Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
An Inquiry into Values
Ratings178
Average rating3.8
15
An Inquiry into Values
Ratings178
Average rating3.8
"The real cycle you're working on is a cycle called 'yourself.'"One of the most important and influential books of the past half-century, Robert M. Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is a powerful, moving, and penetrating examination of how we live and a meditation on how to live better. The narrative of a father on a summer motorcycle trip across America's Northwest with his young son, it becomes a profound personal and philosophical odyssey into life's fundamental questions. A true modern classic, it remains at once touching and transcendent, resonant with the myriad confusions of existence and the small, essential triumphs that propel us forward.
Featured Series
2 primary booksPhaedrus is a 2-book series with 2 primary works first released in 1974 with contributions by Robert M. Pirsig.
Reviews with the most likes.
A philosophy book told through first person is extremely interesting to me – especially a travel memoir. Many of the conversations hit on specific points that I was nodding in agreement at. Specifically many of the ones that included frustration when getting points across to others, or taking pride in upkeep and finding a way to enjoy it. The only reason I'd rate it lower was due to the long periods of time between enlightening moments.
Part IV was decent, and the motorcycle trip portions were also ok, but overall I felt it took too long to build. The afterword was my favorite part.
I wouldn't read it again.
I have finally decided I don't need to finish this one. It's intriguing, but when I read self-indulgent memoir ramblings I prefer to read them by women. It's so dated too. If it were a contemporary blog I would totally read it. Also after picking it up, I read somewhere that it had nothing to do with Zen Buddhism. And I don't care about motorcycles or mechanics. That would put me definitively into one of Pirsig's categories of people, I think. The problematic kind. So now I'm done.
Strange and brilliant book - a philosophy lesson and father and son roadtrip all-in-one.
