In This Article
About Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee was a Hong Kong and American martial artist, actor and philosopher. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy drawing from different combat disciplines that is often credited with paving the way for modern mixed martial arts.
Born: 27 November 1940, Chinese Hospital, San Francisco, California, United States
Died: 20 July 1973, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong
100 Top Quotes by Bruce Lee in English
- “Adapt what is useful, reject what is useless, and add what is specifically your own.”
- “The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering.”
- “If you love life, don’t waste time, for time is what life is made up of.”
- “As you think, so shall you become.”
- “To know oneself is to study oneself in action with another person.”
- “Mistakes are always forgivable, if one has the courage to admit them.”
- “Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way around or through it.”
- “A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer.”
- “Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one.”
- “The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus.”
- “The less effort, the faster and more powerful you will be.”
- “Absorb what is useful, discard what is useless and add what is specifically your own.”
- “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.”
- “If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done.”
- “Don’t think, feel… it’s like a finger pointing a way to the moon. Don’t concentrate on the finger or you will miss all that heavenly glory.”
- “To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities.”
- “The possession of anything begins in the mind.”
- “The key to success is to start before you are ready.”
- “Life’s battles don’t always go to the stronger or faster man. But sooner or later the man who wins, is the man who thinks he can.”
- “Defeat is a state of mind; no one is ever defeated until defeat has been accepted as a reality.”
- “Simplicity is the key to brilliance.”
- “Knowledge will give you power, but character respect.”
- “A quick temper will make a fool of you soon enough.”
- “It’s not the daily increase but daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential.”
- “I’m not in this world to live up to your expectations and you’re not in this world to live up to mine.”
- “Choose the positive. You have a choice. You are the master of your attitude. Choose the positive, the constructive.”
- “Real living is living for others.”
- “The height of cultivation runs to simplicity.”
- “Knowledge will give you power, but character respect.”
- “The less effort, the faster and more powerful you will be.”
- “I’m not in this world to live up to your expectations and you’re not in this world to live up to mine.”
- “I’m not in this world to live up to your expectations and you’re not in this world to live up to mine.”
- “Simplicity is the key to brilliance.”
- “A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer.”
- “The key to success is to start before you are ready.”
- “Real living is living for others.”
- “The possession of anything begins in the mind.”
- “The height of cultivation runs to simplicity.”
- “As you think, so shall you become.”
- “Choose the positive. You have a choice. You are the master of your attitude.
- “The more we value things, the less we value ourselves.”
- “In order to change the world, you have to get your head together first.”
- “Don’t fear failure. Not failure, but low aim, is the crime. In great attempts it is glorious even to fail.”
- “Use only that which works, and take it from any place you can find it.”
- “Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.”
- “A goal is not always meant to be reached; it often serves simply as something to aim at.”
- “A fight is not won by one punch or kick. Either learn to endure or hire a bodyguard.”
- “The best fighter is not a Boxer, Karate or Judo man. The best fighter is someone who can adapt on any style.”
- “To me, the extraordinary aspect of martial arts lies in its simplicity. The easy way is also the right way, and martial arts is nothing at all special; the closer to the true way of martial arts, the less wastage of expression there is.”
- “If you don’t want to slip up tomorrow, speak the truth today.”
- “Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough, we must do.”
- “It is not a shame to be knocked down by other people. The important thing is to ask when you are being knocked down, why am I being knocked down? If a person can reflect in this way, then there is hope for this person.”
- “To know oneself is to study oneself in action with another person.”
- “It’s not what you give, it’s the way you give it.”
- “Do not allow negative thoughts to enter your mind for they are the weeds that strangle confidence.”
- “I’m moving and not moving at all. I’m like the moon underneath the waves that ever go on rolling and rocking. It is not, ‘I am doing this,’ but rather, an inner realization that ‘this is happening through me,’ or ‘it is doing this for me.'”
- “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.”
- “Using no way as a way, using no limitation as limitation.”
- “To become different from what we are, we must have some awareness of what we are.”
- “A good teacher protects his pupils from his own influence.”
- “The only way to change is through action.”
- “A quick temper will make a fool of you soon enough.”
- “Showing off is the fool’s idea of glory.”
- “Life is never stagnation. It is constant movement, un-rhythmic movement, as we as constant change. Things live by moving and gain strength as they go.”
- “Life is wide, limitless. There is no border, no frontier.”
