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Fanatical orthodoxy is in all movements a late development. It comes when the movement is in full possession of power and can impose its faith by force as well as by persuasion.

— Eric Hoffer The True Believer (1951)

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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.

The True Believer (1951)

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

The True Believer (1951)

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

Israel's Peculiar Position (1968)

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

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

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

Eric Hoffer and the Art of the Notebook (2005)

All Eric Hoffer quotes →

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.