Eric Hoffer
Birthdate: July 25, 1902
Birthplace: New York City, New York, U.S.A.
Date of Death: May 21, 1983
Occupation: Author, Philosopher, and Social Writer
Profile: Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1983. Best known for
The True Believer.
Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Hoffer
Number of Quotes: 6
An empty head is not really empty; it is stuffed with rubbish. Hence the difficulty of forcing anything into an empty head.
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.
Our achievements speak for themselves. What we have to keep track of are our failures, discouragements,
and doubts. We tend to forget the past difficulties, the many false starts, and the painful groping.
Perhaps a modern society can remain stable only by eliminating adolescence, by giving its young, from the age
of ten, the skills, responsibilities, and rewards of grownups, and opportunites for action in all spheres of life.
Adolescence should be a time of useful action, while book learning and scholarship should be a preoccupation of adults.
The real
haves
are they who can acquire freedom, self-confidence, and even riches without depriving others
of them. They acquire all of these by developing and applying their potentialities. On the other hand, the real
have nots
are they who cannot have aught except by depriving others of it. They can feel free only by diminishing
the freedom of others, self-confident by spreading fear and dependence among others, and rich by making others poor.
Those in possession of absolute power can not only prophesy and make their prophecies come true, but they can also lie and make their lies come true.
Last on Earth
