The way to see what looks good and understand the reasons it looks good, and to be at one with this goodness as the work proceeds, is to cultivate an inner quietness, a peace of mind so that goodness can shine through.
Robert M. PirsigRead
If someone's ungrateful and you tell him he's ungrateful, okay, you've called him a name. You haven't solved anything.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Pointing out someone's flaws does not lead to resolution or understanding.
This quote emphasizes that simply labeling someone as ungrateful does not address the underlying issues at play. Instead of fostering communication and growth, calling out a negative trait can create defensiveness and hinder the possibility of change or improvement in the relationship.
Themes
GratitudeCommunicationUnderstandingCriticismRelationships
In practice
Example use cases
During a team meeting when addressing issues about team dynamics.
More from Robert M. Pirsig
All quotes βWhen analytic thought, the knife, is applied to experience, something is always killed in the process.
Robert M. PirsigRead
The Buddha resides as comfortably in the circuits of a digital computer or the gears of a cycle transmission as he does at the top of a mountain.
Robert M. PirsigRead
It's better not to see than to see wrongly.
Robert M. PirsigRead
The truth knocks on the door and you say, go away, I'm looking for the truth, and it goes away. Puzzling.
Robert M. PirsigRead
You want to know how to paint a perfect painting? It's easy. Make yourself perfect and then just paint naturally.
Robert M. PirsigRead
Similar quotes
The goal of forecasting is not to predict the future but to tell you what you need to know to take meaningful action in the present
Paul SaffoRead
Talent, will and genius are natural phenomena like the lake, the volcano, the mountain, the wind, the star, the cloud.
George SandRead
The goal is to be the observer of your thoughts and not let your thoughts control you.
Deepak ChopraRead
I learned to focus my energy on high-quality, long-term projects rather than lower-quality projects with quicker payoffs.
Steven PinkerRead
As long as one is following the right way, one should never be concerned about the reproaches of those who like to find faults.
Ibn Qayyim Al-JawziyyaRead
It may arrive in the instant when we are doing something mundane, like putting our front-door key in the lock; it may lie hidden in the quiet that follows the lunch hour or in the thousand and one things that all seem the same to us.
Paulo CoelhoRead