301 Inspiring Bruce Lee Quotes That Are Powerful

Bruce Lee, born in San Francisco in 1940, became a seminal figure in martial arts films.

Growing up in Hong Kong, Lee was introduced to films early due to his father’s entertainment background.

Learning kung fu for self-defense and winning a cha-cha championship in 1958 showcased his versatility.

Sent to the U.S. after repeated street fights, Lee studied in Seattle, opened martial arts schools and developed his unique style, jeet kune do.

Cast as Kato in “The Green Hornet” TV series, Lee later struggled with Hollywood roles and returned to Hong Kong, achieving significant film success.

His film “Enter the Dragon” catapulted him to global stardom, but he tragically died in 1973, just before its release.

Lee’s legacy, highlighting positive Asian representation in films, continues to inspire, with a 1993 biopic and his son, Brandon’s brief acting career, furthering his impact.

I have picked the most inspirational quotes by Bruce Lee.

---

Top Bruce Lee Quotes

1. “If you love life, don’t waste time, for time is what life is made up of.” – (Bruce Lee)

2. “Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one.” – (Bruce Lee)

3. “The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus.” – (Bruce Lee)

4. “Preparation for tomorrow is hard work today.” – (Bruce Lee)

5. “Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough, we must do.” – (Bruce Lee)

6. “Be happy, but never satisfied.” – (Bruce Lee)

7. “If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done.” – (Bruce Lee)

8. “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.” – (Bruce Lee)

9. “As you think, so shall you become.” – (Bruce Lee)

10. “Long-term consistency trumps short-term intensity.” – (Bruce Lee)

11. “You must be shapeless, formless, like water. When you pour water in a cup, it becomes the cup. When you pour water in a bottle, it becomes the bottle. When you pour water in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Water can drip and it can crash. Become like water, my friend.” – (Bruce Lee)

12. “Don’t fear failure. Not failure, but low aim, is the crime. In great attempts it is glorious even to fail.” – (Bruce Lee)

13. “Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it.” – (Bruce Lee)

14. “Defeat is not defeat unless accepted as a reality in your own mind.” – (Bruce Lee)

15. “Mistakes are always forgivable, if one has the courage to admit them.” – (Bruce Lee)

16. “If you always put limits 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.” – (Bruce Lee)

17. “To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities.” – (Bruce Lee)

18. “Adapt what is useful, reject what is useless, and add what is specifically your own.” – (Bruce Lee)

19. “A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer.” – (Bruce Lee)

20. “The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering.” – (Bruce Lee)

21. “A goal is not always meant to be reached, it often serves simply as something to aim at.” – (Bruce Lee)

22. “Be self aware, rather than a repetitious robot.” – (Bruce Lee)

23. “Be like water, my friend.” – (Bruce Lee)

24. “It’s not the daily increase but daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential.” – (Bruce Lee)

25. “Empty your cup so that it may be filled; become devoid to gain totality.” – (Bruce Lee)

26. “Real living is living for others.” – (Bruce Lee)

27. “Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind.” – (Bruce Lee)

28. “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.” – (Bruce Lee)

29. “Make at least one definite move daily toward your goal.” – (Bruce Lee)

30. “Use only that which works, and take it from any place you can find it.” – (Bruce Lee)

31. “Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless – like water.” Be water my friend – (Bruce Lee)

32. “Love is like a friendship caught on fire. In the beginning a flame, very pretty, often hot and fierce, but still only light and flickering. As love grows older, our hearts mature and our love becomes as coals, deep-burning and unquenchable.” – (Bruce Lee)

33. “Boards don’t hit back.” – (Bruce Lee)

34. “Simplicity is the key to brilliance.” – (Bruce Lee)

35. “Water can flow, or it can crash. Be water, my friend.” – (Bruce Lee)

36. “I’m not in this world to live up to your expectations and you’re not in this world to live up to mine.” – (Bruce Lee)

37. “Either push your limits or die.” – (Bruce Lee)

38. “Concentration is the root of all the higher abilities in man.” – (Bruce Lee)

