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Meaning
The quote contrasts ordinary life with a higher level of insight or awareness. It suggests that many people never realize there is a broader, more meaningful way of seeing the world. The image of different altitudes makes the difference feel both physical and mental.
When It Was Said
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Who It Was Said To
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Source
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Original Language & Translation
Originally said in English.
Did They Really Say It?
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About Robert M. Pirsig
American writer and philosopher
Robert Maynard Pirsig was an American writer and philosopher. He is best known for Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values, published in 1974, and Lila: An Inquiry into Morals, published in 1991. His work is shaped by philosophical questions about values, morals, and quality. He also co-authored On Quality: An Inquiry Into Excellence: Selected and Unpublished Writings with his wife and editor, Wendy Pirsig, which was published in 2022.
More from Robert M. Pirsig (105 quotes) →Keep reading Robert M. Pirsig
- “Even in the presence of others he was completely alone.”Robert M. Pirsig
- “Our current modes of rationality are not moving society forward into a better world. They are taking it furth…”Robert M. Pirsig
- “Mountains should be climbed with as little effort as possible and without desire. The reality of your own nat…”Robert M. Pirsig
- “Like those in the valley behind us, most people stand in sight of the spiritual mountains all their lives and…”Robert M. Pirsig
More Mountains quotes
- “Sometimes in the summer evenings they walked up the hill to watch the afterglow clinging to the tops of the w…”John Steinbeck
- “You were contemplating the mountain, Mr. Conway?" Came the inquiry."Yes, it's a fine sight. It has a name, I…”James Hilton
- “With God, a mountain is only a road waiting to happen.”Craig D. Lounsbrough
Adventure: more sayings
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Books by Robert M. Pirsig
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
2000
Lila
1992