QuoteProject
Anxiety is sort of the opposite of ego. You're so sure you'll do everything wrong you're afraid to do anything at all. It results from over-motivation- leading to errors that lead to an underestimation of one's self. Work out your anxieties on paper and read. This calms the mind.
Robert M. Pirsig
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

Anxiety can paralyze action due to self-doubt, but expressing thoughts can help alleviate this fear.

This quote by Robert M. Pirsig highlights the paradox of anxiety and ego, suggesting that excessive self-doubt can hinder a person's ability to act. Pirsig advises that by externalizing anxieties through writing and reflection, individuals can find clarity and calmness, allowing them to overcome their fears and recognize their potential.

Themes

AnxietyEgoSelf-DoubtMotivationWritingCalmness

In practice

Example use cases

This quote could be shared in a mental health seminar to encourage attendees to express their feelings.

More from Robert M. Pirsig

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
When 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

No one would look at an infant baby asleep, and say 'What a lazy baby!' We know sleeping is non-negotiable for a baby. But that notion is quickly abandoned.
Matthew WalkerRead
A teacher of fear can't bring peace on earth. We have been trying to do it that way for thousands of years. The person who turns inner violence around, the person who finds peace inside and lives it, is the one who teaches what true peace is. We are waiting for just one teacher. You're the one.
Byron KatieRead
It is generally much more shameful to lose a good reputation than never to have acquired it.
Pliny The ElderRead
Know the white, But keep the black, Be an example to the world! Being an example to the world, Ever true and unwavering, Return to the infinite.
LaoziRead
Never read any book that is not a year old.
Ralph Waldo EmersonRead
May you listen to the voice within the beat even when you are tired. When you feel yourself breaking down, may you break open instead. May every experience in life be a door that opens your heart, expands your understanding and leads you to freedom.
Elizabeth LesserRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.