Eric Hoffer

Quotes are word for word from the source.

• Clarity of thought

  “There is not an idea that cannot be expressed in 200 words. But the writer must know precisely what he wants to say.”

  Our noteHoffer explaining the importance of knowing one's message.

• Maintaining self-esteem

  “The maintenance of self-esteem is a continuous task which taxes all of the individual's powers and inner resources. We have to prove our worth and justify our existence anew each day.”

  Our noteHoffer writing about the autonomous individual's struggle.

• Self deception

  “We lie loudest when we lie to ourselves.”

  Our noteA short observation on the intensity of internal dishonesty.

• Internal literacy

  “No one is truly literate who cannot read his own heart.”

  Our noteDefining true literacy as the ability to understand one's own motivations.

• Unemployed intellectuals

  “Nothing is so unsettling to a social order as the presence of a mass of scribes without suitable employment and an acknowledged status.”

  Our noteHe explains the danger of having many educated people without clear roles in society.

• Managing the untalented

  “Actually, it is the ability to give scope to the untalented that is most vital in maintaining social stability.”

  Our noteHoffer argues that social stability depends on how a system treats those without special talents.

• Fate of movements

  “Up to now, America has not been a good milieu for the rise of a mass movement. What starts out here as a mass movement ends up as a racket, a cult, or a corporation.”

  Our noteHoffer observes how social movements in America tend to become institutionalized or commercialized.

• The nature of freedom

  “The desire for freedom is an attribute of a "have" type of self. It says: leave me alone and I shall grow, learn, and realize my capacities.”

  Our noteHoffer compared the desire for freedom with the desire for power.

• Talent as persistence

  “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.”

  Our noteDiscussing why talent requires effort and application rather than just inspiration.

• Thinking as caricature

  “To think out a problem is not unlike drawing a caricature. You have to exaggerate the salient point and leave out that which is not typical.”

  Our noteExplaining the process of illustrating a principle by focusing on salient points.

• Persistence in thinking

  “What counts most is holding on. The growth of a train of thought is not a direct forward flow. There is a succession of spurts separated by intervals of stagnation, frustration, and discouragement.”

  Our noteHoffer explains that intellectual progress requires enduring periods of frustration.