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Eric Hoffer on Independence Day

1902–1983 United States

← All quotes by Eric Hoffer

6 quotes

Those who lack the capacity to achieve much in an atmosphere of freedom will clamor for power.

Working and Thinking on the Waterfront (1969)

Unless a man has talents to make something of himself, freedom is an irksome burden.

The True Believer (1951)

Freedom gives us a chance to realize our human and individual uniqueness.

Working and Thinking on the Waterfront (1969)

There can be no freedom without freedom to fail.

The Ordeal of Change (1963)

The rejection of approximations and the insistence on absolutes are the manifestation of a nihilism that loathes freedom, tolerance, and equity.

The Temper of Our Time (1967)

The significant point is that people unfit for freedom — who cannot do much with it — are hungry for power. The desire for freedom is an attribute of a "have" type of self. It says: leave me alone and I shall grow, learn, and realize my capacities.

Working and Thinking on the Waterfront (1969)

Attribution

Quotes and notes from Wikiquote: Eric Hoffer (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.