Once upon a time there was a king, and the king commissioned his favorite wizard to create a magic mirror. This mirror didn__ show you your reflection. It showed you your soul__t showed you who you really were.The wizard couldn__ look at it without turning away. The king couldn__ look at it. The courtiers couldn__ look at it. A chestful of treasure was offered to anyone who could look at it for sixty seconds without turning away. And no one could.
Mountains should be climbed with as little effort as possible and without desire. The reality of your own nature should determine the speed. If you become restless, speed up. If you become winded, slow down. You climb the mountain in an equilibrium between restlessness and exhaustion. Then, when you__e no longer thinking ahead, each footstep isn__ just a means to an end but a unique event in itself. This leaf has jagged edges. This rock looks loose. From this place the snow is less visible, even though closer. These are things you should notice anyway. To live only for some future goal is shallow. It__ the sides of the mountain which sustain life, not the top. Here__ where things grow.But of course, without the top you can__ have any sides. It__ the top that defines the sides. So on we go__e have a long way__o hurry__ust one step after the next__ith a little Chautauqua for entertainment -- .Mental reflection is so much more interesting than TV it__ a shame more people don__ switch over to it. They probably think what they hear is unimportant but it never is.
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values
Quote Detail
Mountains should be climbed with as little effort as possible and without desire. The reality of your own nature should determine the speed. If you become restless, speed up. If you become winded, slow down. You climb the mountain in an equilibrium between restlessness and exhaustion. Then, when you__e no longer thinking ahead, each footstep isn__ just a means to an end but a unique event in itself. This leaf has jagged edges. This rock looks loose. From this place the snow is less visible, even though closer. These are things you should notice anyway. To live only for some future goal is shallow. It__ the sides of the mountain which sustain life, not the top. Here__ where things grow.But of course, without the top you can__ have any sides. It__ the top that defines the sides. So on we go__e have a long way__o hurry__ust one step after the next__ith a little Chautauqua for entertainment -- .Mental reflection is so much more interesting than TV it__ a shame more people don__ switch over to it. They probably think what they hear is unimportant but it never is.
Quick Answer
What this quote page tells you
This canonical quote page keeps the full saying, the attributed author, any linked work, and the topic tags together so the quote can be cited from one stable URL.
Related Quotes
More quote cards from the same area
There is nothing like fear to complicate one's consciousness, inducing previously unknown levels of reflection
The degree of freedom we enjoy outwardly is a reflection of the degree of love we cultivate inwardly.
Life isn't memorable enough to remember everything. It's not like there are explosions all the time, or dog smoking cigarettes.
Most people like mirrors; what they do not like, is people, who are mirrors.
But the biggest clue seemed to be their expressions. They were hard to explain. Good-natured, friendly, easygoing...and uninvolved. They were like spectators. You had the feeling they had just wandered in there themselves and somebody had handed them a wrench. There was no identification with the job. No saying, "I am a mechanic." At 5 P.M. or whenever their eight hours were in, you knew they would cut it off and not have another thought about their work. They were already trying not to have any thoughts about their work on the job.