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Man is the only creature that strives to surpass himself, and yearns for the impossible.

Eric Hoffer

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Eric Hoffer
Age: 84 †
Born: 1898
Born: July 25
Died: 1983
Died: May 21
Philosopher
Psychologist
Writer
New York City
New York
Work
Surpass
Men
Strives
Strife
Creature
Strive
Ambition
Creatures
Yearns
Impossible
Surpassing

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The fear of becoming a 'has-been' keeps some people from becoming anything.
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The capacity for getting along with our neighbor depends to a large extent on the capacity for getting along with ourselves. The self-respecting individual will try to be as tolerant of his neighbor's shortcomings as he is of his own.
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The effectiveness of a doctrine does not come from its meaning but from its certitude. No doctrine however profound and sublime will be effective unless it is presented as the embodiment of the one and only truth
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...in the shaping of a life, chance and the ability to respond to chance are everything.
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Self-esteem and self-contempt have specific odors they can be smelled.
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Communists are frustrated capitalists.
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Judgment consists not in seeing through deceptions and evil intentions, but in being able to awaken the decency dormant in every person.
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However much we guard against it, we tend to shape ourselves in the image others have of us.
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To make of human affairs a coherent, precise, predictable whole one must ignore or suppress man as he really is. It is by eliminating man from their equation that the makers of history can predict the future, and the writers of history can give a pattern to the past.
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Perhaps our originality manifests itself most strikingly in what we do with that which we did not originate. To discover something wholly new can be a matter of chance, of idle tinkering, or even of the chronic dissatisfaction of the untalented.
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Whenever we proclaim the uniqueness of a religion , a truth , a leader, a nation, a race, a part or a holy cause, we are also proclaiming our own uniqueness.
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People whose lives are barren and insecure seem to show a greater willingness to obey than people who are self-sufficient and self-confident. To the frustrated, freedom from responsibility is more attractive than freedom from restraint.
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Fair play is primarily not blaming others for anything that is wrong with us.
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It is easier to hate an enemy with much good in him than one who is all bad. We cannot hate those we despise.
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Our doubts about ourselves cannot be banished except by working at that which is the one and only thing we know we ought to do. Other people's assertions cannot silence the howling dirge within us. It is our talents rusting unused within us that secrete the poison of self-doubt into our bloodstream.
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Failure in the management of practical affairs seems to be a qualification for success in the management of public affairs.
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This food-and-shelter theory concerning man's efforts is without insight. The desire for praise is more imperative than the desire for food and shelter
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Unlimited opportunities can be as potent a cause of frustration as a paucity or lack of opportunities.
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It is not at all simple to understand the simple.
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The world leans on us. When we sag, the whole world seems to droop.
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