Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsigby Robert Pirsig
Hacker ApprovedRanked 2 of 30 philosophy books by recommenders
Recommended as a thoughtful meditation on Quality in craft and work, though critics say its philosophy sections drag and it is not a maintenance handbook.
Recommended as a thoughtful meditation on Quality in craft and work, though critics say its philosophy sections drag and it is not a maintenance handbook.
27 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 24
- criticize it
- 3
- approval share
- 89%
Recommended in 9 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Owned for 44 years
Median of the 3 owners who said how long they have had it.
Each square is one year.
Why it carries the badge
- 24 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 8 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 9 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Thoughtful take on Quality and excellence
“I came away from that book understanding what "quality" means at a very philosophical level”
Comment from 29 Jul 2026 in “Teach Yourself Programming in Ten Years (1998)” “a long thought-provoking reflection on the nature of Quality - in the sense of excellence”
Comment from 13 Dec 2025 in “Ask HN: Thought-Provoking Books” “a good read on the topic of Quality”
Comment from 8 Jul 2026 in “Notes on Software Quality” - Comment from 3 Sep 2026 in “Wendell Berry has died”
Applies to programming and software work
“I think this is an excellent consideration of how the principles of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance can apply to programming”
Comment from 2 Jun 2026 in “Quality in the Age of AI Slop” “I was struck by how similar Berry, Pirsig, and the early MIT hackers thought about Quality work.”
Comment from 2 Sep 2026 in “Wendell Berry has died” Rewards slow, deliberate reading
“It hit with a depth that I know with complete certainty I would not have gotten if I worked through at my usual pace”
Comment from 26 Dec 2025 in “Maybe the Default Settings Are Too High” “It's a great book though it gets progressively more difficult”
Comment from 7 Aug 2026 in “Taste Is All That's Left” Vivid reflections on riding and perception
“There is a great meditation in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance about the differences between riding and driving.”
Comment from 26 Dec 2025 in “Maybe the Default Settings Are Too High” “Found the part about visual memory mechanics resonated”
Comment from 26 Dec 2025 in “Maybe the Default Settings Are Too High”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Dull, drawn-out philosophy
“he drones on and on about the philosophy after the initial set up”
Comment from 17 Jun 2026 in “Has AI already killed self-help nonfiction books?” “the most boring and thought-killing book I've ever tried to read”
Comment from 17 Dec 2025 in “Ask HN: Thought-Provoking Books”
Other philosophy books people recommend
The four most recommended other philosophy books, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tao Te Chingby Laozi | 32 | 3 | 91% | 9 | — | Approved |
| Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenanceby Robert PirsigThis page | 24 | 3 | 89% | 9 | 44 yrs3 owners | Approved |
| Meditationsby Marcus Aurelius | 17 | 4 | 81% | 8 | — | Approved |
| I Am a Strange Loopby Douglas Hofstadter | 16 | 1 | 94% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Simulacra and Simulationby Jean Baudrillard | 12 | 3 | 80% | 5 | — | Approved |
What people said
25 of the 29 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Robert Pirsig's philosophy has helped me with understanding that there can be inherent value in the process of frictioned creation itself.”
“I have delved deep in this matter, and read and plan to read multiple books in this theme”
“Quality is the goal of Art.”
“I was struck by how similar Berry, Pirsig, and the early MIT hackers thought about Quality work.”
“The way he blends it with a compelling narrative is masterful.”
“kind of underwhelmed probably due to the hype building my expectations too high”
“he of course puts it in much better words”
“It's a great book though it gets progressively more difficult”
“I came away from that book understanding what "quality" means at a very philosophical level”
“It's great but apparently not a maintenance handbook.”
“a good read on the topic of Quality”
“he drones on and on about the philosophy after the initial set up”
“made the point that writing is hard when trying to decide what to say and how to say it at the same time”
“I think this is an excellent consideration of how the principles of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance can apply to programming”
“the book is filled with incidents of motorcycle maintenance”
“they don't even manage to do any motorcycle maintenance!”
“having read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance”
“You might enjoy a 70s classic”
“There must be something there if we have all independently coming to similar conclusions.”
“I want to give a shout out to Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance”
“Found the part about visual memory mechanics resonated”
“There is a great meditation in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance about the differences between riding and driving.”
“It hit with a depth that I know with complete certainty I would not have gotten if I worked through at my usual pace”
“the most boring and thought-killing book I've ever tried to read”
“a long thought-provoking reflection on the nature of Quality - in the sense of excellence”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.