The funny thing about insane people is that it is kind of the opposite of being a celebrity. Nobody envies you. Robert M. Pirsig More Quotes by Robert M. Pirsig More Quotes From Robert M. Pirsig Familiarity can blind too. Robert M. Pirsig familiarityblind Cultures are not the source of all morals, only a limited set of morals. Cultures can be graded and judged morally according to their contribution to the evolution of life. Robert M. Pirsig moralevolutionculture A culture that supports the dominance of social values over biological values is an absolutely superior culture to one that does not, and a culture that supports the dominance of intellectual values over social values is absolutely superior to one that does not. Robert M. Pirsig social-valuessupportintellectual Great minds struggle to cure diseases so that people may live longer, but only madmen ask why. One lives longer in order that he may live longer. There is no other purpose. Robert M. Pirsig struggleorderpeople …the doctrinal differences between Hinduism and Buddhism and Taoism are not anywhere near as important as doctrinal differences among Christianity and Islam and Judaism. Holy wars are not fought over them because verbalized statements about reality are never presumed to be reality itself. Robert M. Pirsig buddhismwarreality I've wondered why it took us so long to catch on. We saw it, and yet we didn't see it. Or rather we were trained not to see it. Conned perhaps into thinking that the real action was metropolitan and all this was just boring hinterland. It was a puzzling thing. The truth knocks on the door and you say, "Go away. I'm looking for the truth." And so it goes away. Puzzling. Robert M. Pirsig realtruththinking We want to make good time, but for us now this is measured with the emphasis on "good" rather than on "time". Robert M. Pirsig good-timeswanttravel They just hate it when people make love. And then they'll go to a fistfight where somebody's really hurt and all covered with bloodand they'll just love that. Or a war and stuff like that. They're all mixed up and they're trying to take it out on you so you get mixed up too. Robert M. Pirsig hatehurtwar 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. Robert M. Pirsig dogsportsfunny There is an evil tendency underlying all our technology - the tendency to do what is reasonable even when it isn't any good. Robert M. Pirsig tendenciestechnologyevil I think metaphysics is good if it improves everyday life; otherwise forget it. Robert M. Pirsig everydayforgetthinking ... the laws of physics and of logic ... the number system ... the principle of algebraic substitution. These are ghosts. We just believe in them so thoroughly they seem real. Robert M. Pirsig reallawbelieve The more you read, the more you calm down. Robert M. Pirsig calm-downcalmreading Caring about what you are doing is considered either unimportant or taken for granted. Robert M. Pirsig grantedcaringtaken The pencil is mightier than the pen. Robert M. Pirsig pencilspens I have money, fame, a happy wife, our daughter Nell. Robert M. Pirsig wifedaughtermother The intelligence of the mind can't think of any reason to live, but it goes on anyway because the intelligence of the cells can't think of any reason to die. Robert M. Pirsig cellsmindthinking The range of human knowledge today is so great that we're all specialists and the distance between specializations has become so great that anyone who seeks to wander freely between them almost has to forego closeness with the people around him. Robert M. Pirsig distancetodaypeople We must understand that when a society undermines intellectual freedom for its own purposes it is absolutely morally bad, but when it represses biological freedom for its own purposes it is absolutely morally good. Robert M. Pirsig intellectual-freedompurposeintellectual Metaphysics is a restaurant where they give you a thirty thousand page menu, and no food. Robert M. Pirsig atheismpagesgiving
