--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The real persuaders are our appetites…" description: "\"The real persuaders are our appetites, our fears and above all our vanity. The skillful propagandist stirs and coaches these internal persuaders.\" — Er..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/235/eric-hoffer-343_appetite_the-real-persuaders-are-our-appetites-ou_403647.jpg" --- # The real persuaders are our appetites, our fears and above… ![“The real persuaders are our appetites, our fears and above all our vanity. The skillful propagandist stirs and coaches these internal persuaders.” quote by Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/235/eric-hoffer-343_appetite_the-real-persuaders-are-our-appetites-ou_403647.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/235/eric-hoffer-343_appetite_the-real-persuaders-are-our-appetites-ou_403647.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/235/eric-hoffer-343_appetite_the-real-persuaders-are-our-appetites-ou_403647.jpg) > “The real persuaders are our appetites, our fears and above all our vanity. The skillful propagandist stirs and coaches these internal persuaders.” [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. Our inner drives—desire, fear, vanity—are the most powerful influencers; skilled propagandists manipulate them. **In simple terms:** Inner urges shape our decisions; manipulators exploit them. Key Takeaway Recognize and question your own motivations. Themes psychology influence human nature Mood cautious reflective Type analytical inspirational When to use this quote - political campaigns - advertising - personal relationships - leadership Key Concepts propaganda self-awareness Questions to Reflect On - What personal motives drive your choices? - How can you guard against manipulation? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on internal factors can ignore external realities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Appetite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appetite/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Persuasion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persuasion/) [Propagandist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/propagandist/) [Vanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vanity/) ## Related quotes > [When I played Ivanhoe, kids used to come along and kick me because they thought I wore armour under my clothes. When I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-moore/when-i-played-ivanhoe-kids-used-to-come-along-and-kick-me-because/) [Roger Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-moore/) > [“Action springs out of what we fundamentally desire ... and the best piece of advice which can be given to would-be persuaders, whether in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/action-springs-out-of-what-we-fundamentally-desire-and-the-best-piece/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [Yes, The Persuaders, that was great fun because one of my favourite actors is Roger Moore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/yes-the-persuaders-that-was-great-fun-because-one-of-my-favourite/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [“consider how the Hidden Persuaders employ the magic word “discover.” “Discover this new taste treat” cajoles the commercial, and one’s unconscious leaps to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/consider-how-the-hidden-persuaders-employ-the-magic-word-discover/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The use of 'conspiracy theory' as a derogatory - as an epithet almost - is something the propagandists have perfected over the decades, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-sanders/the-use-of-conspiracy-theory-as-a-derogatory-as-an-epithet-almost-is/) Chris Sanders > [But the most brilliant propagandist technique will yield no success unless one fundamental principle is borne in mind constantly and with unflagging attention. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/but-the-most-brilliant-propagandist-technique-will-yield-no-success/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [A principle familiar to propagandists is that the doctrine to be instilled in the target audience should not be articulated: that would only expose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/a-principle-familiar-to-propagandists-is-that-the-doctrine-to-be/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [This propaganda of dis-associating Western Negroes from Africa is not a new one. For many years white propagandists have been printing tons of literature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-garvey/this-propaganda-of-dis-associating-western-negroes-from-africa-is-not/) [Marcus Garvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-garvey/) > [As a teacher, as a propagandist, Mr. Shaw is no good at all, even in his own generation. But as a personality, he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-beerbohm/as-a-teacher-as-a-propagandist-mr-shaw-is-no-good-at-all-even-in-his/) [Max Beerbohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-beerbohm/) > [ I listened to Hillary \[Clinton\], and I heard the double talk. She's so good at it, and I'm not making this up, that the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-savage/i-listened-to-hillary-clinton-and-i-heard-the-double-talk-she-s-so/) [Michael Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-savage/) > [I don't want to be a propagandist, no matter how good the cause. I want to tell stories. It's just that the stories have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/i-don-t-want-to-be-a-propagandist-no-matter-how-good-the-cause-i-want/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [I shall give a propagandist reason for starting the war, no matter whether it is plausible or not. The victor will not be asked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/i-shall-give-a-propagandist-reason-for-starting-the-war-no-matter/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [The propagandist's purpose is to make one set of people forget that certain other sets of people are human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/the-propagandist-s-purpose-is-to-make-one-set-of-people-forget-that/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [The people the Republicans should reach out to are the white votes, the white voters who didn't vote in the last election. The propagandists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-schlafly/the-people-the-republicans-should-reach-out-to-are-the-white-votes/) [Phyllis Schlafly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-schlafly/) > [We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character--that is the goal of true education. The complete education gives one not only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/we-must-remember-that-intelligence-is-not-enough-intelligence-plus/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) ## 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. He