Eric Hoffer

“In a time of drastic change it is the learners who inherit the future. The learned usually find themselves equipped to live in a world that no longer exists.”

“Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.”

“The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings.”

“The search for happiness is one of the chief sources of unhappiness.”

“Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, and eventually degenerates into a racket.”

“It is easier to love humanity as a whole than to love one's neighbor.”

“People who bite the hand that feeds them usually lick the boot that kicks them.”

“Mass movements can rise and spread without belief in a God, but never without belief in a devil.”

“To become different from what we are, we must have some awareness of what we are.”

“We can be absolutely certain only about things we do not understand.”

“A man is likely to mind his own business when it is worth minding. When it is not, he takes his mind off his own meaningless affairs by minding other people's business.”

“When people are free to do as they please, they usually imitate each other.”

“You can discover what your enemy fears most by observing the means he uses to frighten you.”

“We lie the loudest when we lie to ourselves.”

“The creative mind is a mind at play.”

“One of the surprising privileges of intellectuals is that they are free to be scandalously stupid.”

“Language was invented to ask questions. Answers may be given by grunts and gestures, but questions must be spoken.”

“It is the malady of our age that the young are so busy teaching us that they have no time left to learn.”

“Far more crucial than what we know or do not know is what we do not want to know.”