Striking Thoughts Bruce Lee Quotes

Don't fear failure. — Not failure, but low aim, is the crime. In great attempts it is glorious even to fail.

For it is easy to criticize and break down the spirit of others, but to know yourself takes a lifetime.

The meaning of life is that it is to be lived, and it is not to be traded and conceptualized and squeezed into a patter of systems.

It's like a finger pointing away to the moon. Don't concentrate on the finger or you will miss all that heavenly glory.

You cannot force the Now. — But can you neither condemn nor justify and yet be extraordinarily alive as you walk on? You can never invite the wind, but you must leave the window open.

The world is full of people who are determined to be somebody or to give trouble. They want to get ahead, to stand out. Such ambition has no use for a gung fu man, who rejects all forms of self-assertiveness and competition

Satori - in the awakening from a dream. Awakening and self-realization and seeing into one's own being - these are synonymous.

The disease of philosophy. - Philosophy is itself the disease for which it pretends to be the cure: the wise man does not pursue wisdom but lives his life, and therein precisely does his wisdom lie.

It is futile to argue as to which single leaf, which design of branch, or which attractive flower you like; when you understand the root, you understand all its blossoming.

Anger should be expressed. - Any anger that is not coming out, flowing freely, will turn into sadism, power drive, stammering, and other means of torturing.

To free one’s self from preconceived notions, prejudices, and conditioned responses is essential to understanding truth and reality.

Masters in all branches of art must first be masters in living, for the soul creates everything.

The enemy of development is this pain phobia - the unwillingness to do a tiny bit of suffering.

To know, but to be as though not knowing, is the height of wisdom.

Action is a highroad to self-esteem.

Reject external form that fails to express internal reality.

Goals give life substance. - To strive actively to achieve some goal gives your life meaning and substance.

Experiencing is believing. - A fat belly cannot believe that such a thing as hunger exists.

Where some people have a self, most people have a void, because they are too busy in wasting their vital creative energy to project themselves as this or that, dedicating their lives to actualizing a concept of what they should be like rather than actualizing their potentiality as a human being

The key to liberation is within. — Each man binds himself; the fetters are ignorance, laziness, preoccupation with self, and fear. He must liberate himself, while accepting the fact that we are of this world, so that “In summer we sweat; in winter we shiver.

Don't neglect life by worrying about Death. - I don't know what is the meaning of death, but I am not afraid to die - and I go on, non-stop, going forward [with life]. Even though, I, Bruce Lee, may die some day without fulfilling all of my ambitions, I will have no regrets. I did what I wanted to do and what I've done, I've done with sincerity and to the best of my ability. You can't expect much more from life.

The aim of education. — Education: to discover but not merely to imitate. Learning techniques without inward experiencing can only lead to superficiality.

Self-actualization is the important thing. And my personal message to people is that I hope they will go toward self-actualization rather than self-image actualization. I hope that they will search within themselves for honest self-expression. — Bruce Lee

Concentration is a form of exclusion, and where there is exclusion, there is a thinker who excludes.

The law of non-interference with nature. — The law of non-interference with nature is a basic principle of Taoism [stating] that one should be in harmony with, not rebellion against, the fundamental laws of the universe. Preserve yourself by following the natural bends of things and don’t interfere. Remember never to assert your self against nature; never be in frontal opposition to any problems, but to control it by swinging with it.

Too much concentration belittles life. Concentration is a narrowing down of the mind - but we are concerned with the total process of living, and to concentrate exclusively on any particular aspect of life, belittles life.

The path of self-realisation is the most difficult. -We acquire a sense of worth either by realising our talents, or by keeping busy, or by identifying ourselves with something apart from us - be it a cause, a leader, a group, possessions, and the like. Of the three, the path of self-realisation is the most difficult. It is taken when other avenues to a sense of worth are more or less blocked.

In solitude you are least alone. — Loneliness is only an opportunity to cut adrift and find yourself. In solitude you are least alone. Make good use of it.

Patience is not passive, on the contrary it is concentrated strength.

Honesty and love. — Frankness and truthfulness to myself and to the one I love. Truthful between two as one. You are part of my life, no pride, vanity, or anger involved.

Love and respect. — Without respect, love cannot go long.

Remembrance is the only paradise out of which we cannot be driven away. Pleasure is the flower that fades, remembrance is the lasting perfume. Remembrances last longer than present realities; I have preserved blossoms for many years, but never fruits.

Pliability is life; rigidity is death, whether one speaks of man’s body, his mind, or his spirit.

On humbleness. — To be humble to superiors is duty; to equals is courtesy; to inferiors is nobleness; and to all, safety!

Art is the expression of the self; the more complicated and restrictive a method is, the lesser the opportunity for expression of one’s original sense of freedom.

Balance your thoughts with action.

Anxiety. — Anxiety is the gap between the NOW and the THEN. So if you are in the NOW, you can’t be anxious, because your excitement flows immediately into ongoing spontaneous activity.

Enrich your understanding. — Don’t be in a hurry to “fix” things; rather, enrich your understanding in the ever-going process of discovery and finding more the cause of your ignorance.