becomes uniquely human when he reaches out for the superfluous and extravagant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/when-grubbing-for-necessities-man-is-still-an-animal-he-becomes/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [“We lie the loudest when we lie to ourselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/we-lie-the-loudest-when-we-lie-to-ourselves/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Our originality shows itself most strikingly not in what we wholly originate but in what we do with that which we borrow from others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/our-originality-shows-itself-most-strikingly-not-in-what-we-wholly/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [The creative mind is the playful mind. Philosophy is the play and dance of ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-creative-mind-is-the-playful-mind-philosophy-is-the-play-and/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [It is also plausible that those movements with the greatest inner contradiction and between profession and practice - that is to say with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/it-is-also-plausible-that-those-movements-with-the-greatest-inner/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [The best part of the art of living is to know how to grow old gracefully.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-best-part-of-the-art-of-living-is-to-know-how-to-grow-old/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [“In the alchemy of man's soul almost all noble attributes--courage, honor, love, hope, faith, duty, loyalty, etc.--can be transmuted into ruthlessness. 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. The desire for praise is more imperative than the desire for food and shelter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/this-food-and-shelter-theory-concerning-man-s-efforts-is-without/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) [Explore all 658 Eric Hoffer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) ## More Appetite quotes > [I could not limit my values and pursuits to what makes others comfortable. Being possessed by a promise I live without options. I will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/i-could-not-limit-my-values-and-pursuits-to-what-makes-others/) [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) > [the appetite for thinking must be regulated, as all sensible people know, for it may stifle one's life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/the-appetite-for-thinking-must-be-regulated-as-all-sensible-people/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [The more perfect the sight is the more delightful the beautiful object. The more perfect the appetite, the sweeter the food. The more musical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/the-more-perfect-the-sight-is-the-more-delightful-the-beautiful/) [Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/) > [“if you cannot control your hunger and appetite, good luck managing your blood chemistry, metabolism, waistline, and, in the bigger picture, the prospect of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-perlmutter/if-you-cannot-control-your-hunger-and-appetite-good-luck-managing/) [David Perlmutter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-perlmutter/) > [I don't think I've ever bench-pressed anything in my life. Until about two years ago I swam a mile almost every day. Then I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-antosca/i-don-t-think-i-ve-ever-bench-pressed-anything-in-my-life-until-about/) [Nick Antosca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-antosca/) > [If I had been an Italian I am sure that I should have been whole-heartedly with you from the start to finish in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/if-i-had-been-an-italian-i-am-sure-that-i-should-have-been-whole/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [It could be my British need for discipline that makes me admire the American appetite for freedom and passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-winwood/it-could-be-my-british-need-for-discipline-that-makes-me-admire-the/) [Steve Winwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-winwood/) > [My curiosity and my appetite for evolving as an actor is one of the main components of me still working today in the business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-cattrall/my-curiosity-and-my-appetite-for-evolving-as-an-actor-is-one-of-the/) [Kim Cattrall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-cattrall/) > [I have a strong appetite and its not for food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-have-a-strong-appetite-and-its-not-for-food/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The plain fact is that education is itself a form of propaganda - a deliberate scheme to outfit the pupil, not with the capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-plain-fact-is-that-education-is-itself-a-form-of-propaganda-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“You should also eat eggs. Not “one egg per week” or some such non-physiologic restriction. Eat what your body tells you to eat, since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-davis/you-should-also-eat-eggs-not-one-egg-per-week-or-some-such-non/) [William Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-davis/) > [If your desires are not great, a little will seem much to you; for small appetite makes poverty equivalent to wealth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/democritus/if-your-desires-are-not-great-a-little-will-seem-much-to-you-for/) [Democritus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/democritus/) > [When passions and appetites are stronger than the intellect, men are savages; when the intellect governs the passions, when the passions are servants, men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/when-passions-and-appetites-are-stronger-than-the-intellect-men-are/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [A pivotal spiritual attribute is that of self-mastery-th e strength to place reason over appetite. Self-mastery builds a strong conscience. And your conscience determines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-m-nelson/a-pivotal-spiritual-attribute-is-that-of-self-mastery-th-e-strength/) [Russell M. Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-m-nelson/) > [The commonest and cheapest sounds, as the barking of a dog, produce the same effect on fresh and healthy ears that the rarest music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-commonest-and-cheapest-sounds-as-the-barking-of-a-dog-produce-the/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Browse all 994 Appetite quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appetite/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The real persuaders are our appetites, our fears and above all our vanity. 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