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May 19, 2010

Eric Hoffer

From today's Brainy Quotes feed:

We lie loudest when we lie to ourselves.
Eric Hoffer



The name seemed vaguely familiar, so I had to do a Google Search

Eric Hoffer
(July 25, 1902 – May 21, 1983)
was an American social writer and philosopher. He produced ten books and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in February 1983 by President of the United States Ronald Reagan. His first book, The True Believer, published in 1951, was widely recognized as a classic, receiving critical acclaim from both scholars and laymen, although Hoffer believed that his book The Ordeal of Change was his finest work.

Though Hoffer did not identify with "liberal intellectuals" and often criticized the radical ideology of many activists of the New Left, it would be wrong to characterize Hoffer's thinking as being "conservative."

Hoffer is referred to as a "longshoreman philosopher".



Many of his quotes are profound and possess a dagger of truth, especially this one:

"A dissenting minority feels free only when it can impose its will on the majority: what it abominates most is the dissent of the majority."

Eric Hoffer in Wikiquote

I'm off to the library to see if they have any of his published works. From what I can see from my cursory search, I agree with many of his viewpoints.

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