747 Quotes by Eric Hoffer

People whose lives are barren and insecure seem to show a greater willingness to obey than people who are self-sufficient and self-confident. To the frustrated, freedom from responsibility is more attractive than freedom from restraint.

The less satisfaction we derive from being ourselves, the greater is our desire to be like others.

The individual's most vital need is to prove his worth, and this usually means an insatiable hunger for action. For it is only the few who can acquire a sense of worth by developing and employing their capacities and talents. The majority prove their worth by keeping busy.

Resistance, whether to one's appetites or to the ways of the world, is a chief factor in the shaping of character.

The short-lived self, teetering on the edge of extinction, is the only thing that can ever really matter.

There is in even the most selfish passion a large element of self-abnegation. It is startling to realize that what we call extreme self-seeking is actually self-renunciation. The miser, health addict, glory chaser and their like are not far behind the selfless in the exercise of self-sacrifice.

Somewhere between the Angels and the French lies the rest of humanity.

What are we when we are alone? Some, when they are alone, cease to exist.

The rule seems to be that those who find no difficulty in deceiving themselves are easily deceived by others. They are easily persuaded and led.