Eric Hoffer
Longshoreman and social philosopher (1902 to 1983, by his own account of his birth) whose The True Believer (1951) argued that mass movements draw frustrated people who seek to escape themselves, whatever the movement's doctrine.
Eric Hoffer did not write this page.
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Their wordsFaith in a holy cause is to a considerable extent a substitute for the lost faith in ourselves.
↗The True Believer (Harper & Row printing of the 1951 book)archive.org All 6 from this book
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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.
↗The True Believer (Harper & Row printing of the 1951 book)archive.org All 6 from this book
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Their wordsHatred is the most accessible and comprehensive of all unifying agents.
↗The True Believer (Harper & Row printing of the 1951 book)archive.org All 6 from this book
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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.
↗The True Believer (Harper & Row printing of the 1951 book)archive.org All 6 from this book
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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.
↗The True Believer (Harper & Row printing of the 1951 book)archive.org All 6 from this book
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Their wordsFreedom aggravates at least as much as it alleviates frustration.
↗The True Believer (Harper & Row printing of the 1951 book)archive.org All 6 from this book