“That which is unique and worthwhile in us makes itself felt only in flashes. If we do not know how to catch and savor the flashes we are without growth and exhilaration.”

— Eric Hoffer

Also quoted in Between the Devil and the Dragon : The Best Essays and Aphorisms of Eric Hoffer (1982)
Reflections on the Human Condition (1973)

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American philosopher 1898–1983

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“Originality is not something continuous but something intermittent — a flash of the briefest duration. One must have the time and be watchful (be attuned) to catch the flash and fix it.”

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Context: Originality is not something continuous but something intermittent — a flash of the briefest duration. One must have the time and be watchful (be attuned) to catch the flash and fix it. One must know how to catch and preserve these scant flakes of gold sluiced out of the sand and rocks of everyday life. Originality does not come nugget-size.

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1911