It is often the failure who is the pioneer in new lands, new undertakings, and new forms of expression. Eric Hoffer
It is always safe to assume that people are more subtle and less sensitive than they seem. Eric Hoffer
It is by its promise of an occult sense of power that evil often attracts the weak. Eric Hoffer
It sometimes seems that intense desire creates not only its own opportunities, but its own talents. Eric Hoffer
You can discover what your enemy fears most by observing the means he uses to frighten you. Eric Hoffer
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
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. Eric Hoffer
Capitalism is at its liberating best in a non-capitalist environment. The crypto-businessman is the true revolutionary in a Communist country. Eric Hoffer
Absolute faith corrupts as absolutely as absolute power. Eric Hoffer
Every extreme attitude is a flight from the self. Eric Hoffer
You can never get enough of what you don’t need to make you happy. Eric Hoffer
Action is at bottom a swinging and flailing of the arms to regain one’s balance and keep afloat. Eric Hoffer
The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings. Eric Hoffer
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
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
The search for happiness is one of the chief sources of unhappiness. Eric Hoffer
Many of the insights of the saint stem from his experience as a sinner. Eric Hoffer
The resentment of the weak does not spring from any injustice done to them but from the sense of their inadequacy and impotence. They hate not wickedness but weakness. When it is in their power to do so, the weak destroy weakness wherever they see it. Eric Hoffer
A dissenting minority feels free only when it can impose its will on the majority: what it abominates most is the dissent of the majority. Eric Hoffer
Man is the only creature that strives to surpass himself, and yearns for the impossible. Eric Hoffer
Propaganda does not deceive people; it merely helps them to deceive themselves. Eric Hoffer
There would be no society if living together depended upon understanding each other. Eric Hoffer
How much easier is self-sacrifice than self-realization! Eric Hoffer
To spell out the obvious is often to call it in question. Eric Hoffer
The necessary has never been man’s top priority. The passionate pursuit of the nonessential and the extravagant is one of the chief traits of human uniqueness. Eric Hoffer
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
Sensuality reconciles us with the human race. The misanthropy of the old is due in large part to the fading of the magic glow of desire. Eric Hoffer
Our greatest weariness comes from work not done. Eric Hoffer
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. Eric Hoffer
The pleasure we derive from doing favours is partly in the feeling it gives us that we are not altogether worthless. It is a pleasant surprise to ourselves. Eric Hoffer
There is no loneliness greater than the loneliness of a failure. The failure is a stranger in his own house. Eric Hoffer
The end comes when we no longer talk with ourselves. It is the end of genuine thinking and the beginning of the final loneliness. Eric Hoffer
It is the fate of every great achievement to be pounced upon by pedants and imitators who drain it of life and turn it into an orthodoxy which stifles all stirrings of originality. Eric Hoffer
Rudeness is the weak man’s imitation of strength. Eric Hoffer
The uncompromising attitude is more indicative of an inner uncertainty than a deep conviction. The implacable stand is directed more against the doubt within than the assailant without. Eric Hoffer
Compassion is the antitoxin of the soul: where there is compassion even the most poisonous impulses remain relatively harmless. Eric Hoffer
The beginning of thought is in disagreement – not only with others but also with ourselves. Eric Hoffer
Creativity is discontent translated into arts. Eric Hoffer