"What I wanted to say..is that I've a set of instructions at home which open up great realms for the improvement of technical writing. They begin, 'Assembly of Japanese bicycle require great peace of mind.' "
This produces more laughter, but Sylvia and Gennie and the sculptor give sharp looks of recognition.
"That's a good instruction," the sculptor says. Gennie nods too.
"That's kind of why I saved it," I say, "At first I laughed because of memories of bicycles I'd put together, and of course, the unintended slur on Japanese manufacture. But there's a lot of wisdom in that statement...
"Peace of mind isn't at all superficial, really," I expound. "It's the whole thing. That which produces it is good maintenance; that which disturbs it is poor maintenance. What we call workability of the machine is just an objectification of this peace of mind. The ultimate test's always your own serenity. If you don't have this when you start and maintain it while you're working on you're likely to build your personal problems right into the machine itself."
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"The real cycle you're working on is a cycle called yourself."
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"The study of the art of motorcycle maintenance is really a miniature study of the art of rationality itself. Working on a motorcycle, working well, caring, is to become part of a process, to achieve an inner peace of mind. The motorcycle is primarily a mental phenomenon."
Robert M. Pirsig
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
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