourselves.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
The True Believer, Part III, sec. 100 (1951)

Hoffer, Eric -- The True Believer, Part III, Sec. 69 (1951)

Dave — Fri, 21 May 2010 14:54:21 +0000

Self-righteousness is a loud din raised to drown the voice of guilt within us.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
The True Believer, Part III, Sec. 69 (1951)

Hoffer, Eric -- The True Believer, Part III, sec. 75 (1951)

Dave — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 13:17:09 +0000

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.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
The True Believer, Part III, sec. 75 (1951)

Hoffer, Eric -- The True Believer, Part III, sec. 94 (1951)

Dave — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 14:44:30 +0000

The frustrated follow a leader less because of their faith that he is leading them to a promised land than because of their immediate feeling that he is leading them away from their unwanted selves. Surrender to a leader is not a means to an end but a fulfillment. Whither they are led is of secondary importance.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
The True Believer, Part III, sec. 94 (1951)

Hoffer, Eric -- True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Part 1, ch. 1, § 5 (1951)

Dave — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 17:41:48 +0000

When hopes and dreams are loose in the streets, it is well for the timid to lock doors, shutter windows and lie low until the wrath has passed. For there is often a monstrous incongruity between the hopes, however noble and tender, and the action which follows them. It is as if ivied maidens and garlanded youths were to herald the four horsemen of the apocalypse.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Part 1, ch. 1, § 5 (1951)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Part 1, ch. 2, § 8 (1951)

Dave — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 12:43:18 +0000

Faith in a holy cause is to a considerable extent a substitute for the lost faith in ourselves.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Part 1, ch. 2, § 8 (1951)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Part 1, ch. 2, § 9 (1951)

Dave — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 12:46:31 +0000

The less justified a man is in claiming excellence for his own self, the more ready he is to claim all excellence for his nation, his religion, his race or his holy cause.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Part 1, ch. 2, § 9 (1951)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Part 1, ch. 2, § 10 (1951)

Dave — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 12:21:29 +0000

A man is likely to mind his own business when it is worth minding. When it is not, he takes his mind off his own meaningless affairs by minding other people’s business.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Part 1, ch. 2, § 10 (1951)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Part 2, ch. 4, § 23 (1951)

Dave — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:03:54 +0000

Our frustration is greater when we have much and want more than when we have nothing and want some. We are less dissatisfied when we lack many things than when we seem to lack but one thing.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Part 2, ch. 4, § 23 (1951)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Part 2, ch. 5, § 26 (1951)

Dave — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 14:36:01 +0000

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.” It was not sheer hypocrisy when the rank-and-file Nazis declared themselves not guilty of all the enormities they had committed. They considered themselves cheated and maligned when made to shoulder responsibility for obeying orders. Had they not joined the Nazi movement in order to be free from responsibility?

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Part 2, ch. 5, § 26 (1951)

Hoffer, Eric -- True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Part 2, ch. 5, § 28 (2.5.28) (1951)

Dave — Fri, 14 May 2010 12:13:52 +0000

They who clamor loudest for freedom are often the ones least likely to be happy in a free society. The frustrated, oppressed by their shortcomings, blame their failure on existing restraints. Actually, their innermost desire is for an end to the “free for all.” They want to eliminate free competition and the ruthless testing to which the individual is continually subjected in a free society.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Part 2, ch. 5, § 28 (2.5.28) (1951)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Part 2, ch. 5, § 34 (2.5.34) (1951)

Dave — Thu, 28 May 2026 15:57:29 +0000

A rising mass movement attracts and holds a following not by its doctrine and promises but by the refuge it offers from the anxieties, barrenness and meaninglessness of an individual existence. It cures the poignantly frustrated not by conferring on them an absolute truth or by remedying the difficulties and abuses which made their lives miserable, but by freeing them from their ineffectual selves — and it does this by enfolding and absorbing them into a closely knit and exultant corporate whole.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Part 2, ch. 5, § 34 (2.5.34) (1951)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Part 2, ch. 7, § 38 (1951)

