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A fragment comes and lingers from an old Christian hymn, 'You've got to cross that lonesome valley.' It carries him forward. 'You've got to cross it by yourself.' It seems a Western hymn that belongs out in Montana. 'No one else can cross it for you,' it says. It seems to suggest something beyond. 'You've got to cross it by yourself.' He crosses a lonesome valley, out of the mythos, and emerges as if from a dream, seeing that his whole consciousness, the mythos, has been a dream and no one's dream but his own, a dream he must now sustain of his own efforts. Then even 'he' disappears and only the dream of himself remains with himself in it.

Robert M. Pirsig#70

PsychologyMotivationDreamsSpirituality

About this quote

What does it mean?
The hymn urges personal responsibility to cross hardships alone, revealing that our inner narrative is a self‑created dream we must sustain.
In plain terms
You must cross the valley by yourself; your story is your own dream.
What can you take from it?
Accept personal responsibility for overcoming challenges.

Where it applies

  • grief counseling
  • spiritual practice

Putting it to work

  • practice solitary reflection

Questions to consider

  • What does your personal 'valley' look like?

Another view

The religious imagery may not resonate with all audiences.

More from Robert M. Pirsig

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  3. The Quality, the arete he has fought so hard for, has sacrificed for, has never betrayed, but in all that time has never once understood, now makes itself clea…

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