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Between the Devil and the Dragon: The Best Essays and Aphorisms of Eric Hoffer

Book by Eric Hoffer · 7 quotes · Men, Self, Humans

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Between the Devil and the Dragon: The Best Essays and Aphorisms of Eric Hoffer Quotes

“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.”

DoeStillsTodaySpeakAchieveProveAchievementYesterdaySettlingFixedAttractiveEach Day
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“They who lack talent expect things to happen without effort. They ascribe failure to a lack of inspiration or ability, or to misfortune, rather than to insufficient application. At the core of every true talent there is an awareness of the difficulties inherent in any achievement, and the confidence that by persistence and patience something worthwhile will be realized. Thus talent is a species of vigor.”

InspirationHappensAbilityEffortAwarenessTalentFailureAchievementDifficultySpeciesCorePersistenceMisfortunesApplicationWorthwhileInherentVigorInsufficientVery True
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“Our achievements speak for themselves. What we have to keep track of are our failures, discouragements and doubts. We tend to forget the past difficulties, the many false starts, and the painful groping. We see our past achievements as the end results of a clean forward thrust, and our present difficulties as signs of decline and decay.”

EndsPainPastSpeakForgetResultsCourageDoubtAchievementDifficultyCleanTrackPainfulDeclineDecayOur PastThrustDiscouragementEnd ResultsForget The Past
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“The remarkable thing is that it is the crowded life that is most easily remembered. A life full of turns, achievements, disappointments, surprises, and crises is a life full of landmarks. The empty life has even its few details blurred, and cannot be remembered with certainty.”

TurnsAchievementEmptyCrisisSurpriseDisappointmentDetailsCertaintyRememberedRemarkableAutobiographyCrowdedLandmarksEmpty Life
Book:Between the Devil and the Dragon: The Best Essays and Aphorisms of Eric Hoffer
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