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Eric Hoffer

Eric Hoffer Quotes

Philosopher

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Famous Eric Hoffer Quotes

“A rising mass movement attracts and holds a following not by its doctrine and promises but by the refuge it offers from the anxieties, barrenness and meaningless of an individual existence. It cures the poignantly frustrated not by conferring upon them an absolute truth or by remedying the difficulties and abuses which made their lives miserable, but by freeing them from their ineffectual selves and it does this by enfolding and absorbing them into a closely knit and exultant corporate whole.”

DoeMadeSelfWholeIndividualExistenceSocietyMovementPromiseOffersAnxietyMassAbuseDifficultyAbsolutesFollowingDoctrineCuresMiserableCorporateRisingMeaninglessFrustratedRefugeAbsorbingAbsolute TruthTrue Believer
Book:Between the Devil and the Dragon: The Best Essays and Aphorisms of Eric Hoffer
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“The vigor of a mass movement stems from the propensity of its followers for united action and self-sacrifice. When we ascribe the success of a movement to its faith, doctrine, propaganda, leadership, ruthlessness and so on, we are but referring to instruments of unification and to means used to inculcate a readiness for self-sacrifice. It is perhaps impossible to understand the nature of a mass movement unless it is recognized that their chief preoccupation is to foster, perfect and perpetuate a facility for united action and self-sacrifice.”

MeanSelfActionUsedPerfectUnitedImpossibleSacrificeSocietyMovementMassInstrumentsDoctrineChiefsPropagandaFollowersStemFacilityReadinessSelf SacrificeVigorReferringPreoccupationPropensityUnificationRuthlessness
Book:THE TRUE BELIEVER
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“Poverty when coupled with creativeness is usually free of frustration. This is true of the poor artisan skilled in his trade and of the poor writer, artist, and scientist in the full possession of creative powers. Nothing so bolsters our self-confidence and reconciles us with ourselves as the continuous ability to create; to see things grow and develop under our hand, day in, day out. The decline of handicrafts in modern times is perhaps one of the causes for the rise of frustration and the increased susceptibility of the individual to mass movements.”

SelfHandsArtistIndividualGrowsCausesAbilityPoorPovertyCreativeModernMovementMassScientistTradePossessionSelf ConfidenceFrustrationDeclineReconcileModern TimesCreative PowerCreativenessArtisansSusceptibilityHandicrafts
Book:THE TRUE BELIEVER
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“All mass movements strive, therefore, to interpose a fact-proof screen between the faithful and the realities of the world. They do this by claiming that the ultimate and absolute truth is already embodied in their doctrine and that there is no truth nor certitude outside it. The facts on which the true believer bases his conclusions must not be derived from his experience or observation but from holy writ.”

WorldFactsRealityMovementHolyTruth IsMassUltimateBasesAbsolutesStriveProofScreensBelieverDoctrineConclusionObservationFaithfulAbsolute TruthTrue BelieverCertitude
Book:Between the Devil and the Dragon: The Best Essays and Aphorisms of Eric Hoffer
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“Unless a man has the talents to make something of himself, freedom is an irksome burden. We join a mass movement to escape from individual responsibility, or, in the words of an ardent young Nazi, to be free from freedom. It was not sheer hypocrisy when the rank-and-file Nazis declared themselves not guilty of all the enormities they had committed. They considered themselves cheated and maligned when made to shoulder responsibility for obeying orders. Had they not joined the Nazi movement in order to be free from responsibility?”

MenMadeYoungOrderIndividualResponsibilityAtheismTalentMovementMassCommittedBurdenPositive AtheismShouldersGuiltyHypocrisySheerNaziFilesCheatedArdentObeyingNot GuiltyIndividual Responsibility
Author:Eric Hoffer
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“The quality of ideas seems to play a minor role in mass movement leadership. What counts is the arrogant gesture, the complete disregard of the opinion of others, the singlehanded defiance of the world.”

WorldIdeasPlaySeemsQualityOpinionRolesMovementMassGesturesArrogantMinorsDefianceDisregard
Book:Between the Devil and the Dragon: The Best Essays and Aphorisms of Eric Hoffer
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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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“Unless a man has talents to make something of himself, freedom is an irksome burden. Of what avail is freedom to choose if the self be ineffectual? We join a mass movement to escape individual responsibility, or, in the words of the ardent young Nazi, "to be free from freedom."”

IfsMenSelfYoungIndividualResponsibilityHistoryTalentMovementMassBurdenNaziNazismArdentNazi GermanyFreedom To ChooseIndividual Responsibility
Book:Between the Devil and the Dragon: The Best Essays and Aphorisms of Eric Hoffer
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“Starting out from the fact that the frustrated predominate among the early adherents of all mass movements and that they usually join of their own accord, it is assumed: 1) that frustration of itself, without any proselytizing prompting from the outside, can generate most of the peculiar characteristics of the true believer; 2) that an effective technique of conversion consists basically in the inculcation and fixation of proclivities and responses indigenous to the frustrated mind.”

MindFactsMovementMassResponseStartingTechniqueBelieverConversionCharacteristicsFrustrationPeculiarFrustratedIndigenousAccordTrue BelieverStarting OutFixationProselytizing
Book:Between the Devil and the Dragon: The Best Essays and Aphorisms of Eric Hoffer
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“All mass movements generate in their adherents a readiness to die and a proclivity for united action; all of them, irrespective of the doctrine they preach and the program they project, breed fanaticism, enthusiasm, fervent hope, hatred and intolerance; all of them are capable of releasing a powerful flow of activity in certain departments of life; all of them demand blind faith and singlehearted allegiance.”

ActionCertainDiesUnitedPowerfulSocietyMovementActivityDemandProjectsMassCapableProgramFlowHatredBlindDoctrineEnthusiasmDepartmentIntoleranceFanaticismAllegianceReadinessBlind FaithFervent
Book:THE TRUE BELIEVER
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“Marriage has for women many equivalents of joining a mass movement. It offers them a new purpose in life, a new future and a new identity (a new name). The boredom of spinsters and of women who can no longer find joy and fulfillment in marriage stems from an awareness of a barren, spoiled life. By embracing a holy cause and dedicating their energies and substance to its advancement, they find a new life full of purpose and meaning.”

JoyPurposeNamesEnergyCausesMarriageAwarenessMovementIdentityHolyOffersMassSubstanceFulfillmentBoredomPurpose Of LifeStemNew LifeAdvancementJoiningSpoiledBarrenSpinstersPurpose And MeaningNew Future
Book:THE TRUE BELIEVER
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