The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings.
Interpretation
Appreciating the good things in life can be more challenging than it seems.
This quote by Eric Hoffer emphasizes the importance of gratitude and self-awareness in our lives. It suggests that recognizing and valuing our blessings is a complex task that requires introspection and a mindset focused on positivity, rather than merely counting material possessions or achievements.
In practice
This quote can inspire a discussion on gratitude during a personal development workshop.
Language was invented to ask questions. Answers may be given by grunts and gestures, but questions must be spoken. Humanness came of age when man asked the first question. Social stagnation results not from a lack of answers but from the absence of the impulse to ask questions.
Faith in humanity, in posterity, in the destiny of one's religion, nation, race, party or family-what is it but the visualization of that eternal something to which we attach the self that is about to be annihilated?
You can discover what your enemy fears most by observing the means he uses to frighten you.
Our frustration is greater when we have much and want more than when we have nothing and want some. We are less dissatisfied when we lack many things than when we seem to lack but one thing.
Our credulity is greatest concerning the things we know least about.
Perhaps a modern society can remain stable only by eliminating adolescence, by giving its young, from the age of ten, the skills, responsibilities, and rewards of grownups, and opportunities for action in all spheres of life. Adolescence should be a time of useful action, while book learning and scholarship should be a preoccupation of adults.
Facts are facts and will not disappear on account of your likes.
When the spirit shines, even foggy skies make pleasant light.
Find ecstasy within yourself. It is not out there. It is in your innermost flowering. The one you are looking for is you.
Remember: no attachment should grow, no clinging should grow. They are all against your independence, your freedom, your individuality.
It is not in numbers, but in unity, that our great strength lies.
Having a million-dollar net worth doesn't make you a genius, and having less than a million-dollar net worth doesn't make you a fool.
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