- By Nisha Rana
Jul 19, 2024
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Category
Lifestyle Guides
Who was Bruce Lee?
Bruce Lee has always been considered a legend. He was a man who became an inspiration to many. He was not only an actor; his legacy wasn't limited to only acting or martial arts skills. He gifted the world with his wisdom, which is still highly influential and moving.
Bruce Lee was born on November 27, 1940, in San Francisco, California. He was three months old when his parents returned to Hong Kong, where Lee started working as an actor and also gained an interest in martial arts. He was trained by the legendary Ip Man, who was a Chinese martial artist and a teacher of the martial art of Wing Chun.
In 1959, Lee decided to move back to the US to attend the University of Washington, where he developed his own philosophy on martial arts. While teaching martial arts there, he also wrote a book named Tao of Jeet Kune Do (The Way of the Intercepting Fist), which briefs his martial arts philosophy and viewpoints.
Today, Lee's writings and teachings on personal development, discipline, and self-actualization remain relevant and inspiring. His famous quote, "Be water, my friend," demonstrates his profound comprehension of adaptability and resilience.
We are going to learn some life-changing quotes from him with the hope of transforming into the best version of ourselves and strengthening our connection between our mind, body, and soul.
1. "Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough, we must do."
2. “Reality is apparent when one ceases to compare. There is 'what is' only when there is no comparison at all, and to live with what is, is to be peaceful.”
3. “Choose the positive. You have a choice, you are master of your attitude, choose the positive, the constructive. Optimism is a faith that leads to success.”
4. "Mistakes are always forgivable, if one has the courage to admit them."
5. "The more we value things, the less we value ourselves."
6. "Absorb what is useful, discard what is not, add what is uniquely your own."
7. "All knowledge simply means self-knowledge.”
8. “Simplicity is the last step of art.”
9. “If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done. Make at least one definite move daily toward your goal.”
10. “Life is never stagnant. It is constant movement, un-rhythmic movement, as we as constant change. Things live by moving and gain strength as they go.”
11. “Life is wide, limitless. There is no border, no frontier.”
12. “All fixed set patterns are incapable of adaptability or liability. The truth is outside of all fixed patterns.”
13. "The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering."
14. “Preparation for tomorrow is hard work today.”
15. "Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one."
16. “A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer.”
17. "To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities."
18. “Everything you do, if not in a relaxed state will be done at a lesser level than you are proficient. Thus the tensed expert marksman will aim at a level less than his/her student.”
19. “The word ‘superstar’ is an illusion.”
20. "If you love life, don't waste time, for time is what life is made up of."
21. “Self-knowledge involves relationships. To know oneself is to study oneself in action with another person. The relationship is a process of self-evaluation and self-revelation. The relationship is the mirror in which you discover yourself–to be is to be related.”
22. “The stillness in stillness is not the real stillness; only when there is stillness in movement does the universal rhythm manifest.”
23. "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."
24. “To spend time is to pass it in a specified manner. To waste time is to expend it thoughtlessly or carelessly. We all have time to either spend or waste and it is our decision what to do with it. But once passed, it is gone forever.”
25. “The spirit of the individual is determined by his dominating thought habits.”
26. “Be happy, but never satisfied.”
27. “Art is the way to the absolute and to the essence of human life. The aim of art is not the one-sided promotion of spirit, soul and senses, but the opening of all human capacities–thought, feeling, will–to the life rhythm of the world of nature. So will the voiceless voice be heard and the self be brought into harmony with it.”
28) “Take no thought of who is right or wrong, or who is better than. Be not for or against.”
29) “The meaning of life is that it is to be lived, and it is not to be traded and conceptualized and squeezed into a pattern of systems.”
30) “Do not allow negative thoughts to enter your mind for they are the weeds that strangle confidence.”
31) “The knowledge and skills you have achieved are meant to be forgotten so you can float comfortably in emptiness, without obstruction.”
32) “It’s not the daily increase but daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential.”
33) “It is not a shame to be knocked down by other people. The important thing is to ask when you’re being knocked down, ‘Why am I being knocked down?’ If a person can reflect in this way, then there is hope for this person.”
34) “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.”
35) “In order to taste my cup of water, you must first empty your cup.”
36) “Endurance is lost rapidly if one ceases to work at its maximum.”
37) “It's like a finger pointing away to the moon. Don’t concentrate on the finger or you will miss all that heavenly glory.”
38) “I am not teaching you anything. I just help you to explore yourself.”
39) ) “Be self-aware, rather than a repetitious robot.”
41) “Those who are unaware they are walking in darkness will never seek the light.”
42) “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 kung fu man, who rejects all forms of self-assertiveness and competition.”
43) “Don’t fear failure. Not failure, but low aim, is the crime. In great attempts, it is glorious even to fail.”
44) “The less effort, the faster and more powerful you will be.”
45) “Defeat is a state of mind; No one is ever defeated until defeat has been accepted as a reality.”