Dave — Tue, 27 Feb 2024 18:09:05 +0000

The fiercest fanatics are often selfish people who were forced, by innate shortcomings or external circumstances, to lose faith in their own selves. They separate the excellent instrument of their selfishness from their ineffectual selves and attach it to the service of some holy cause. And though it be a faith of love and humility they adopt, they can be neither loving nor humble.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Part 2, ch. 7, § 38 (1951)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Part 3, ch. 13, § 47 (1951)

Dave — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 03:06:34 +0000

Glory is largely a theatrical concept. There is no striving for glory without a vivid awareness of an audience — the knowledge that our mighty deeds will come to the ears of our contemporaries or “of those who are to be.” We are ready to sacrifice our true, transitory self for the imaginary eternal self we are building up, by our heroic deeds, in the opinion and imagination of others.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Part 3, ch. 13, § 47 (1951)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Part 3, ch. 13, § 57 (1951)

Dave — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:58:07 +0000

To be effective a doctrine must not be understood, but has to be believed in. We can be absolutely certain only about things we do not understand. A doctrine that is understood is shorn of its strength.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Part 3, ch. 13, § 57 (1951)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Part 3, ch. 13, § 61 (1951)

Dave — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:49:19 +0000

The fanatic cannot be weaned away from his cause by an appeal to his reason or moral sense. He fears compromise and cannot be persuaded to qualify the certitude and righteousness of his holy cause. But he finds no difficulty in swinging suddenly and wildly from one holy cause to another. He cannot be convinced but only converted, His passionate attachment is more vital than the quality of the cause to which he is attached.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Part 3, ch. 13, § 61 (1951)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Part 3, ch. 13, § 62 (1951)

Dave — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 10:49:47 +0000

Though they seem at opposite poles, fanatics of all kinds are actually crowded together at one end. It is the fanatic and the moderate who are poles apart and never meet. The fanatics of various hues eye each other with suspicion and are ready to fly at each other’s throat. But they are neighbors and almost of one family. They hate each other with the hatred of brothers.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Part 3, ch. 13, § 62 (1951)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Part 3, ch. 13, § 62 (1951)

Dave — Mon, 03 Feb 2014 13:38:11 +0000

The opposite of the religious fanatic is not the fanatical atheist but the gentle cynic who cares not whether there is a god or not.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Part 3, ch. 13, § 62 (1951)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Part 3, ch. 14, § 69 (1951)

Dave — Tue, 24 Nov 2015 15:17:51 +0000

That hatred springs more from self-contempt than from a legitimate grievance is seen in the intimate connection between hatred and a guilty conscience. There is perhaps no surer way of infecting ourselves with virulent hatred toward a person than by doing him a grave injustice. That others have a just grievance against us is a more potent reason for hating them than that we have a just grievance against them.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Part 3, ch. 14, § 69 (1951)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Part 3, ch. 14, § 69 (1951)

Dave — Wed, 10 Jul 2024 16:20:15 +0000

We do not make people humble and meek when we show them their guilt and cause them to be ashamed of themselves. We are more likely to stir their arrogance and rouse in them a reckless aggressiveness. Self-righteousness is a loud din raised to drown the voice of guilt within us. There is a guilty conscience behind every brazen word and act and behind every manifestation of self-righteousness.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Part 3, ch. 14, § 69 (1951)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Part 3, ch. 14, § 71 (1951)

Dave — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 12:09:42 +0000

The most effective way to silence our guilty conscience is to convince ourselves and others that those we have sinned against are indeed depraved creatures, deserving every punishment, even extermination. We cannot pity those we have wronged, nor can we be indifferent toward them. We must hate and persecute them or else leave the door open to self-contempt.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Part 3, ch. 14, § 71 (1951)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Part 3, ch. 14, § 73 (1951)

Dave — Fri, 28 May 2010 21:16:32 +0000

The Americans are poor haters in international affairs because of their innate feeling of superiority over all foreigners. An American’s hatred for a fellow American (for Hoover or Roosevelt) is far more virulent than any antipathy he can work up against foreigners. […] Should Americans begin to hate foreigners wholeheartedly, it will be an indication that they have lost confidence in their own way of life.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Part 3, ch. 14, § 73 (1951)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Part 3, ch. 14, § 77 (1951)

