Eric Hoffer

Eric Hoffer

37 quotes

As an American moral and social conservative philosopher, Eric Hoffer earned a lasting place in the canon of memorable quotations. Whether reflecting on Power or Faith, Eric Hoffer brought uncommon clarity to every subject. Our collection holds 44 quotes from Eric Hoffer, each offering a different angle on Power, Faith, Nature, Society, and Hope. Perhaps their most recognizable line: "It is by its promise of a sense of power that evil often attracts the weak."

“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

Men

All Quotes by Eric Hoffer

“Many of the insights of the saint stem from their experience as sinners.”

— Eric Hoffer

Experience

“Compassion alone stands apart from the continuous traffic between good and evil proceeding within us.”

— Eric Hoffer

Alone

“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

“It is often the failure who is the pioneer in new lands, new undertakings, and new forms of expression.”

— Eric Hoffer

Failure

“It is a sign of creeping inner death when we can no longer praise the living.”

— Eric Hoffer

Death

“Faith in a holy cause is to a considerable extent a substitute for lost faith in ourselves.”

— Eric Hoffer

Faith

“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

Society

“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

Men

“Someone who thinks the world is always cheating him is right. He is missing that wonderful feeling of trust in someone or something.”

— Eric Hoffer

Trust

“Our sense of power is more vivid when we break a man's spirit than when we win his heart.”

— Eric Hoffer

Power

“We have perhaps a natural fear of ends. We would rather be always on the way than arrive. Given the means, we hang on to them and often forget the ends.”

— Eric Hoffer

Fear

“The only way to predict the future is to have power to shape the future.”

— Eric Hoffer

Future

“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

Change

“The best part of the art of living is to know how to grow old gracefully.”

— Eric Hoffer

Art

“We are least open to precise knowledge concerning the things we are most vehement about.”

— Eric Hoffer

Knowledge

“The fear of becoming a 'has-been' keeps some people from becoming anything.”

— Eric Hoffer

Fear

“Charlatanism of some degree is indispensable to effective leadership.”

— Eric Hoffer

Leadership

“Creativity is the ability to introduce order into the randomness of nature.”

— Eric Hoffer

Nature

“To know a person's religion we need not listen to his profession of faith but must find his brand of intolerance.”

— Eric Hoffer

Faith

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

— Eric Hoffer

Truth