The number of hypotheses available to explain any given phenomenon is infinite. Robert M. Pirsig More Quotes by Robert M. Pirsig More Quotes From Robert M. Pirsig To an experienced Zen Buddhist, asking if one believes in Zen or one believes in the Buddha, sounds a little ludicrous, like asking if one believes in air or water. Similarly Quality is not something you believe in, Quality is something you experience. Robert M. Pirsig buddhistairbelieve To speak of certain government and establishment institutions as 'the system' is to speak correctly . . . They are sustained by structural relationships even when they have lost all other meaning and purpose. People arrive at a factory and perform a totally meaningless task from eight to five without question because the structure demands it be that way. There's no villian, no 'mean guy' who wants them to live meaningless lives, it's just that the structure, the system demands it and no one is willing to take on the formidable task of changing the structure just because it is meaningless. Robert M. Pirsig eightgovernmentmean I think now the trace of egotism may have been the beginning of all his troubles Robert M. Pirsig troublemaythinking It is always good policy to tell the truth unless of course you are an exceptionally good liar. Jerome K. Jerome It is 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 truthliarsdoors You want to know how to paint a perfect painting? It's easy. Make yourself perfect and then just paint naturally. Robert M. Pirsig paintingperfectwant I argued that physical discomfort is important only when the mood is wrong. Then you fasten on to whatever thing is uncomfortable and call that the cause. But if the mood is right, then physical discomfort doesn't mean much. Robert M. Pirsig causesimportantmean You've got to keep close to your spouse I think, which is a very hard thing to do in America, with everything always pulling you away. I would advise all married people to spend two hours talking to each other. That's my moral for the day. Robert M. Pirsig twoamericathinking No one is fanatically shouting that the sun is going to rise tomorrow. They know it's going to rise tomorrow. Robert M. Pirsig atheismtomorrowsun I have been a lifelong Democrat. Like all ideas, though, the Democrat ideas need to be dynamic. It needs to be kept current. Robert M. Pirsig currentsideasneeds (What makes his world so hard to see clearly is not its strangeness but its usualness).Familiarity can blind you too. Robert M. Pirsig strangenessblindworld Absence of Quality is the essence of squareness. Robert M. Pirsig qualityessenceabsence The Buddha takes no position on gods, he suggests they may exist or they may not, but either way you can live a moral life. Robert M. Pirsig moralmayway every answer one finds leads to ten more questions. The more we learn the less we know. Robert M. Pirsig tenanswersknows The ultimate test's always your own serenity. If you don't have this when you start and maintain it while you're working you're likely to build your personal problems right into the machine itself. Robert M. Pirsig serenitymachinestests From an endless beach of reality, we take a grain of sand and call it the world. Robert M. Pirsig beachrealityworld The way to see what looks good and understand the reasons it looks good, and to be at one with this goodness as the work proceeds, is to cultivate an inner quietness, a peace of mind so that goodness can shine through. Robert M. Pirsig shiningmindlooks The only zen thoughts you can find on a mountain summit are those you brought yourself. Robert M. Pirsig summitclimbingmountain For every fact there is an infinity of hypotheses. Robert M. Pirsig infinitysciencefacts Although motorcycle riding is romantic, motorcycle maintenance is purely classic. Robert M. Pirsig ridingmotorcyclemaintenance Cultivate peace of mind which does not separate one's self from one's surroundings. When that is done successfully, then everything else follows naturally. Robert M. Pirsig inner-peaceselfmind
