Eric Hoffer

It was the craving to be a one and only people which impelled the ancient Hebrews to invent a one and only God whose one and only people they were to be.

— Eric Hoffer people

It is probablythat everything it touches. It corrupts , , , , labor unions and so on. But business also corrupts and undermines monolithic .is at its liberating best in a noncapitalist environment.

— Eric Hoffer men

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

— Eric Hoffer writing

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 haveto say and want badly to say it, then all the words in all the dictionaries will not suffice.

— Eric Hoffer words

It isif the oppressed ever fight for . They fight forand— power to oppress others. The oppressed want above all to imitate their oppressors; they want to retaliate.

— Eric Hoffer power

If anybody asks me what I have accomplished, I will say all I have accomplished is that I have written a fewsentences.

— Eric Hoffer body

in a is to a considerable extent a substitute for the lost faith in .

— Eric Hoffer faith

(1951)

— Eric Hoffer

The less justified ais in claiming excellence for his own , the more ready he is to claim all excellence for his , his , hisor his holy cause.

— Eric Hoffer excellence

It is startling to realize how much unbelief is necessary to makepossible. What we know as blind faith is sustained by innumerable unbeliefs.

— Eric Hoffer faith

The opposite of the is not the fanaticalbut the gentlewho cares not whether there is aor not.

— Eric Hoffer care

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

— Eric Hoffer belief

Passionatecan give meaning andto an empty ...

— Eric Hoffer meaning

The awareness of their individual blemishes and shortcomings inclines the frustrated to detect ill will and meanness in their fellow men.

— Eric Hoffer war

True loyalty betweenis possible only in a loose and relatively.

— Eric Hoffer ya

For though ours is a godless age, it is the very opposite of irreligious. The true believer is everywhere on the march, and both by converting and antagonizing he is shaping thein his own image. And whether we are to line up with him or against him, it is well that we should know all we can concerning hisand potentialities.

— Eric Hoffer god

Part One: The Appeal of Mass Movements

— Eric Hoffer art

Whenandare 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 thewhich follows them. It is as if ivied maidens and garlanded youths were to herald theof the .

— Eric Hoffer hope

A man is likely to mind his ownwhen 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 people

There is no doubt that in exchanging a self-centered for a selflesswe gain enormously in self-esteem. Theof the selfless, even those who practice utmost , is boundless.

— Eric Hoffer self-esteem

There is a fundamental difference between the appeal of a mass movement and the appeal of a practical organization. The practical organization offers opportunities for -advancement, and its appeal is mainly to self-interest. On the other hand, a mass movement, particularly in its active, revivalist phase, appeals not to those intent on bolstering and advancing a cherished self, but to those who crave to be rid of an unwanted self. A mass movement attracts and holds a following not because it can satisfy the desire for self-advancement, but because it can satisfy the passion for self-.

— Eric Hoffer art

When our individual interests and prospects do not seem worth living for, we are in desperate need for something apart from us to live for. All forms of dedication, devotion, loyalty and self-surrender are in essence a desperate clinging to something which might give worth and meaning to our futile, spoiled lives.

— Eric Hoffer art

Part Two: The Potential Converts

— Eric Hoffer art

Theon the borderline of starvation live purposeful lives. To be engaged in a desperate struggle for food and shelter is to be wholly free from a sense of futility.

— Eric Hoffer purpose

Unless ahasto make something of himself,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 , "to be free from ." It was not sheerwhen the rank-and-file Nazis declared themselves notof all the enormities they had committed. They considered themselves cheated and maligned when made to shoulder responsibility fororders. Had they not joined the Nazi movement in order to be free from ?

— Eric Hoffer freedom

Those who see their lives as spoiled and wasted craveand fraternity more than they do freedom. If they clamor for freedom, it is but freedom to establish equality and uniformity. Thefor equality is partly a passion for : to be one thread of the many which make up a tunic; one thread not distinguishable from the others. No one can then point us out, measure us against others and expose our inferiority.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 ruthlessto which the individual is continually subjected in a free .

— Eric Hoffer freedom

Where freedom is real, equality is the passion of the masses. Where equality is real, freedom is the passion of a small .

— Eric Hoffer freedom

Part Three: United Action and Self-Sacrifice

— Eric Hoffer art

in the management of practical affairs seems to be a qualification for success in the management of public affairs.

— Eric Hoffer success

It is startling to realize how much unbelief is necessary to makepossible. What we know as blindis sustained by innumerable unbeliefs.

