Now, to take that which has caused us to create the world, and include it within the world we have created, is clearly impossible. That is why Quality cannot be defined. If we do define it we are defining something less than Quality itself.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Quality cannot be fully defined; any definition reduces it, something less than itself.
- In plain terms
- Defining Quality diminishes it.
- What can you take from it?
- Accept that some concepts resist precise definition.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- When have you needed a definition for a vague concept?
- How did you handle it?
Another view
Working without a definition can make communication harder.
More from Robert M. Pirsig
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Permalink to quote #28 Any philosophic explanation of Quality is going to be both false and true precisely because it is a philosophic explanation. The process of philosophic explana…
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