Robert M. Pirsig

The only Zen you find on the tops of mountains is the Zen you bring up there.

Even in the presence of others he was completely alone.

The truth knocks on the door and you say, Go away, I’m looking for the truth, and so it goes away. Puzzling.

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.

I pray Thee, O God, that I may be beautiful within.

You’re just left with yourself all the time, whatever you do anyway. You’ve got to get down to your own God in your own temple. It’s all down to you, mate.

The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would solve most the worlds problems.

In order to fulfill yourself, you have to forget yourself. In order to find yourself, you have to lose yourself.

I feel the presence of a higher power. I believe that what you give is what you get. It’s universal law. I believe in the power of prayer and of words. I’ve learned that when you predict that negative things will happen, they do.

It is a naked city. Faith is not pampered, nor hope encouraged; there is no place to lay one’s exhaustion: but instead pinnacles skewer it undisguised against vacancy.

I dressed the part and slipped into my Sunday best. I peeled open the heavy doors to every church I could find.

If it turns out that there is a God, I don’t think that he’s evil. But the worst that you can say about him is that basically he’s an underachiever.

Those who are free of resentful thoughts surely find peace.

I would like to believe there is a God, but I think it is better to say I’m not sure there is a God and live your life with kindness and respect for people than to say I know there is a God and then do bad things,

We’ve had the goddam Ages of Faith, we’ve had the goddam Age of Reason. This is the Age of Publicity.

An eye for eye only ends up making the whole world blind.

The whole secret of existence is to have no fear.

There is only one religion, though there are a hundred versions of it.

Zen is not an art, it’s not a religion. It’s a realisation.