Dave — Tue, 28 Mar 2017 21:34:42 +0000

There is also this: when we renounce the self and become part of a compact whole, we not only renounce personal advantage but are also rid of personal responsibility. There is no telling to what extremes of cruelty and ruthlessness a man will go when he is freed from the fears, hesitations, doubts and the vague stirrings of decency that go with individual judgement. When we lose our individual independence in the corporateness of a mass movement, we find a new freedom — freedom to hate, bully, lie, torture, murder and betray without shame and remorse. Herein undoubtedly lies part of the attractiveness of a mass movement.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Part 3, ch. 14, § 77 (1951)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Part 3, ch. 14, § 83 (3.14.83) (1951)

Dave — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 13:27:55 +0000

The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new; nor can it keep people persuaded once they have ceased to believe. It penetrates only into minds already open, and rather than instill opinion it articulates and justifies opinions already present in the minds of its recipients. The gifted propagandist brings to a boil ideas and passions already simmering in the minds of his hearers. he echoes their innermost feelings. Where opinion is not coerced, people can be made to believe only in what they already “know.”

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Part 3, ch. 14, § 83 (3.14.83) (1951)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Part 3, ch. 14, § 84 (1951)

Dave — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 13:16:36 +0000

Propaganda thus serves more to justify ourselves than to convince others; and the more reason we have to feel guilty, the more fervent our propaganda.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Part 3, ch. 14, § 84 (1951)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Part 3, ch. 14, § 85 (1951)

Dave — Tue, 10 Jan 2017 04:31:21 +0000

The practice of terror serves the true believer not only to cow and crush his opponents but also to invigorate and intensify his own faith.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Part 3, ch. 14, § 85 (1951)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Part 3, ch. 14, § 88 (1951)

Dave — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 14:53:17 +0000

Proselytizing is more a passionate search for something not yet found than a desire to bestow upon the world something we already have. It is a search for a final and irrefutable demonstration that our absolute truth is indeed the one and only truth. The proselytizing fanatic strengthens his own faith by converting others.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Part 3, ch. 14, § 88 (1951)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Part 3, ch. 14, § 100 (1951)

Dave — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 13:20:45 +0000

The awareness of their individual blemishes and shortcomings inclines the frustrated to detect ill will and meanness in their fellow men. Self-contempt, however vague, sharpens our eyes for the imperfections of others. We usually strive to reveal in others the blemishes we hide in ourselves.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Part 3, ch. 14, § 100 (1951)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Part 3, ch. 15, § 65 (1951)

Dave — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 12:58:09 +0000

Mass movements can rise and spread without belief in a God, but never without belief in a devil.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Part 3, ch. 15, § 65 (1951)
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Working and Thinking on the Waterfront (1969)

Dave — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 13:16:26 +0000

You accept certain unlovely things about yourself and manage to live with them. The atonement for such an acceptance is that you make allowances for others — that you cleanse yourself of the sin of self-righteousness.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Working and Thinking on the Waterfront (1969)

Hoffer, Eric -- Working and Thinking on the Waterfront (1969)

Dave — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 17:43:14 +0000

A society that refuses to strive for superfluities is likely to end up lacking in necessities. The readiness to work springs from trivial, questionable motives.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Working and Thinking on the Waterfront (1969)

Hoffer, Eric -- Working and Thinking on the Waterfront, Journal entry (28 March 1959)(1969)

Dave — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 17:11:29 +0000

The significant point is that 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. If Hitler had had the talents and the temperament of a genuine artist, if Stalin had had the capacity to become a first-rate theoretician, if Napoleon had had the makings of a great poet or philosopher they would hardly have developed the all-consuming lust for absolute power.
Freedom gives us a chance to realize our human and individual uniqueness. Absolute power can also bestow uniqueness: to have absolute power is to have the power to reduce all the people around us to puppets, robots, toys, or animals, and be the only man in sight. Absolute power achieves uniqueness by dehumanizing others.

