The leader personifies the certitude of the creed and the defiance and grandeur of power. He articulates and justifies the resentment damned up in the souls of the frustrated. He kindles the vision of a breath-taking future so as to justify the sacrifice of a transitory present. He stages a world of make-believe so indispensable for the realization of self-sacrifice and united action.
Eric HofferThe true believer, no matter how rowdy and violent his acts, is basically an obedient and submissive person.
Eric HofferThere is a time when the word "eventually" has the soothing effect of a promise, and a time when the word evokes in us bitterness and scorn.
Eric HofferPeople whose lives are barren and insecure seem to show a greater willingness to obey than people who are self-sufficient and self-confident. To the frustrated, freedom from responsibility is more attractive than freedom from restraint.
Eric HofferOur greatest pretenses are built up not to hide the evil and the ugly in us, but our emptiness. The hardest thing to hide is something that is not there.
Eric Hoffer