Zen and the Art of Advocacy

A short while ago, in response to a post on Little Lulu's blog about "true believers," I commented as follows:

In my opinion, accepting the futility of the system and our roles in it (whichever side you are on) is the first step toward being a great lawyer. Only then can you see prosecuting or defending as "just work" and attain that state of "zen" objectivity that is essential to success, that is, success in the sense of being happy at work and success in the sense of providing the most effective representation to your client.

That comment of mine was then reprinted on the esteemed Arbitrary and Capricious blog, where it appeared from one of the responses that some people might be a little befuddled by what I said.

So, just to clear things up, here's a quote from master swordsman Takano Shigeyoshi:

"As soon as one cherishes the thought of winning the contest or displaying one's skill in technique, swordsmanship is doomed."