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A preoccupation with the future not only prevents us from seeing the present as it is but often prompts us to rearrange the past. (1954), p. 75

— Eric Hoffer The Passionate State Of Mind, and Other Aphorisms (1955)

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More quotes by Eric Hoffer

Mass movements can rise and spread without belief in a God, but never without belief in a devil.

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Faith in a holy cause is to a considerable extent a substitute for the lost faith in ourselves.

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The Jews are a peculiar people: things permitted to other nations are forbidden to the Jews.

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To know a person's religion we need not listen to his profession of faith but must find his brand of intolerance.

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There is hardly a single instance of cultural vigor marked by moderation in expression.

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Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Eric Hoffer (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.