39. “The spirit of the individual is determined by his dominating thought habits.” – (Bruce Lee)

40. “Practice makes perfect. After a long time of practicing, our work will become natural, skillfull, swift, and steady.” – (Bruce Lee)

41. “Showing off is the fool’s idea of glory.” – (Bruce Lee)

42. “A quick temper will make a fool of you soon enough.” – (Bruce Lee)

43. “Defeat is a state of mind; no one is ever defeated until defeat has been accepted as a reality.” – (Bruce Lee)

44. “Get maximum effect from minimum effort.” – (Bruce Lee)

45. “Without frustration you will not discover that you might be able to do something on your own. We grow through conflict.” – (Bruce Lee)

46. “Now I see that I will never find the light Unless, like the candle, I am my own fuel, Consuming myself.” – (Bruce Lee)

47. “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.” – (Bruce Lee)

48. “Knowledge will give you power, but character respect.” – (Bruce Lee)

49. “People fear what they do not understand.” – (Bruce Lee)

50. “A good teacher protects his pupils from his own influence.” – (Bruce Lee)

51. “For it is easy to criticize and break down the spirit of others, but to know yourself takes a lifetime.” – (Bruce Lee)

52. “Learning is a constant process of discovery – a process without end.” – (Bruce Lee)

53. “You must be shapeless, formless, like water. When you pour water in a cup, it becomes the cup.” – (Bruce Lee)

54. “Remember, success is a journey not a destination. Have faith in your ability. You will do just fine.” – (Bruce Lee)

55. “Your state of mind is everything.” – (Bruce Lee)

56. “One does not accumulate but eliminate. It is not daily increase but daily decrease. The height of cultivation always runs to simplicity.” – (Bruce Lee)

57. “The More we value things, the less we value ourselves.” – (Bruce Lee)

58. “Optimism is a faith that leads to success.” – (Bruce Lee)

59. “Emotion can be the enemy, if you give into your emotion, you lose yourself. You must be at one with your emotion, because the body always follows the mind.” – (Bruce Lee)

60. “I am not afraid of a person who knows 10000 kicks. But I am afraid of a person who knows one kick but practices it for 10000 times.” – (Bruce Lee)

61. “The usefulness of the cup is its emptiness.” – (Bruce Lee)

62. “You have to create your own luck. You have to be aware of the opportunities around you and take advantage of them.” – (Bruce Lee)

63. “It’s the law of averages: put in more, come out with more.” – (Bruce Lee)

64. “If I should die tomorrow, I will have no regrets. I did what I wanted to do. You can’t expect more from life.” – (Bruce Lee)

65. “Life is wide, limitless. There is no border, no frontier.” – (Bruce Lee)

66. “Life itself is your teacher, and you are in a state of constant learning.” – (Bruce Lee)

67. “Those who are unaware they are walking in darkness will never seek the light.” – (Bruce Lee)

68. “The mind is like a fertile garden in which anything that is planted, flowers or weeds, will grow.” – (Bruce Lee)

69. “I am not teaching you anything. I just help you to explore yourself.” – (Bruce Lee)

70. “Art requires imagination. It requires Creativity. Creativity requires experience and experience comes from your life. And your life is expressed in your art.” – (Bruce Lee)

71. “The possession of anything begins in the mind.” – (Bruce Lee)

72. “Persistence, persistence, and persistence. The Power can be created and maintained through daily practice – continuous effort.” – (Bruce Lee)

73. “When finger point at moon, don’t look at finger or you’ll miss the moon.” – (Bruce Lee)

74. “If you want to learn to swim you have to throw yourself in the water.” – (Bruce Lee)

75. “The less effort, the faster and more powerful you will be.” – (Bruce Lee)

76. “The stillness in stillness is not the real stillness; only when there is stillness in movement does the universal rhythm manifest.” – (Bruce Lee)

77. “Do not run away; let go. Do not seek; for it will come when least expected.” – (Bruce Lee)

78. “True refinement seeks simplicity.” – (Bruce Lee)

