Hoffer earned his living as a dishwasher, lumberjack, and migrant farmworker before becoming a San Francisco stevedore in 1943. Entirely self-educated and always an avid reader, he published his first and most influential book, The True Believer , in 1951. 2 Eric Hoffer set an example for us by pursuing knowledge wherever it took him. Amusing Observations Eric Hoffer lived a simple life, so he was not bound by the need to cater to social norms or the need to put on airs.
Every new adjustment is a crisis in self-esteem.
This ability to be dispassionate toward himself was also reflected in his knack for confronting issues directly, and no doubt contributed to his ability to do pioneering studies into mass-movement psychology. His writings often have a humorous quality about them, and yet his acerbic wit indicates that he is beholden to none. To spell out the obvious is often to call it into question. The issues of fanaticism and mass-movement psychology had never been addressed in a comprehensive and systematic manner until Eric Hoffer studied it. According to Eric Hoffer, it may not be a sacrifice at all.