The game of history is usually played by the best and the worst over the heads of the majority in the middle. Eric Hoffer on history
Disappointment is a sort of bankruptcy - the bankruptcy of a soul that expends too much in hope and expectation. Eric Hoffer on hope
It is the around-the-corner brand of hope that prompts people to action, while the distant hope acts as an opiate. Eric Hoffer on hope
We are least open to precise knowledge concerning the things we are most vehement about. Eric Hoffer on knowledge
Charlatanism of some degree is indispensable to effective leadership. Eric Hoffer on leadership
In times of change learners inherit the earth while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists. Eric Hoffer on learning
It is easier to love humanity as a whole than to love one's neighbor. Eric Hoffer on love
The savior who wants to turn men into angels is as much a hater of human nature as the totalitarian despot who wants to turn them into puppets. Eric Hoffer on men
The savior who wants to turn men into angels is as much a hater of human nature as the totalitarian despot who wants to turn them into puppets. Eric Hoffer on nature
Creativity is the ability to introduce order into the randomness of nature. Eric Hoffer on nature
Man was nature's mistake she neglected to finish him and she has never ceased paying for her mistake. Eric Hoffer on nature
Our sense of power is more vivid when we break a man's spirit than when we win his heart. Eric Hoffer on power
The only way to predict the future is to have power to shape the future. Eric Hoffer on power
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 on power
It is by its promise of a sense of power that evil often attracts the weak. Eric Hoffer on power
It is remarkable by how much a pinch of malice enhances the penetrating power of an idea or an opinion. Our ears, it seems, are wonderfully attuned to sneers and evil reports about our fellow men. Eric Hoffer on power
To know a person's religion we need not listen to his profession of faith but must find his brand of intolerance. Eric Hoffer on religion
One of the marks of a truly vigorous society is the ability to dispense with passion as a midwife of action - the ability to pass directly from thought to action. Eric Hoffer on society
There would be no society if living together depended upon understanding each other. Eric Hoffer on society
Rudeness is a weak imitation of strength. Eric Hoffer on strength