Faith in a holy cause is to a considerable extent a substitute for lost faith in ourselves.
ERIC HOFFERUnlike the pattern which seems to prevail in the rest of life, in the human species the weak not only survive but often triumph over the strong. The self-hatred inherent in the weak unlocks energies far more formidable then those mobilized by an ordinary struggle for existence.
More Eric Hoffer Quotes
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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.
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The misery of a child is interesting to a mother, the misery of a young man is interesting to a young woman, the misery of an old man is interesting to nobody.
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Death has but one terror, that it has no tomorrow.
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Self-righteousness is a loud din raised to drown the voice of guilt within us.
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It is by its promise of a sense of power that evil often attracts the weak.
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We lie loudest when we lie to ourselves.
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All leaders strive to turn their followers into children.
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Where freedom is real, equality is the passion of the masses. Where equality is real, freedom is the passion of a small minority.
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Wise living consists perhaps less in acquiring good habits than in acquiring as few habits as possible.
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One of the chief differences between an adult and a juvenile is that the adult knows when he is an ass while the juvenile never does.
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Communists are frustrated capitalists.
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Our greatest pretenses are built up not to hide the evil and the ugly in us, but our emptiness. The hardest thing to hide is something that is not there.
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When people are free to do as they please, they usually imitate each other.
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Someone who thinks the world is always cheating him is right. He is missing that wonderful feeling of trust in someone or something.
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To learn you need a certain degree of confidence, not too much and not too little. If you have too little confidence, you will think you can’t learn. If you have too much, you will think you don’t have to learn.
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Naivete in grownups is often charming; but when coupled with vanity it is indistinguishable from stupidity.
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We see through others only when we see through ourselves.
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We are told that talent creates its own opportunities. But it sometimes seems that intense desire creates not only its own opportunities, but its own talents.
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The beginning of thought is in disagreement – not only with others but also with ourselves.
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The education explosion is producing a vast number of people who want to live significant, important lives but lack the ability to satisfy this craving for importance by individual achievement. The country is being swamped with nobodies who want to be somebodies.
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The search for happiness is one of the chief sources of unhappiness.
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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.
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It is futile to judge a kind deed by its motives. Kindness can become its own motive. We are made kind by being kind.
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Learners inherit the earth; while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.
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Rudeness is a weak imitation of strength.
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We can be absolutely certain only about things we do not understand.
ERIC HOFFER