— Eric Hoffer art

We can be only about things we do not understand. A doctrine that is understood is shorn of its .

— Eric Hoffer

The urge to escape our real self is also an urge to escape theand the obvious. The refusal to see ourselves as we are develops a distaste forand cold . There is nofor the frustrated in the actual and the possible. Salvation can come to them only from the , which seeps through a crack in the iron wall of inexorable . They ask to be deceived. Whatsaid of the Germans is true of the frustrated in general: "[They] pray not only for [their] daily bread, but also for [their] daily illusion." Theseems to be that those who find difficulty in deceiving themselves are easily deceived by others. They are easily persuaded and led.

— Eric Hoffer self

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

— Eric Hoffer belief

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

— Eric Hoffer guilt

It is easier toanwith muchin him than one who is all bad. We cannot hate those we despise. The Japanese had an advantage over us in that they admired us more than we admired them. They could hate us more fervently than we could hate them. The Americans are poor haters in international affairs because of their innateof superiority over all foreigners. An American's hatred for a fellow American (foror ) is far more virulent than any antipathy he can work up against foreigners. It is of interest that the backward South shows more xenophobia than the rest of the country. Should Americans begin to hate foreigners wholeheartedly, it will be an indication that they have lostin their own way of life.

— Eric Hoffer life

Passionate hatred can give meaning andto an empty life. Thushaunted 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 life

Charlatanism of some degree is indispensable to effective . There can be no mass movement without some deliberate misrepresentation of facts.

— Eric Hoffer men

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 faith

Theseems to be thaton its own cannotits way into unwilling ; 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 justifiesalready 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 art

Theof 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 men

Collectiveis not the result of the brotherlyof the faithful for each other. The loyalty of the true believer is to the whole — the church, party, nation — and not to his fellow true believer. True loyalty betweenis possible only in a loose and relatively.

— Eric Hoffer faith

Not yet placed by section (These have been cited as being from The True Believer but without sectional citations):

— Eric Hoffer lie

People whose lives are barren and insecure seem to show a greater willingness tothan people who are self-sufficient and self-confident. To the frustrated,fromis more attractive than freedom from restraint. They are eager to barter their independence for relief of the burdens of willing, deciding and being responsible for inevitable failure. They willingly abdicate the directing of their lives to those who want to plan, command and shoulder all responsibility.

— Eric Hoffer freedom

The autonomous , striving to realize himself and prove his , has createdthat isin , , ,and . The autonomous individual, also, when he can neither realize himself nor justify his existence by his own efforts, is a breeding call of frustration, and the seed of the convulsions which shake ourto its foundations.

— Eric Hoffer self

It has often been said thatcorrupts. But it is perhaps equally important to realize that , too, corrupts. Power corrupts the few, while weakness corrupts the many. , , rudeness, intolerance, andare the faults of weakness.

— Eric Hoffer man

The fanatical believer is not conscious of his , malice, pettiness and . There is a wall ofbetween his consciousness and his real .

— Eric Hoffer believe

The real "haves" are they who can acquire , self-confidence, and even riches without depriving others of them. They acquire all of these by developing and applying their potentialities.

— Eric Hoffer self

Theininsist that it isthat is sick, and they are the surgeons to operate on it.

— Eric Hoffer

is probably the only antitoxin of the soul. Where there is compassion even the most poisonous impulses remain relatively harmless.

— Eric Hoffer soul

There are many who find a good alibi far more attractive than an achievement.

— Eric Hoffer men

To know a person'swe need not listen to his profession ofbut must find his brand of intolerance.

— Eric Hoffer need

Rudeness is the weak man'sof .

— Eric Hoffer man

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 ourof worthlessness.

— Eric Hoffer happiness

Every extreme attitude is a flight from the .

— Eric Hoffer light

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 attitude

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

— Eric Hoffer people

Pride is aofderived from something that is not organically part of us, while self-esteem derives from the potentialities and achievements of the . We are proud when we identify ourselves with an imaginary self, a leader, a holy cause, a collective body or possessions. There isand intolerance in pride; it is sensitive and uncompromising. The less promise and potency in the self, the more imperative is the need for pride. The core of pride is self-rejection. It is true that when pride releases energies and serves as a spur to achievement, it can lead to a reconciliation with the self and the attainment of genuine self-esteem.

