The link between ideas and action is rarely direct. There is almost always an intermediate step in which the idea is overcome. De Tocqueville points out that it is at times when passions start to govern human affairs that ideas are most obviously translated into political action. The translation of ideas into action is usually in the hands of people least likely to follow rational motives. Hence, it is that action is often the nemesis of ideas, and sometimes of the men who formulate them. One of the marks of the truly vigorous society is the ability to dispense with passion as a midwife of action - the ability to pass directly from thought to action.

Famous Quotes / Eric Hoffer

Authors: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Eric Hoffer: "The link between ideas and action is rarely direct. There is almost always an intermediate step in which the idea is overcome. De Tocqueville points out that it is at times when passions start to govern human affairs that ideas are most obviously translated into political action. The translation of ideas into action is usually in the hands of people least likely to follow rational motives. Hence, it is that action is often the nemesis of ideas, and sometimes of the men who formulate them. One of the marks of the truly vigorous society is the ability to dispense with passion as a midwife of action - the ability to pass directly from thought to action."

Quotations about

Ability	Action	Affairs	Almost
Direct	Directly	Dispense	Follow
Formulate	Govern	Hands	Hence
Human	Idea	Ideas	Intermediate
Into	Least	Likely	Link
Marks	Midwife	Most	Motives
Nemesis	Obviously	Often	Overcome
Pass	Passion	Passions	People
Points	Political	Rarely	Rational
Society	Sometimes	Start	Step
Them	Thought	Times	Tocqueville
Translated	Translation	Truly	Usually
Vigorous

Quotes by Power Quotations

The link between ideas and action is rarely direct. There is almost always an intermediate step in which the idea is overcome. De Tocqueville points out that it is at times when passions start to govern human affairs that ideas are most obviously translated into political action. The translation of ideas into action is usually in the hands of people least likely to follow rational motives. Hence, it is that action is often the nemesis of ideas, and sometimes of the men who formulate them. One of the marks of the truly vigorous society is the ability to dispense with passion as a midwife of action - the ability to pass directly from thought to action. - Eric Hoffer