On learning. — Learning is discovery, the discovery of the cause of our ignorance. However, the best way of learning is not the computation of information. Learning is discovering, uncovering what is there in us. When we discover, we are uncovering our own ability, our own eyes, in order to find our potential, to see what is going on, to discover how we can enlarge our lives, to find means at our disposal that will let us cope with a difficult situation. And all this, I maintain, is taking place in the here and now.

The primary reality is not what I think, but that I live, for those also live who do not think. Although this living may not be a real living. God! What contradictions when we seek to join in wedlock life and reason!

Let the spiritual grow up through the common. — Live content with small means; seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion. Be worthy, not respectable, wealthy, not rich; study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly; bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await occasions, hurry never. In a word, let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common.

Kindness and remembrance. — A person cannot forget someone who is good to them.

Be cautious whom you trust. — Don’t easily trust anyone on this earth because there are all kinds.

Love is mathematically just. — Love, and you shall be loved — all love is mathematically just, as much as the two sides of an algebraic equation.

Life is better lived than conceptualized. — This writing can be made less demanding should I allow myself to indulge in the usual manipulating game of role creation. Fortunately for me, my self-knowledge has transcended that and I’ve come to understand that life is best to be lived — not to be conceptualized. If you have to think, you still do not understand.

The aim of the self-willed man is growth. — A self-willed man has no other aim than his own growth. He values only one thing, the mysterious power in himself which bids him live and helps him to grow. His only living destiny is the silent, ungainsayable law in his own heart, which comfortable habits make it so hard to obey but which to the self-willed man is destiny and godhead.

In life, we accept naturally the full reality of what we see and feel in general with no shadow of a doubt. Philosophy, however, does not accept what life believes, and strives to convert reality into a problem. Thus, rather than making life easy for living by living in accord with life, philosophy complicates it by replacing the world's tranquillity with the restlessness of problems.

The six principle steps of teaching. Motivation of the trainee Maintaining their complete attention Promoting mental activity (thinking) — discussion, question, lecture Creating a clear picture of material to be learned; outlining the material Developing comprehension of the significance, the implications, and the practical application of the material being presented (clear goals) Repetition of the five preceding steps until learning has taken place

To Bruce Lee, philosophy was not the professional playground of academics, but every human being’s gateway to the greatest adventure of the human spirit. It illuminated the frontiers of human possibility and obliterated the shadows of doubt and insecurity. Unlike others, content to follow, Bruce Lee insisted upon charting his own course toward truth, and he encouraged those who wished to share his insights to do likewise. While Lee was a champion of individual rights and individual development, both of which stress the sovereignty of the individual as an end in himself, he also spoke to something deeper—the commonality of all human beings and the removal of such artificial barriers to true brotherhood as nationality, ethnicity, and class structure, so that human beings could live together peaceably as independent equals. Bruce Lee rejected blind obedience to

You cannot clear muddied water with your hand. — Who is there that can make muddy water clear? But if allowed to remain still, it will become clear of itself. Who is there that can secure a state of absolute repose? But keep calm and let time go on, and the state of repose will gradually arrest.

Having one’s own will. — What does self-willed mean? Hell, isn’t it knowing above all, that, indeed, one is the captain of one’s soul, the master of one’s life? Now what causes such realization and, consequently, brings about a change in one’s behavior? TO BE REAL, TO ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR ONESELF.

On the joy of exercise. — I really dig exercise. When I’m jogging early in the morning, boy! It’s sure refreshing. Although Hong Kong is one of the most crowded places in the world, I’m surprised how peaceful it can be in the morning. Sure, there are people, but I become oblivious to them while I am running.

The more we value things, the less we value our selves. — We should devote ourselves to being self-sufficient and must not depend upon the external rating by others for our happiness. So it is true that the more we value things, the less we value our self. The more we depend upon others for esteem, the less we are self-sufficient.

Adversity causes the mind to think properly. — In a time when everything goes well, my mind is pampered with enjoyment, possessiveness, etc. Only in times of adversity, privation, or mishap, does my mind function and think properly of my state. This close examination of self strengthens my mind and leads me to understand and be understood.

The importance of acknowledging your love. — A very important person I like to thank. A quality human being in her own right — giving, loving, stalwart, understanding this animal, Bruce Lee. And letting him simply be. My companion in our separate but intertwined pathways of growth, a definite enricher of my life, the woman I love; and — fortunately for me — my wife. I cannot leave this paragraph without saying that Linda, thanks for the day when, at the University of Washington, Bruce Lee had the honor to meet you.

True fortune is a wonderful spouse. — I think when a couple marry, they either go into heaven or live in hell. They may live a fairy-tale-like life, or they may suffer a lot. I am a fortunate man. I am fortunate not because my films have broken box-office records in various parts of the world, but because I have a good wife, Linda. She is unsurpassed. Why do I say this? First, I believe a couple should develop a kind of friendship. Linda and I have this kind of friendship. We understand each other, like a pair of good friends. We thus can spend our time together happily. My wife is the luckiest thing that ever happened to me — not The Big Boss.

The more we value things, the less we value our selves.

Acceptance of death. — The round of summer and winter becomes a blessing the moment we give up the fantasy of eternal spring.

The spirit is strengthened in sorrow. — Happiness is good for the body, but sorrow strengthens the spirit.

The two primary moral questions. — There are two sorts of problems concerning moral issues: Where does good or bad action derive from? What makes an action bad or good?