Eric Hoffer Quotes
The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.
In a time of drastic change it is the learners who inherit the future. The learned usually find themselves equipped to live in a world that no longer exists.
A man can be himself only so long as he is alone, and if he does not love solitude, he will not love freedom, for it is only when he is alone that he is really free.
We are more prone to generalize the bad than the good. We assume that the bad is more potent and contagious.
The feeling of being hurried is not usually the result of living a full life and having no time. It is, rather, born of a vague fear that we are wasting our life.
The leaders who work most effectively, it seems to me, never say ‘I.’ And that’s not because they have trained themselves not to say ‘I.’ They don’t think ‘I.’ They think ‘we’; they think ‘team.’
To be aware of one’s loneliness, and admit it, is one of the hardest things any living creature can do.
The fear of becoming a ‘has-been’ keeps some people from becoming anything.
We do not know what tomorrow will bring. It is a mystery, and yet we continue to move forward, with hope and faith in our hearts.
The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings.
All the world’s a stage, and most of us are desperately unrehearsed.
A life ruled by reason is a life cut off from mystery and wonder. Embrace the irrational, for within it lies true wisdom.
To refuse awards is another way of accepting them with more noise than is normal. I did not deserve the Nobel Peace Prize, but I have it.
We feel free when we escape, even if it be but from the frying pan to the fire.
To be fully alive is to have an aesthetic perception of life because a major part of the world’s goodness lies in its often unspeakable beauty.
A man’s conscience, like a warning line on the highway, tells him what he shouldn’t do – but it does not keep him from doing it.
The only way to predict the future is to have power to shape it.
It still holds true that man is most uniquely human when he turns obstacles into opportunities.
The weakness of a soul is proportionate to the number of truths that must be kept from it.
The less justified a man is in claiming excellence for his own self, the more ready he is to claim all excellence for his nation, his religion, his race, or his holy cause.
Man’s vanity may well be the greatest engine of his soul’s destruction.
The search for happiness is one of the main sources of unhappiness.
It is easier to love humanity as a whole than to love one’s neighbor.
That which corrodes the souls of the persecuted is the monstrous inner agreement with the prevailing prejudice against them.
The beginning of thought is in disagreement.
When people are free to do as they please, they usually imitate each other.
Hatred is the coward’s revenge for being intimidated.
Our passionate preoccupation with the sky, the stars, and a God somewhere in outer space is a homing impulse.
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.
To treat a person as a mere means to an end is to violate their dignity and deny their humanity.
A society in which people can be marked as ‘enemies’ based on their race, religion, or nationality is a breeding ground for hatred and violence.
Our basic ideas about ourselves and the world are largely formed in childhood, but we have the power to challenge and reshape them as we grow.
When we seek to understand others, we learn not only about them, but about ourselves as well.
It is not success or failure that defines us, but how we respond to both.
Our ability to adapt and embrace change is what separates us from the rest of the animal kingdom.
It is better to be passionate about something, even if it brings pain, than to feel nothing at all.
The true measure of a person’s character is not how they treat their friends, but how they treat their enemies.
The greatest tragedy is not the presence of evil in the world, but the absence of good.
In the face of injustice, we must have the courage to speak out and take action.
We can choose to be victims or we can choose to be agents of change. The choice is ours.
Our beliefs shape our reality, so it is important to examine them critically and be open to new perspectives.
The pursuit of knowledge is a lifelong journey, and the more we learn, the more we realize how much there is to discover.
The meaning of life is not found in the accumulation of wealth or fame, but in the relationships we form and the impact we have on others.
The only true way to find happiness is to be true to oneself and live in alignment with one’s values.
Every adversity contains the seed of an equal or greater opportunity.
Suffering can either break us or make us stronger. It is up to us to choose.
The most valuable thing in life is not what we possess, but who we become.
Success is not measured by how much we have, but by how much we give.
The greatest freedom is not the absence of limitations, but the ability to choose how we respond to them.
We are all connected, and our actions have far-reaching consequences. Let us strive to make a positive impact on the world.