79. “The past is no more; the future not yet. Nothing exists except the here and now. Our grand business is not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what lies clearly at our hands.” – (Bruce Lee)

80. “If you want to learn to swim jump into the water. On dry land no frame of mind is ever going to help you.” – (Bruce Lee)

81. “Dedication, absolute dedication, is what keeps one ahead!” – (Bruce Lee)

82. “Cease negative mental chattering. If you think a thing is impossible, you’ll make it impossible. Pessimism blunts the tools you need to succeed.” – (Bruce Lee)

83. “A teacher is never a giver of truth; he is a guide, a pointer to the truth that each student must find for himself.” – (Bruce Lee)

84. “One great cause of failure is lack of concentration.” – (Bruce Lee).

Best Bruce Lee Quotes

85. “Action is a high road to self-confidence and esteem. Where it is open, all energies flow toward it. It comes readily to most people, and its rewards are tangible.” – (Bruce Lee)

86. “Fluidity is the way to an empty mind. You must free your ambitious mind and learn the art of dying.” – (Bruce Lee)

87. “If I tell you I’m good, probably you will say I’m boasting. But if I tell you I’m not good, you’ll know I’m lying.” – (Bruce Lee)

88. “If you knew you had to fight for your life tomorrow, would you change your training today?” – (Bruce Lee)

89. “If you don’t want to slip up tomorrow, speak the truth today.” – (Bruce Lee)

90. “What you habitually think largely determines what you will ultimately become.” – (Bruce Lee)

91. “Let nature take its course and your tools will strike at the right moment.” – (Bruce Lee)

92. “Concepts vs. self-actualization. – Instead of dedicating your life to actualize a concept of what you should be like, ACTUALIZE YOURSELF. The process of maturing does not mean to become a captive of conceptualization. It is to come to the realization of what lies in our innermost selves.” – (Bruce Lee)

93. “Remember my friend to enjoy your planning as well as your accomplishment, for life is too short for negative energy.” – (Bruce Lee)

94. “I am learning to understand rather than immediately judge or to be judged. I cannot blindly follow the crowd and accept their approach. I will not allow myself to indulge in the usual manipulating game of role creation. Fortunately for me, my self-knowledge.” – (Bruce Lee)

95. “Never waste energy on worries or negative thoughts, all problems are brought into existence -drop them.” – (Bruce Lee)

96. “You must accept the fact that there is no help but self-help. I cannot tell you how to gain freedom since freedom exists within you.” – (Bruce Lee)

97. “Put ‘going the extra mile’ to work as part of one’s daily habit.” – (Bruce Lee)

98. “Be a calm beholder of what is happening around you.” – (Bruce Lee)

99. “Obey the principles without being bound by them.” – (Bruce Lee)

100. “Learn it all, then forget it all.” – (Bruce Lee)

101. “Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way round or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves.” – (Bruce Lee)

102. “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.” – (Bruce Lee)

103. “Stop wasting time in playing a role or a concept. Instead, learn to ACTUALIZE YOURSELF, your potential.” – (Bruce Lee)

104. “To become a champion requires a good mental attitude toward preparation. You have to accept the most tedious task with pleasure.” – (Bruce Lee)

105. “Success means doing something sincerely and wholeheartedly.” – (Bruce Lee)

106. “Be a practical dreamer backed by action.” – (Bruce Lee)

107. “Take things as they are. Punch when you have to punch. Kick when you have to kick.” – (Bruce Lee)

108. “Ultimately the greatest help is self-help.” – (Bruce Lee)

109. “Using no way as a way, having no limitation as limitation.” – (Bruce Lee)

110. “Ever since I was a child I have had this instinctive urge for expansion and growth. To me, the function and duty of a quality human being is the sincere and honest development of one’s potential.” – (Bruce Lee)

111. “Only the self-sufficient stand alone – most people follow the crowd and imitate.” – (Bruce Lee)

112. “You will never get any more out of this life than you expect.” – (Bruce Lee)

