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Romantic reality adds the dimension of time—it is the cutting edge of the experience, the moment in time. What you should expect instead are prolonged servings of motorcycle-speak and mechanic lingo and quasi-intellectual discussion of the term 'Quality'—what it is, what it isn't, what it means, how it works, why it matters. Most of his "Chautauquas", as he calls them, begin with, "Now I want to discuss...", such as: "I want to talk now about Phaedrus' exploration into the meaning of the term Quality, an exploration of which he saw as a route through the mountains of the spirit." (p. 168). The mystical undertones irked me here and there, but not as much as his bait-and-switch of pretending to tell a story that is really just an open-ended, self-indulgent, coma-inducing lecture.
I just re-read this book and HAD to annotate it because it sent my head swimming. I'd studied quite a lot of philosophy since I read it a year and a half ago and so the philosophies didn't go over my head this time. But what’s happening is that each year our old flat earth of conventional reason becomes less and less adequate to handle the experiences we have and this is creating widespread feelings of topsy-turviness. As a result we’re getting more and more people in irrational areas of thought – occultism, mysticism, drug changes and the like – because they feel the inadequacy of classical reason to handle what they know are real experiences.” Care and Quality are internal and external aspects of the same thing. A person who sees Quality and feels it as he works is a person who cares. A person who cares about what he sees and does is a person who’s bound to have some characteristic of quality.” By narrating his own life experiences in his novel Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Robert M. Pirsig shows us how we must always attend to our own quirky mechanical needs, whether that’s with technology or within ourselves. This will help us become self-reliant and independent. So, take the Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance route to improve your values and life. Here are quotes by Robert M. Pirsig. To the ocean. That sounds right. Where the waves roll in slowly and there’s always a roar and you can’t fall anywhere. You’re already there.”
Quotes About Religion
I thought it was a metaphor, this motorcycle maintenance thing. Seriously. I didn't realize that the book would involve actual motorcycle maintenance. Quality is a characteristic of thought and statement that is recognized by a non-thinking process.” The title is an apparent play on the title of the 1948 book Zen in the Art of Archery by Eugen Herrigel. In its introduction, Pirsig explains that, despite its title, "it should in no way be associated with that great body of factual information relating to orthodox Zen Buddhist practice. It's not very factual on motorcycles, either."
An experiment is a failure only when it also fails adequately to test the hypothesis in question, when the data it produces don’t prove anything one way or another.” In that respect alone, the book represents an astonishing act of bravery in the face of unimaginable suffering. Quality is explained as part of a trinity not equivalent to mind and matter, but anterior to it. Quality is the proto-reality that exists before our minds can hitch analogues to sensed perceptions. I didn’t quite understand it at first either. Probably because these were the arguments that led Phaedrus to 28 electro-convulsive therapies and a long hospitalization. He “...felt something let go” and was overwhelmed with a “whole new flood of philosophical associations.” He pulls out his copy of the Tao Te Ching and there it is, his idea of Quality, as revealed by the mystic Lao Tzu 2,400 years ago. Insanity. At this point, the warmth drains from her face. There is an ominous, beginning-of-a-movie-like silence, and she informs me, "No. I don't sell that book. I'm a Christian." When I ask for further clarification, she says that the book contains "a secret spell to undo the universe" and that she didn't want any part in helping anyone undo the universe, so she would not sell the book even if she had it. Mental reflection is so much more interesting than TV it's a shame more people don't switch over to it.” Psychomotor behavior or "muscle traps": these surround the interaction of the environment, machinist and machine.
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People spend their entire lives at those lower altitudes without any awareness that this high country exists.” I just want to talk about how to fix a motorcycle. I think that what I have to say has more lasting value." I have never heard of Krugman before, but he’s billed as “Hollywood’s go-to riding guru,” so I guess celebrities trust him, for whatever that is worth. Looking through this book, it’s definitely aimed at noobs, not so much for experienced riders. If you know the basics, you should invest in a copy of something like Twist of the Wrist or Proficient Motorcycling or one of a dozen other books that teaches advanced techniques. However, I think even veteran motorcyclists will enjoy looking through the book (before wrapping it up for their nephew for Christmas?).
