To our real, naked selves there is not a thing on earth or in heaven worth dying for. It is only when we see ourselves as actors in a staged (and therefore unreal) performance that death loses its frightfulness and finality and becomes an act of make-believe and a theatrical gesture. It is one of the main tasks of a real leader to mask the grim reality of dying and killing by evoking in his followers the illusion that they are participating in a grandiose spectacle, a solemn or lighthearted dramatic performance.
Eric HofferWe have rudiments of reverence for the human body, but we consider as nothing the rape of the human mind.
Eric HofferThose who lack the capacity to achieve much in an atmosphere of freedom will clamor for power.
Eric HofferOften, the thing we pursue most passionately is but a substitute for the one thing we really want and cannot have.
Eric Hoffer