Eric Hoffer Quotes
The less justified a man is in claiming excellence for his own self, the more ready he is to claim all excellence for his nation, his religion, his race or his holy cause.
Eric Hoffer, 1902-1983, Philosopher and Critic, The True Believer, 1951
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
This phrase is most likely taken from Bernard Shaw, see {47059}
The French have for over 1000 years had a nationalistic ego that was, compared to other countries, very extreme. Highly nationalistic Frenchmen have almost always felt that the French were not proud enough of their exalted role in the history of human civilization. De Gaulle was the most extreme but Chevenement was not too far behind.
For variations on this theme see Stephen Decatur, Meyer London, John Jordan Crittendon and Carl Schurtz
Faction was the then common word for political party. James Madison frequently used the word in this sense. See {606044}.
Obama was the first sitting president to ever use the actual phrase. Others had talked about the concept but never used the words.
This quotation is often incorrectly given as “Patriotism is the religion of Hell.”
Eric Hoffer was an American moral and social philosopher. He was the author of ten books and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in February 1983. His first book, The True Believer (1951), was widely recognized as a classic, receiving critical acclaim from both scholars and laymen, although Hoffer believed that The Ordeal of Change was his finest work.