To sum up: Those who lack the capacity to achieve much in an atmosphere of freedom will clamor for power.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Working and Thinking on the Waterfront, Journal entry (28 March 1959)(1969)

Hoffer, Eric -- Entry (1954) in “Eric Hoffer and the Art of the Notebook” by Tom Bethell, Harper’s Magazine (July 2005)

Dave — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 14:17:44 +0000

How terribly hard and almost impossible it is to tell the truth. More than anything else, the artist in us prevents us from telling aught as it really happened. We deal with the truth as the cook deals with meat and vegetables.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Entry (1954) in “Eric Hoffer and the Art of the Notebook” by Tom Bethell, Harper’s Magazine (July 2005)

Hoffer, Eric -- Entry (1954) in “Eric Hoffer and the Art of the Notebook” by Tom Bethell, Harper’s Magazine (July 2005)

Dave — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 15:45:06 +0000

A multitude of words is probably the most formidable means of blurring and obscuring thought. There is no thought, however momentous, that cannot be expressed lucidly in 200 words.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Entry (1954) in “Eric Hoffer and the Art of the Notebook” by Tom Bethell, Harper’s Magazine (July 2005)

Hoffer, Eric -- Entry (1955) in “Eric Hoffer and the Art of the Notebook” by Tom Bethell, Harper’s Magazine (July 2005)

Dave — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 15:02:08 +0000

Our doubts about ourselves cannot be banished except by working at that which is the one and only thing we know we ought to do. Other people’s assertions cannot silence the howling dirge within us. It is our talents rusting unused within us that secrete the poison of self-doubt into our bloodstream.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Entry (1955) in “Eric Hoffer and the Art of the Notebook” by Tom Bethell, Harper’s Magazine (July 2005)

Hoffer, Eric -- Entry (1955) in “Eric Hoffer and the Art of the Notebook” by Tom Bethell, Harper’s Magazine (July 2005)

Dave — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 02:34:44 +0000

We are ready to die for an opinion but not for a fact: indeed, it is by our readiness to die that we try to prove the factualness of our opinion.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Entry (1955) in “Eric Hoffer and the Art of the Notebook” by Tom Bethell, Harper’s Magazine (July 2005)

Hoffer, Eric -- Entry (1957) in “Eric Hoffer and the Art of the Notebook” by Tom Bethell, Harper’s Magazine (July 2005)

Dave — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 13:02:52 +0000

Good writing, like gold, combines lustrous lucidity with high density. What this means is good writing is packed with hints.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Entry (1957) in “Eric Hoffer and the Art of the Notebook” by Tom Bethell, Harper’s Magazine (July 2005)

Hoffer, Eric -- Entry (1967) in “Eric Hoffer and the Art of the Notebook” by Tom Bethell, Harper’s Magazine (July 2005)

Dave — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 13:54:16 +0000

Some people have no original ideas because they do not think well enough of themselves to consider their ideas worth noticing and developing.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Entry (1967) in “Eric Hoffer and the Art of the Notebook” by Tom Bethell, Harper’s Magazine (July 2005)

Hoffer, Eric -- Letter to Mrs. Blumberg (27 Sep 1977)

Dave — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:27:11 +0000

There is not an idea that cannot be expressed in 200 words. But the writer must know precisely what he wants to say. If you have nothing to say and want badly to say it, then all the words in all the dictionaries will not suffice.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Letter to Mrs. Blumberg (27 Sep 1977)

Hoffer, Eric -- Letter to Mrs. Blumberg (27 Sep 1977)

Dave — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 14:02:47 +0000

Wordiness is a sickness of American writing. Too many words dilute and blur ideas.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Letter to Mrs. Blumberg (27 Sep 1977)

Hoffer, Eric -- Notebook Entry (1953)

Dave — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 16:11:42 +0000

The sense of worth derived from creative work depends upon “recognition” by others, which is never automatic. As a result, the path of self-realization, even when it is the only open one, is taken with reluctance. Men of talent have to be goaded to engage in creative work. The groans and laments of even the most gifted and prolific echo through the ages.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Notebook Entry (1953)

In "Eric Hoffer and the Art of the Notebook" by Tom Bethell, Harper's Magazine (July 2005).

Hoffer, Eric -- Notebook Entry (1954)

Dave — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 15:42:54 +0000

In products of the human mind, simplicity marks the end of a process of refining, while complexity marks a primitive stage. Michelangelo’s definition of art as the purgation of superfluities suggests that the creative effort consists largely in the elimination of that which complicates and confuses a pattern.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Notebook Entry (1954)

In "Eric Hoffer and the Art of the Notebook" by Tom Bethell, Harper's Magazine (July 2005)