Bruce Lee was not only a martial artist, actor, and filmmaker but also a philosopher who left a profound legacy of wisdom through his quotes. Here’s a collection of some of his genuine quotes, grouped according to theme:
Life
1. “The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering.”
2. “To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities.”
3. “If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done.”
4. “Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one.”
5. “Real living is living for others.”
Wellbeing
1. “Do not be tense, just be ready, not thinking but not dreaming, not being set but being flexible. It is being ‘wholly’ and quietly alive, aware and alert, ready for whatever may come.”
2. “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.”
3. “If you always put a limit on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there; you must go beyond them.”
4. “It’s not the daily increase but daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential.”
Identity
1. “Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it.”
2. “I’m not in this world to live up to your expectations and you’re not in this world to live up to mine.”
3. “A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer.”
Discipline
1. “I am learning to understand rather than immediately judge or to be judged. I cannot blindly follow the crowd and accept their approach.”
2. “The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus.”
3. “Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.”
4. “Mistakes are always forgivable if one has the courage to admit them.”
Training
1. “If you want to learn to swim jump into the water. On dry land no frame of mind is ever going to help you.”
2. “Training is one of the most neglected phases of athletics. Too much time is given to the development of skill and too little to the development of the individual for participation.”
3. “A goal is not always meant to be reached; it often serves simply as something to aim at.”
4. “Take no thought of who is right or wrong or who is better than. Be not for or against.”
Martial Arts
1. “The martial arts are ultimately self-knowledge. A punch or a kick is not to knock the hell out of the guy in front, but to knock the hell out of your ego, your fear, or your hang-ups.”
2. “Not being tense but ready. Not thinking but not dreaming. Not being set but flexible. Liberation from the uneasy sense of confinement. It is being wholly and quietly alive, aware and alert, ready for whatever may come.”
3. “Use only that which works, and take it from any place you can find it.”
4. “The less effort, the faster and more powerful you will be.”
5. “Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind.”
Bruce Lee’s insights span a wide array of subjects, and his wisdom continues to inspire individuals in various walks of life. His thoughts on discipline, identity, wellbeing, and of course, martial arts, are still regarded as some of the most poignant reflections on human potential and personal development. Hopefully you find some value within these words that can be applied to your own circumstances.
