The True Believer (Harper & Row printing of the 1951 book)

Eric Hoffer · c. 1951

Eric Hoffer did not write this page.

Every claim below was made in this book, quoted word for word and numbered in the order the piece makes them, so you can read it there rather than take our word for it. The book prints chapter headings its extracted text does not preserve, so the claims below are in the book's order but not grouped. The sentence above each quote is our reading of the claim, not their wording. Each quote was checked against a stored copy of the page at build time; where the two differ, the quote is the fact.

Our reading
Faith in a holy cause largely substitutes for lost faith in ourselves

Their wordsFaith in a holy cause is to a considerable extent a substitute for the lost faith in ourselves.
Our reading
The less excellence people can claim for themselves, the more they claim for their nation, race or cause

Their wordsThe less justified a man is in claiming excellence for his own self, the more ready is he to claim all excellence for his nation, his religion, his race or his holy cause.
Our reading
Hatred is the most accessible and comprehensive unifying agent

Their wordsHatred is the most accessible and comprehensive of all unifying agents.
Our reading
A mass movement's vigor comes from its followers' readiness for united action and self-sacrifice

Their wordsThe vigor of a mass movement stems from the propensity of its followers for united action and self-sacrifice.
Our reading
Mass movements hold followers by offering refuge from a meaningless individual life, not by doctrine

Their wordsA rising mass movement attracts and holds a following not by its doctrine and promises but by the refuge it offers from the anxieties, barrenness and meaninglessness of an individual existence.
Our reading
Freedom aggravates frustration at least as much as it relieves it

Their wordsFreedom aggravates at least as much as it alleviates frustration.

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