Eric Hoffer

"Children are the keys of paradise."

"Compassion alone stands apart from the continuous traffic between good and evil proceeding within us."

"Creativity is the ability to introduce order into the randomness of nature."

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

"It is easier to love humanity as a whole than to love one's neighbor."

"It is often the failure who is the pioneer in new lands, new undertakings, and new forms of expression."

"Our passionate preoccupation with the sky, the stars, and a God somewhere in outer space is a homing impulse. We are drawn back to where we came from."

"Our sense of power is more vivid when we break a man's spirit than when we win his heart."

"Rudeness is a weak imitation of strength."

"Someone who thinks the world is always cheating him is right. He is missing that wonderful feeling of trust in someone or something."

"Take away hatred from some people, and you have men without faith."

"The only way to predict the future is to have power to shape the future."

"The savior who wants to turn men into angels is as much a hater of human nature as the totalitarian despot who wants to turn them into puppets."

"There is no loneliness greater than the loneliness of a failure. The failure is a stranger in his own house."

"Those in possession of absolute power can not only prophesy and make their prophecies come true, but they can also lie and make their lies come true."

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

"We do not really feel grateful toward those who make our dreams come true; they ruin our dreams."