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Eric Hoffer

Eric Hoffer Quotes

Philosopher

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Famous Eric Hoffer Quotes

“The monstrous evils of the twentieth century have shown us that the greediest money grubbers are gentle doves compared with money-hating wolves like Lenin, Stalin, and Hitler, who in less than three decades killed or maimed nearly a hundred million men, women, and children and brought untold suffering to a large portion of mankind.”

MenChildrenSufferingHateThreeEvilMillionsMankindCenturyHundredDecadesGentlePortionsTwentieth CenturyMen WomenMonstrousDoveStalin And Hitler
Book:Between the Devil and the Dragon: The Best Essays and Aphorisms of Eric Hoffer
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“The most effective way to silence our guilty conscience is to convince ourselves and others that those we have sinned against are indeed depraved creatures, deserving every punishment, even extermination. We cannot pity those we have wronged, nor can we be indifferent toward them. We must hate and persecute them or else leave the door open to self-contempt.”

WaySelfHateSilenceDoorsCreaturesConsciencePunishmentPityGuiltyConvinceContemptIndifferentDeservingDepravedWrongedExterminationGuilty Conscience
Author:Eric Hoffer
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“The Americans are poor haters in international affairs because of their innate feeling of superiority over all foreigners. An American's hatred for a fellow American is far more virulent than any antipathy he can work up against foreigners. Should Americans begin to hate foreigners wholeheartedly, it will be an indication that they have lost confidence in their own way of life.”

WayShouldFeelingsHateLostPoorHatredFellowsAffairInternationalSuperiorityInnateForeignersIndicationWholeheartedlyAntipathyInternational AffairsLost Confidence
Author:Eric Hoffer
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“The weak are not a noble breed. Their sublime deeds of faith, daring, and self-sacrifice usually spring from questionable motives. The weak hate not wickedness but weakness; and one instance of their hatred of weakness is hatred of self. All the passionate pursuits of the weak are in some degree a striving to escape, blur, or disguise an unwanted self. It is a striving shot through with malice, envy, self-deception, and a host of petty impulses; yet it often culminates in superb achievements.”

SelfHateSacrificeDegreesAchievementSpringWeaknessShotsWeakHatredStrivePassionateDeedsEnvyNoblePursuitInstanceDeceptionImpulseMotiveHostDaringDisguiseSublimeWickednessPettyMaliceSelf DeceptionSelf SacrificeBlurUnwantedQuestionableSuperb
Book:The Ordeal of Change
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“A sublime religion inevitably generates a strong feeling of guilt. There is an unavoidable contrast between loftiness of profession and imperfection of practice. And, as one would expect, the feeling of guilt promotes hate and brazenness. Thus it seems that the more sublime the faith the more virulent the hatred it breeds.”

FeelingsSeemsHateStrongPracticeHatredGuiltProfessionImperfectionContrastSublimeStrong Feeling
Book:THE TRUE BELIEVER
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“The remarkable thing is that we really love our neighbor as ourselves: we do unto others as we do unto ourselves. We hate others when we hate ourselves. We are tolerant toward others when we tolerate ourselves. We forgive others when we forgive ourselves. We are prone to sacrifice others when we are ready to sacrifice ourselves.”

LoveHateAttitudeSacrificeReadyForgivenessAngerForgivingNeighborRemarkableTolerateSelf SacrificeAnger ManagementSacrifice For OthersDo Unto OthersInspirational ForgivenessAnger And ForgivenessLove SacrificeLove And Sacrifice
Book:The Passionate State of Mind
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“Religion is not a matter of God, church, holy cause, etc. These are but accessories. The source of religious preoccupation is in the self, or rather the rejection of the self. Dedication in the obverse side of self-rejection. Man alone is a religious animal because, as Montaigne points out, it is a malady confined to man, and not seen in any other creature, to hate and despise ourselves.”

MenSelfMatterReligionHateCausesSidesChurchReligiousAnimalSourceHolyCreaturesRejectionEtcDespiseDedicationConfinedPreoccupationAccessoriesMalady
Book:The Passionate State of Mind
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“There is no telling to what extremes of cruelty and ruthlessness a man will go when he is freed from the fears, hesitations, doubts and the vague stirrings of decency that go with individual judgement. When we lose our individual independence in the corporateness of a mass movement, we find a new freedom- freedom to hate, bully, lie, torture, murder and betray without shame and remorse. Herein undoubtedly lies part of the attractiveness of a mass movement”

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