In Robert Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Pirsig explores a particular way of moving through life. Published in 1974 as an autobiography, it tells the story of a 17-day motorcycle ride from Minnesota to California. Throughout the story of everyday life, Pirsig entices the reader to delve into philosophical or intellectual territory.
The book discusses the similarities between balancing yourself on a motorcycle and writing well. Some of the same paradoxical teachings required to ride a motorcycle are also applied to writing in his meditation on what he calls the “Metaphysics of Quality.” We go through the motions of life and, at best, suffer from bearable boredom, he writes. We must assist in the development of habits and learning methodologies that promote excellence in whatever we do.
One of the most common causes of people becoming discouraged in their endeavors is the “gumption trap,” which is something that happens to them or their mindset. A gumption trap, according to Robert Pirsig, is a lack of engagement. It was Pirsig who coined the term and its associated concept plays an important role in Pirsig’s Metaphysics of Quality in practice.
The story in the book revolves around a 1966 Honda Super Hawk motorcycle. Riders must be willing to let up the illusion of control in order to feel balanced and poised riding the bike. According to Pirsig, motorcycling mechanics have a unique ability to bring together the worlds of religion, science, and humanity in a beautiful way.
On epistemology and the philosophy of science, there are numerous philosophical discussions in the book. The book has a lot of information regarding high-quality involvement. When we are completely immersed in what we are doing, the feeling of being a subject separate from an object vanishes. This is the key to living a happy life.
Memorable Quotes
Not everyone understands what a completely rational process this is, this maintenance of a motorcycle. They think it’s some kind of a “knack” or some kind of “affinity for machines” in operation. They are right, but the knack is almost purely a process of reason, and most of the troubles are caused by what old time radio men called a “short between the earphones,” failures to use the head properly. A motorcycle functions entirely in accordance with the laws of reason and a study of the art of motorcycle maintenance is really a miniature study of the art of rationality itself.
Page 98, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirzig
The real cycle you’re working on is a cycle called yourself. The machine that appears to be “out there” and the person that appears to be “in here” are not two separate things. They grow toward Quality or fall away from Quality altogether.
Page 325, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirzig
Further Reading
Lessons from Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance on the importance of engagement by Tristan Stobie, Cambridge Assessment International Education
What Reading Robert Pirsig Taught Me About Writing (And Life) by Bernadette Murphy, Literary Hub
Ride to Think: The Lonely Journey of Robert M. Pirsig by Marc Eliot Stein, Literary Kicks
Why Robert Pirsig’s ‘Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance’ Still Resonates Today by Matthew B. Crawford, Smithsonian Magazine
