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 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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We can be absolutely certain only about things we do not understand.
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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.
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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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The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings.
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Absolute faith corrupts as absolutely as absolute power.
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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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Jesus was not a Christian, nor was Marx a Marxist.
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All leaders strive to turn their followers into children.
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Anger is a prelude to courage.
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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.
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The ratio between supervisory and producing personnel is always highest where the intellectuals are in power. In a Communist country it takes half the population to supervise the other half.
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The future belongs to the learners-not the knowers.
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We lie loudest when we lie to ourselves.
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Propaganda does not deceive people; it merely helps them to deceive themselves.
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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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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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What monstrosities would walk the streets were some people’s faces as unfinished as their minds.
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A great man’s greatest good luck is to die at the right time.
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Take away hatred from some people, and you have men without faith.
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The beginning of thought is in disagreement – not only with others but also with ourselves.
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The hardest thing to cope with is not selfishness or vanity or deceitfulness, but sheer stupidity.
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Those who would sacrifice a generation to realize an ideal are the enemies of mankind.
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Communists are frustrated capitalists.
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The history of this country was made largely by people who wanted to be left alone. Those who could not thrive when left to themselves never felt at ease in America.
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You can discover what your enemy fears most by observing the means he uses to frighten you.
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We all have private ails. The troublemakers are they who need public cures for their private ails.
ERIC HOFFER