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 judgment.
Eric HofferImitation is often a shortcut to a solution. We copy when we lack the inclination, the ability or the time to work out an independent solution. People in a hurry will imitate more readily than people at leisure. Hustling thus tends to produce uniformity. And in the deliberate fusing of individuals into a compact group, incessant action will play a considerable role.
Eric HofferA soul that is reluctant to share does not as a rule have much of its own. Miserliness is here a symptom of meagerness.
Eric HofferHe who has nothing and wants something is less frustrated than he who has something and wants more.
Eric HofferTo lose one's life is but to lose the present; and, clearly, to lose a defiled, worthless present is not to lose much.
Eric HofferMarriage 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.
Eric Hoffer