It is the around-the-corner brand of hope that prompts people to action, while the distant hope acts as an opiate.
Eric HofferOne might equate growing up with a mistrust of words. A mature person trusts his eyes more than his ears. Irrationality often manifests itself in upholding the word against the evidence of the eyes. Children, savages and true believers remember far less what they have seen than what they have heard.
Eric HofferWhen we debunk a fanatical faith or prejudice, we do not strike at the root of fanaticism. We merely prevent its leaking out at a certain point, with the likely result that it will leak out at some other point.
Eric HofferIt is compassion rather than the principle of justice which can guard us against being unjust to our fellow men.
Eric Hoffer