--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The fanatic is not really a stickler to…" description: "\"The fanatic is not really a stickler to principle. He embraces a cause not primarily because of its justness or holiness but because of his desperate n..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5f/eric-hoffer-343_causes_the-fanatic-is-not-really-a-stickler-to_3130845.jpg" --- # The fanatic is not really a stickler to principle. He… ![“The fanatic is not really a stickler to principle. He embraces a cause not primarily because of its justness or holiness but because of his desperate need for something to hold onto.” quote by Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5f/eric-hoffer-343_causes_the-fanatic-is-not-really-a-stickler-to_3130845.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5f/eric-hoffer-343_causes_the-fanatic-is-not-really-a-stickler-to_3130845.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5f/eric-hoffer-343_causes_the-fanatic-is-not-really-a-stickler-to_3130845.jpg) > “The fanatic is not really a stickler to principle. He embraces a cause not primarily because of its justness or holiness but because of his desperate need for something to hold onto.” [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote explains that fanaticism often stems from personal desperation for stability, not from genuine belief in a cause’s moral value. **In simple terms:** Fanatics cling to causes for personal need, not principle. Key Takeaway Examine personal motivations behind strong convictions. Themes fanaticism psychology belief motivation Mood analytical cautious Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - political movements - religious sects - cult recruitment - social activism - personal crises Key Concepts need for belonging identity social influence psychological coping Questions to Reflect On - Why do people seek causes for personal security? - Can fanaticism ever be rooted in true principle? A Different Perspective It may ignore genuine ideological commitment in some cases. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Causes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/causes/) [Desperate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desperate/) [Embrace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/embrace/) [Embraces Cause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/embraces-cause-5537160/) [Fanatic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fanatic/) [Fanatic Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fanatic-really-5537158/) [Fanaticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fanaticism/) [Fanatics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fanatics/) [Holiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holiness/) [Holiness Desperate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holiness-desperate-5537161/) [Integrity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/integrity/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Principle Embraces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principle-embraces-5537159/) [Principles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principles/) [Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society/) ## Related quotes > [“Fanatics are those who, when following a doctrine becomes inconvenient, make up rules of their own.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathryn-louis/fanatics-are-those-who-when-following-a-doctrine-becomes-inconvenient/) [Cathryn Louis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathryn-louis/) > [There is nobody as enslaved as the fanatic, the person in whom one impulse, one value, has assumed ascendancy over all others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-sapirstein/there-is-nobody-as-enslaved-as-the-fanatic-the-person-in-whom-one/) [Milton Sapirstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-sapirstein/) > [I am a fanatic! I feel a power within me...a fire that I may not quench, but must keep ablaze.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/i-am-a-fanatic-i-feel-a-power-within-me-a-fire-that-i-may-not-quench/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [I'd been a fanatic of movies since I was a wee lad, so I got into the films before I got into the comics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-helman/i-d-been-a-fanatic-of-movies-since-i-was-a-wee-lad-so-i-got-into-the/) [Josh Helman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-helman/) > [I didn't really grow up a comic book fanatic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-ritchson/i-didn-t-really-grow-up-a-comic-book-fanatic/) [Alan Ritchson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-ritchson/) > [The fanatic has the courage of his conviction and the intolerance of his courage. He is opposed to the death penalty for murder, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-bailey-aldrich/the-fanatic-has-the-courage-of-his-conviction-and-the-intolerance-of/) [Thomas Bailey Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-bailey-aldrich/) > [I think about fanaticism - oblivion awaits, especially for minor writers, so you have to be a fanatic; you have to be a crank…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-ozick/i-think-about-fanaticism-oblivion-awaits-especially-for-minor-writers/) [Cynthia Ozick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-ozick/) > [I'm not a truthiness fanatic, I'm truthiness's father.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/i-m-not-a-truthiness-fanatic-i-m-truthiness-s-father/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [Ive always been a health fanatic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raquel-welch/ive-always-been-a-health-fanatic/) [Raquel Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raquel-welch/) > [I am a hip-hop fanatic, and rock fanatic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-masterson/i-am-a-hip-hop-fanatic-and-rock-fanatic/) [Danny Masterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-masterson/) > [I think there was a petition online to get me involved in Doctor Who. Im not a Doctor Who fanatic, but I am a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-bellman/i-think-there-was-a-petition-online-to-get-me-involved-in-doctor-who/) [Gina Bellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-bellman/) > [A religious fanatic is somebody who knows Jesus Christ better than you do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-kaat/a-religious-fanatic-is-somebody-who-knows-jesus-christ-better-than/) [Jim Kaat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-kaat/) > [I Am More Spiritual Than Religious; Besides I Am Not A Fanatic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aamir-khan/i-am-more-spiritual-than-religious-besides-i-am-not-a-fanatic/) [Aamir Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aamir-khan/) > [I'm a London fanatic. That's my city. I love being from there, you don't appreciate it until you go out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boyega/i-m-a-london-fanatic-that-s-my-city-i-love-being-from-there-you-don-t/) [John Boyega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boyega/) > [I didnt really grow up a comic book fanatic. I was a big baseball player, and my passion in life, in third grade, was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-ritchson/i-didnt-really-grow-up-a-comic-book-fanatic-i-was-a-big-baseball/) [Alan Ritchson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-ritchson/) ## More by Eric Hoffer > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [When grubbing for necessities man is still an animal. 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Compassion alone stands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/in-the-alchemy-of-man-s-soul-almost-all-noble-attributes-courage/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [The act of self-denial seems to confer on us the right to be harsh and merciless toward others. The impression somehow prevails that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-act-of-self-denial-seems-to-confer-on-us-the-right-to-be-harsh/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [A nation without dregs and malcontents, is orderly, decent, peaceful and pleasant, but perhaps without the seed of things to come](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/a-nation-without-dregs-and-malcontents-is-orderly-decent-peaceful-and/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Compassion alone stands apart from the continuous traffic between good and evil proceeding within us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/compassion-alone-stands-apart-from-the-continuous-traffic-between/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [There are many who find a good alibi far more attractive than an achievement. For an achievement does not settle anything permanently. We still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/there-are-many-who-find-a-good-alibi-far-more-attractive-than-an/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [A war is not won if the defeated enemy has not been turned into a friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/a-war-is-not-won-if-the-defeated-enemy-has-not-been-turned-into-a/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Man is the only creature that strives to surpass himself, and yearns for the impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/man-is-the-only-creature-that-strives-to-surpass-himself-and-yearns/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [This food-and-shelter theory concerning man's efforts is without insight. 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