— Eric Hoffer art

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

— Eric Hoffer art

It has often been said thatcorrupts. But it is perhaps equally important to realize that , 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 power

alone is satisfied with what He is and can proclaim: "I am what I am." Unlike God,strives with all his might to be what he is not. He incessantly proclaims: "I am what I am not."

— Eric Hoffer alone

To most of us nothing is so invisible as an unpleasant . Though it is held before our eyes, pushed under our noses, rammed down our throats — we know it not.

— Eric Hoffer eyes

The weakness of ais proportionate to the number of truths that must be kept from it.

— Eric Hoffer truth

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 , , pettiness and . There is a wall of words between his consciousness and his real self.

— Eric Hoffer words

We lie loudest when we lie to ourselves.

— Eric Hoffer lie

Those in possession of absolute power can not only prophesy and make their prophecies come true, but they can also lie and make their lies come true.

— Eric Hoffer power

When we believe ourselves in possession of the only truth, we are likely to be indifferent to common everyday truths.

— Eric Hoffer truth

Modern man is weighed down more by the burden ofthan by the burden of . We think him more a savior who shoulders our responsibilities than him who shoulders our sins. If instead of making decisions we have but to obey and do our duty, we feel it as a sort of salvation.

— Eric Hoffer man

The remarkable thing is that we reallyour neighbor as ourselves: we do unto others as we do unto ourselves. Weothers when we hate ourselves. We aretoward others when we tolerate ourselves. Weothers when we forgive ourselves. We are prone toothers 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 love

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 they who cannot have aught except by depriving others of it. They can feel free only by diminishing the freedom of others, self-confident by spreadingandamong others, and rich by making others .

— Eric Hoffer freedom

can become its own motive. We are made kind by being kind.

— Eric Hoffer being

The sick ininsist that it isthat 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 humanity

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 , and pass immediately to the extermination of the Jews, is a prescription likely to find a wide acceptance.

— Eric Hoffer acceptance

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.... It is thus with most of us: we are what other people say we are. We know ourselves chiefly by hearsay.

— Eric Hoffer people

is probably the only antitoxin of the . Where there is compassion even the most poisonous impulses remain relatively harmless. One would rather see the world run by men who set theironbut are accessible to , than by men animated by lofty ideals whose dedication makes them ruthless. In the chemistry of man's soul, almost allattributes — , , , , , , etc. — can be transmuted into ruthlessness. Compassion alone stands apart from the continuous traffic betweenandproceeding within us.

— Eric Hoffer art

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— it is an evil government.

— Eric Hoffer life

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

— Eric Hoffer war

No one is truly literate who cannot read his own .

— Eric Hoffer read

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 life

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

— Eric Hoffer mind

With some people solitariness is an escape not from others but from themselves. For they see in theof others only a reflection of themselves.

— Eric Hoffer people

To know a person'swe need not listen to his profession of faith but must find his brand of intolerance.

— Eric Hoffer faith

Add a few drops of venom to a half truth and you have an absolute truth.

— Eric Hoffer truth

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

— Eric Hoffer

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

— Eric Hoffer fear

Take away hatred from some people, and you have men without faith.

— Eric Hoffer faith

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

— Eric Hoffer time

Not yet placed by section (These have been cited as being from The Passionate State of Mind but without sectional citations):

— Eric Hoffer wit

A preoccupation with thenot only prevents us from seeing theas it is but often prompts us to rearrange the . (1954), p. 75

— Eric Hoffer wit

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

— Eric Hoffer fear

The basic test of freedom is perhaps less in what we are free to do than in what we are free not to do. A ruling intelligentsia, whether in Europe, Asia or Africa, treats the masses as raw material to be experimented on, processed, and wasted at will.

— Eric Hoffer freedom

Vehemence is the expression of a blind effort to support and uphold something that can never stand on its own... Whether it 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 faith

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.

— Eric Hoffer power

The beginning ofis in disagreement — not only with others but also with ourselves.

— Eric Hoffer men

It is when power is wedded to chronic fear that it becomes formidable.

— Eric Hoffer fear

It is easier to as a whole than to love one's neighbor.

— Eric Hoffer love

Some of the worst tyrannies of our day genuinely are "vowed" to the service of , yet can function only by pitting neighbor against neighbor. The all-seeing eye of aregime is usually the watchful eye of the next-door neighbor.

— Eric Hoffer service

Not only does the intellectual's penchant for tutoring, directing, and regulating promote a regimented social pattern, but his craving for the momentous is bound to foster an austere seriousness inhospitable to the full play of .

— Eric Hoffer men

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