When a shepherd goes to kill a wolf, and takes his dog to see the sport, he should take care to avoid mistakes. The dog has certain relationships to the wolf the shepherd may have forgotten.” The classical or functional experience of a motorcycle is to understand the inner mechanism of the machine—how the various different mechanical parts work together in harmony, how to tighten a bolt or fix any maintenance problems. Being romantic is to experience living in the present state, whereas being rational or classical is to connect the past to the future and thus continue to accumulate the collective wisdom and knowledge down through the generations. I keep re-reading passages from Zen and the Art and Tao of Pooh and Siddhartha and try to make sense in the context of everyday life (which is where I firmly believe any philosophical questions need to be answered - If it is not applicable in your kitchen, it is not real philosophy) and quite strangely the answers seem to come from tying in the learning from these metaphysical and spiritual works with a book like The Story of Stuff - neither a great book nor a literary achievement or a leap in thinking - but it helped me understand the real meaning of the word 'materialism' when I read it in parallel with these other books. I will try to give an expanded review soon as a blog post at my blog Because Krugman’s book is based around illustrations, not boring photos of riders in budget-friendly gear, it’s far more of an aspirational read than the instructionals of old. And, it’s able to explain various mechanical processes with drawings, where photos would have been confusing or impossible in some older books. My personal feeling is that this is how any further improvement of the world will be done: by individuals making Quality decisions and that’s all.”If you’re moto-curious, or know somebody else who is? This book is definitely worth a look, as long as you aren’t annoyed by the artwork. I think that, unlike the old-fashioned beginner books, this book itself will make you want to learn to ride. They have patience, care and attentiveness to what they’re doing, but more than this – there’s a kind of inner peace of mind that isn’t contrived but results from a kind of harmony with the work in which there’s no leader and no follower. The material and the craftsman’s thoughts change together in a progression of smooth, even changes until his mind is at rest at the exact instant the material is right.” That’s the first normal thing I’ve said in weeks. The rest of the time I’m feigning twentieth-century lunacy just like you are. So as to not draw attention to myself.” Inadequate tools may lead to a feeling of frustration. Appropriate recourses include proper equipment acquisition. I kept thinking that Roberts (the author of Shantaram) and Pirsig would get on really well. They could sit in cafes in foreign parts swapping tales of derring-do, drugs and their fascinating insights whilst waiting for an audience to join them. That's a bit mean-spirited as Pirsig is a great deal more appealing as an author and person than the somewhat sleazy Roberts, but I think you get what I mean. And I will say that it's quite readable, the travel descriptions are very well done, the characters, apart from the hero, are in general interesting but... I still couldn't get into it.
It's my opinion that ZAMM is well-known among pseudo-intellectuals who pretend to have discovered something profound in it. But we must be honest in recognizing that not all philosophy is profound. Some of it is deeply insightful and life-affirming, while some portion of it is poofy and, yes, low on quality. Period piece or not, this is just bad philosophy. I hated this book. Hated, hated, hated, hated, hated it. I'm sad no stars is not actually a rating. This is my least favorite book ever. And I've done a lot of reading. If, like Robert Pirsig and me, you've found on your rude awakening from the Sleep of Innocence down many a subtle corridor of life's nightmare "to an overwhelming conclusion," that living is not at all what it once seemed, this Incredible Handbook will be Required Reading for you. He's driving me NUTS! It's one false premise and false conclusion after another-- astonishing leaps of logic (e.g. the more I do experiments, the more ideas for future experiments I have, therefore science only leads to more questions, therefore scientific pursuit is meaningless since the purpose of science is to know everything, and if I always have more questions, I'll never know everything. AAARGH!)To live only for some future goal is shallow. It's the sides of the mountain that sustain life, not the top.” An inquiry into values, 'Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance' (ZAMM) is a fictionalized autobiography written by Robert M. Pirsig. Boredom may cause sloppy work and inattention to detail. Appropriate recourses include taking a break to allow interest in the project to rebuild or ritualizing common practices. Pirsig notes that at the first sign of boredom, it is important to stop work immediately. This is one of, if not the, best-selling philosophy books of all time and was a treasure, if not an easy book, to read. Quality is just the focal point around which a lot of intellectual furniture is getting rearranged.” Quotes About Religion
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