Quote by Eric Hoffer

Our present addiction to pollsters and forecasters is a symptom of our chronic uncertainty about the future... We watch our experts read the entrails of statistical tables and graphs the way the ancients watched their soothsayers read the entrails of a chicken.

Our present addiction to pollsters and forecasters is a symp

Summary

This quote highlights the paradoxical nature of our reliance on pollsters and forecasters to predict the future. It suggests that our obsession with these experts is fueled by our inherent uncertainty and fear of what lies ahead. Comparing them to ancient soothsayers, who interpreted the innards of chickens to divine the future, it emphasizes the somewhat futile and desperate nature of seeking certainty where it may not truly exist. Ultimately, the quote implies that our addiction to these prognosticators stems from our persistent quest for reassurance in an unpredictable world.

Topics

Future

By Eric Hoffer

Liked the quote? Share it with your friends.

Random Quotations

The two most misused words in the entire English vocabulary

The two most misused words in the entire English vocabulary are love and friendship. A true friend would die for you, so when you start trying to count them on one hand, you don't need any fingers.

Friendship

I also find it interesting that a lot of people in their 30s

I also find it interesting that a lot of people in their 30s are not married and don't have kids. There are a lot of people in this age bracket that are out there dating and trying to find love. And I never thought that at my age I would be.

Age

My grandmother always taught me, 'If you don't have a home,

My grandmother always taught me, 'If you don't have a home, family, and church, you don't have anything.'

Jennifer Hudson

Home

Education is not only a ladder of opportunity, but it is als

Education is not only a ladder of opportunity, but it is also an investment in our future.

Please don't make me a joke. End the interview with what I b

Please don't make me a joke. End the interview with what I believe. I don't mind making jokes, but I don't want to look like one... I want to be an artist, an actress with integrity... If fame goes by, so long, I've had you, fame. If it goes by, I've always known it was fickle. So at least it's something I experienced, but that's not where I live.

Life Happiness Love

All publicity is good, except an obituary notice.

All publicity is good, except an obituary notice.

Brendan F. Behan

Publicity

The reward of a thing well done is having done it.

The reward of a thing well done is having done it.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Inspirational

When trying to remember my share in the glow of the eternal

When trying to remember my share in the glow of the eternal present, in the smile of God, I return to my childhood, too, for that is where the most significant discoveries turn up.

Smile

The best form of government is that which is most likely to

The best form of government is that which is most likely to prevent the greatest sum of evil.

Every formula of every religion has in this age of reason, t

Every formula of every religion has in this age of reason, to submit to the acid test of reason and universal assent.

Age Religion Tests

That business we started with 10 people has now grown into a

That business we started with 10 people has now grown into a great American success story.

All blame is a waste of time. No matter how much fault you f

All blame is a waste of time. No matter how much fault you find with another, and regardless of how much you blame him, it will not change you. The only thing blame does is to keep the focus off you when you are looking for external reasons to explain your unhappiness or frustration. You may succeed in making another feel guilty about something by blaming him, but you won't succeed in changing whatever it is about you that is making you unhappy.

Blame