Eric Hoffer Humility Quotations

Nationalist pride, like other variants of pride, can be a substitute for self-respect.

Self-righteousness is a loud din raised to drown the voice of guilt within us.

There is no doubt that in exchanging a self-centered for a selfless life we gain enormously in self-esteem. The vanity of the selfless, even those who practice utmost humility, is boundless.

Humility is not renunciation of pride but the substitution of one pride for another.

The burning conviction that we have a holy duty towards others is often a way of attaching our drowning selves to a passing raft. What looks like a giving hand is often a holding on for dear life. Take away our holy duties and you leave our lives puny and meaningless. There is no doubt that in exchanging a self-centered for a selfless life we gain enormously in self-esteem. The vanity of the selfless, even those who practice utmost humility, is boundless.

The less justified a man is in claiming excellence for his own self, the more ready is he to claim all excellence for his nation, his religion, his race or his holy cause.

There is a guilty conscience behind every brazen word and act and behind every manifestation of self-righteousness.