The True Believer

Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements

By: Eric Hoffer

Narrated by: Fred Sanders

“Its theme is political fanaticism, with which it deals severely and brilliantly.” —New Yorker

The famous bestseller with “concise insight into what drives the mind of the fanatic and the dynamics of a mass movement” (Wall Street Journal) by the legendary San Francisco longshoreman.

A stevedore on the San Francisco docks in the 1940s, Eric Hoffer wrote philosophical treatises in his spare time while living in the railroad yards. The True Believer—the first and most famous of his books—was made into a bestseller when President Eisenhower cited it during one of the earliest television press conferences.

Called a “brilliant and original inquiry” and “a genuine contribution to our social thought” by Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., this landmark in the field of social psychology is completely relevant and essential for understanding the world today as it delivers a visionary, highly provocative look into the mind of the fanatic and a penetrating study of how an individual becomes one.

©2011 Eric Hoffer (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers

Warning – frustrated humans will follow whoever promises to end frustration.

This was a very thought-provoking book. I wish I’d read it 40 years ago. It explains a lot about politics at every level, local, national, international, formal, and informal.

Packed with wisdom

This book is full of gems that stretch your mind. Brilliant breathe of historical examples.

A MUST READ especially if you’re a curious intellectual

A master piece that insightfully breaks down human nature in ways I hadn’t thought of. I’d give it more than 5 stars if that was an option.

Old truths can be more accurate than new truth

That a 75 year old observation is still accurate today — many parts could have been written after 2022

A Modern Masterpiece of Sociology

An outstanding series of meditations on the phenomena of mass movements - how they begin and why their adherents join. No one comes close, in my opinion, in explaining these events as well as Hoffer does.

Narration by Fred Sanders is clear and not rushed. Excellent.

Very Good if a little biased

Over all I think that Mr. Hoffer makes some very valid points and is very informative in presenting his own theory (he admits his book is theoretical) in a very compelling manner. As someone who has been a historian for almost 20 years I can safely say that a good number of his conclusions are rather accurate.

However, I do not approve or appreciate his twisting the words of Christ to make him sound just as Pro Violence and destructive as Lenin or Marx were. It is clear from his tone that he has a certain distain for both religon and for the Political left. However he mostly stays focused on the causes of mass movements and the types of people who often gravitate towards them.

While I do not agree with all his conclusions I do give him credit for presenting an excellent (if theoretical) explenation for why movements start and who the types of people are who end to join them.

Enlightening and scary

Excellent insights into the dark side of human nature and eye opening analysis of motivations and techniques for the different players in mass movements. The idea presented is that the fanatics of a mass movements are self-loathing nihilists of the present that are substituting an “eternal” group identity for the self. Radicals and reactionaries are essentially the same with one focused on a future utopia or past glory. It is the people who are satisfied with the present with some moderate success in life that are the antidote to mass movements both radical and reactionary.

awakening

This book has made me reevaluate my beliefs. Humans are a race of groups. It would seem all groups are dynamic and prone to corruption.

Evergreen

Short and packed full of information on human nature that will always remain salient. Great vibe check on the early cold-war from someone deep in the mix.