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About this quote

What does it mean?
Humanity advances through questioning rather than just answering; stagnation comes from stopping the questioning impulse.
In plain terms
Progress happens when we ask questions, not just when we have answers.
What can you take from it?
Cultivate curiosity to prevent personal or societal stagnation.

Where it applies

  • education
  • research
  • community building

Putting it to work

  • teaching methods
  • innovation strategies
  • critical thinking

Questions to consider

  • Do I ask enough questions?
  • What stops me from asking?

Another view

Sometimes too much questioning without action can also lead to paralysis.

More from Eric Hoffer

  1. Lack of sensitivity is perhaps basically an unawareness of ourselves.

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  2. Man is a luxury loving animal. Take away play, fancies, and luxuries, and you will turn man into a dull, sluggish creature, barely energetic enough to obtain a…

    Permalink to quote #180
  3. It is the individual alone who is timeless. The individual's hungers, anxieties, dreams, and preoccupations have remained unchanged throughout the millennia.

    Permalink to quote #177

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