- “The more honest you are, the more open you are, the more easy it is for you to feel happy and to be successful and productive.”
- “A teacher is never a giver of truth; he is a guide, a pointer to the truth that each student must find for himself.”
- “Be self aware, rather than a repetitious robot.”
- “The man who is really serious, with the urge to find out what truth is, has no style at all. He lives only in what is.”
- “The great mistake is to anticipate the outcome of the engagement; you ought not to be thinking of whether it ends in victory or defeat. Let nature take its course, and your tools will strike at the right moment.”
- “The height of cultivation runs to simplicity. Halfway cultivation runs to ornamentation.”
- “To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities.”
- “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.”
- “Adapt what is useful, reject what is useless, and add what is specifically your own.”
- “Mistakes are always forgivable if one has the courage to admit them.”
- “As you think, so shall you become.”
- “The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering.”
- “If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done.”
- “The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus.”
- “A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer.”
- “Defeat is a state of mind; no one is ever defeated until defeat has been accepted as a reality.”
- “Real living is living for others.”
- “The possession of anything begins in the mind.”
- “There are no limits. There are plateaus, but you must not stay there, you must go beyond them.”
- “To me, the function and duty of a quality human being is the sincere and honest development of one’s potential.”
- “Simplicity is the key to brilliance.”
- “Choose the positive. You have a choice. You are the master of your attitude. Choose the positive, the constructive.”
- “What you habitually think largely determines what you will ultimately become.”
- “If you love life, don’t waste time, for time is what life is made up of.”
- “The less effort, the faster and more powerful you will be.”
- “A goal is not always meant to be reached, it often serves simply as something to aim at.”
- “For it is easy to criticize and break down the spirit of others, but to know yourself takes a lifetime.”
- “In great attempts it is glorious even to fail.”
- “Don’t think. Feel. It’s like a finger pointing at the moon. Do not concentrate on the finger or you will miss all of the heavenly glory.”
- “If you want to learn to swim jump into the water. On dry land no frame of mind is ever going to help you.”
- “The doubters said, ‘Man can not fly,’ The doers said, ‘Maybe, but we’ll try,’ And finally soared In the morning glow While non-believers Watched from below.”
- “The spirit of the individual is determined by his dominating thought habits.”
- “The more we can quiet our own thoughts and desires, the more we can hear the wisdom of the universe.”
- “It’s not the daily increase but daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential.”
FAQs:
Who was Bruce Lee?
Bruce Lee was a Chinese-American martial artist, actor, and philosopher. He is considered to be one of the most influential martial artists of all time.
When was Bruce Lee born?
Bruce Lee was born on November 27, 1940, in San Francisco, California, to Chinese parents.
What are some of Bruce Lee’s notable achievements?
Bruce Lee is most famous for his martial arts skills and his contributions to the development of the martial arts film genre. He also founded his own martial arts system, Jeet Kune Do, and wrote several books on martial arts philosophy.
What is Jeet Kune Do?
Jeet Kune Do is a martial arts system developed by Bruce Lee that emphasizes simplicity, directness, and personal freedom in combat. It is often referred to as “the way of the intercepting fist.”
What movies did Bruce Lee star in?
Bruce Lee starred in several movies, including “Enter the Dragon,” “The Way of the Dragon,” and “Fists of Fury.”
Did Bruce Lee have any siblings?
Yes, Bruce Lee had two siblings, a brother named Robert and a sister named Phoebe.
What is the Bruce Lee Foundation?
The Bruce Lee Foundation is a non-profit organization founded in 2002 by Bruce Lee’s daughter, Shannon Lee, to promote her father’s philosophy and support various charitable causes.
What is Bruce Lee’s philosophy?
Bruce Lee’s philosophy, which he called “the art of expressing the human body,” emphasized the importance of self-expression, self-knowledge, and personal growth. He believed that martial arts should be used as a means of self-discovery and self-improvement, rather than simply as a form of combat.
How did Bruce Lee die?
Bruce Lee died on July 20, 1973, in Hong Kong at the age of 32. The exact cause of his death is still a subject of debate, but it is believed to have been related to an allergic reaction to medication.
What is Bruce Lee’s legacy?
Bruce Lee’s legacy includes his contributions to the development of martial arts and his influence on popular culture. He is widely regarded as one of the most iconic martial artists of all time and his movies and philosophy continue to inspire people around the world.
