Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig

In the name of due diligence I did a search for the title here on Permies and found numerous comments mentioning this book, but no dedicated threads (there might still be one and I missed it--apologies in that case). Figured it deserves its own thread, so here we are.

I think all in all I would call Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance my favorite book. I was given a copy when I was in high school by a family friend who must have recognized something in me that cried out for it. (She didn't give one to my twin brother.) I read it, instantly loved it, and in the 2+ decades since then I've read it maybe a half-dozen times, or once every few years. Each time I get more out of it and feel like I understand it better.

I've also read the sequel, Lila and I consider these books together as one complete work, outlining Pirsig's Metaphysics of Quality. Sadly, I lent my copy of Lila (full of my own sticky notes!) to a dear friend who died, and because we'd been out of touch for a couple years I didn't get it back. I'd found that copy used at a garage sale and I feel it would only be appropriate to find my replacement copy in a similar way, which of course so far has not happened. Maybe that's silly, but I'm holding out.

The other people I've met in real life who are fans of that book have, perhaps or perhaps not coincidentally, all ended up being tremendous mentors and deep conversation partners, or at any rate people I admire and cherish as much as the book itself.

Anyway, I just finished my fifth or sixth reread a week or so ago and the book is still on my mind, so I decided to start this thread about it, because I just know there are others here who enjoyed it as much as I did and might like talking about it, plus more who might discover it through this discussion. All that said, I won't take up space here in the OP describing the plot or the subject matter, and instead I'll leave it to others to say what their reaction has been to it, how it's influenced their lives, what they think about the MoQ, ruminate on any nagging questions they've had about the book, and so on.

Oh, one more funny tidbit I'll add: my brother used to work for a guy who sold used vintage motorcycle parts on eBay. I recommended the book to that guy, who got a little bit into it and then turned it away saying "too much zen not enough motorcycles". Last year I also got my wife to read it. She similarly quit after a few chapters, saying "too much motorcycles, not enough zen"! Fortunately my wife has agreed to give it a second chance at some point.

excellent book. think i'll try to find the old copy of it around here some where under a mikuni carb or broken clutch lever.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is one of my favorites too. It was the most recent novel I’d read, after a summer leading restoration and trail crews in the North Cascades and before I wrote my first draft of a Master’s thesis. It was an undeniable inspiration. This draft was titled “self realization through wilderness service learning”. My academic advisor said it might make a decent novel but not a thesis, with several good reasons. It wouldn’t hold a candle to Pirsig, but I still think it was much better than the final draft that got approved and published. ZTAMM is a miraculously inspirational work.

"He remembered it had been spring then, which is a wonderful time in Montana, and the breeze blowing down from the pine trees carried a fresh smell of melting snow and thawing earth, and they were all walking down the road, four abreast, when one of those raggedy non-descript dogs that call Indian reservations home came onto the road and walked pleasantly in front of them. They followed the dog silently for a while. Then LaVerne asked John, "What kind of dog is that?" John thought about it and said, "That's a good dog." LaVerne looked curiously at him for a moment and then looked down at the road. Then the corners of her eyes crinkled and as they walked on Phaedrus noticed she was sort of smiling and chuckling to herself."  -- Robert Pirsig, "Lila: An Inquiry into Morals".

Ah, spring again. A season of transition that marks rebirth as well as passing.  Raggedy and non-descript, Kibar was 12 years old.... a "good dog", .... but his time was up this morning.  Run free and rest well, dear friend!