Eric Hoffer Quotes

Certainly we've seen the enormous changes across the whole of the Middle East. The democratic genie is out of the bottle.

Revolution always unfolds inside an atmosphere of rising expectations.

Revolution is not a one time event.

Revolutions are the locomotives of history.

A revolution is impossible without a revolutionary situation; furthermore, not every revolutionary situation leads to revolution.

The Arab world is ripe for internal revolution like the USSR and China in the past decade.

Revolutions never go backward.

Let us not be so naive as to think that revolution is just a matter of social or economic discontent.

Revolutions are never peaceful.

This is an inevitable and easily recognizable stage in every revolutionary movement: reformers must expect to be disowned by those who are only too happy to enjoy what has been won for them.

A revolution without a prior reformation would collapse or become a totalitarian tyranny. A reformation means that masses of our people have reached the point of disillusionment with past ways and values. They don't know what will work but they do know that the prevailing system is self-defeating, frustrating, and hopeless. They won't act for change but won't strongly oppose those who do. The time is then ripe for revolution

It is bad governments, not bad people, who cause revolutions.

The wind of revolutions is not tractable.

As far as world war goes, there are really only two possibilities: either war provokes revolution, or revolution averts war.

A revolution in itself is not a blessing.

You say you want a revolution? Well, you know. We all want to change the world.

A revolutionist is one who desires to discard the existing social order and try another.

There are but three ways for the populace to escape its wretched lot. The first two are by the routes of the wine-shop or the church; the third is by that of the social revolution.

It seems acceptable today to scream for revolution, without any concept of what will follow it. This is just what the forces at large want, for who will follow a man who doesn't know where he's going?

Revolutions are like the most noxious dungheaps, which bring into life the noblest vegetables.

We must remember, elections are short-term efforts. Revolutions are long-term projects.

We have the right of revolution. Revolution does not always have to be weapons and warfare; it's also about revolutionary ideas.

I do think that our culture or our psyche as a country I guess, the world or whatever, we're due for a huge event. We're due for a little bit of a revolution or a spotlight or a movement. Something that feels large, something that feels like the 60s. Some sort of unification.

Marx says that revolutions are the locomotives of world history. But the situation may be quite different. Perhaps revolutions are not the train ride, but the human race grabbing for the emergency brake.

What produces the general good is always terrible or seems bizarre when begun too soon. The Revolution must stop when it has perfected public happiness and liberty through the laws.