113. “Sorrows are our best educator. A man can see further through a tear than a telescope.” – (Bruce Lee)

114. “To me defeat in anything is merely temporary. Defeat simply tells me that something is wrong in my doing; it is a path leading to success and truth.” – (Bruce Lee)

115. “If there is a God, he is within. You don’t ask God to give you things, you depend on God for your inner theme.” – (Bruce Lee)

116. “Loneliness is only an opportunity to cut adrift and find yourself. In solitude you are least alone.” – (Bruce Lee)

117. “Many people dedicate their lives to actualizing a concept of what they should be like, rather than actualizing themselves. This difference between self-actualization and self-image actualization is very important. Most people live only for their image.” – (Bruce Lee)

118. “Fear comes from uncertainty; we can eliminate the fear within us when we know ourselves better.” – (Bruce Lee)

119. “Out of chaos, find simplicity, From discord, find harmony.” – (Bruce Lee)

120. “Do not allow negative thoughts to enter your mind for they are the weeds that strange confidence.” – (Bruce Lee)

121. “Live a life worth remembering.” – (Bruce Lee)

122. “Self-knowledge involves relationship. To know oneself is to study one self in action with another person. Relationship is a process of self evaluation and self revelation. Relationship is the mirror in which you discover yourself – to be is to be related.” – (Bruce Lee)

123. “Low aim, not failure, is the crime.” – (Bruce Lee)

124. “The meaning of life is that it is to be lived.” – (Bruce Lee)

125. “All knowledge, is ultimately, self knowledge.” – (Bruce Lee)

126. “Time means a lot to me because you see I am also a learner and am often lost in the joy of forever developing.” – (Bruce Lee)

127. “Learning is never cumulative, it is a movement of knowing which has no beginning and no end.” – (Bruce Lee)

128. “A self-willed man has no other aim than his own growth.” – (Bruce Lee)

129. “We are told that talent creates opportunity, yet it is desire that creates talent.” – (Bruce Lee)

130. “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.” – (Bruce Lee)

Famous Bruce Lee Quotes

131. “Art calls for complete mastery of techniques, developed by reflection within the soul.” – (Bruce Lee)

132. “Take what’s useful, discard what is not.” – (Bruce Lee)

133. “Like everyone else, you want to learn the way to win, but never to accept the way to lose – to accept defeat. To learn to die is to be liberated from it. So when tomorrow comes you must free your ambitious mind and learn the art of dying!” – (Bruce Lee)

134. “Things live by moving and gain strength as they go.” – (Bruce Lee)

135. “The idea is that flowing water never goes stale, so just keep on flowing.” – (Bruce Lee)

136. “Pessimism blunts the tools you need to succeed.” – (Bruce Lee)

137. “Do not have an attitude, open yourself and focus yourself and express yourself. Reject external form that fails to express internal reality.” – (Bruce Lee)

138. “Learning is definitely not mere imitation, nor is it the ability to accumulate and regurgitate fixed knowledge. Learning is a constant process of discovery – a process without end.” – (Bruce Lee)

139. “Independent inquiry is needed in your search for truth, not dependence on anyone else’s view or a mere book.” – (Bruce Lee)

140. “If every man would help his neighbor, no man would be without help.” – (Bruce Lee)

41. “It is better to live as a broken piece of jade, than to live as a useless clay.” – (Bruce Lee)

142. “What is true stillness? Stillness in movement.” – (Bruce Lee)

143. “To change with change is the changeless state.” – (Bruce Lee)

144. “It is the man that has nothing to lose or is willing to lose everything to beat you that I am afraid of. If a man is willing to lose his life to bite off my nose then I don’t care how good I am or what I do to him- he’s gonna get my nose.” – (Bruce Lee)

145. “Flow in the living moment – We are always in a process of becoming and nothing is fixed.” – (Bruce Lee)

146. “By adopting a certain physical posture, a resonant chord is struck in spirit.” – (Bruce Lee)

147. “The deluded mind is the mind affectively burdened by intellect. Thus, it cannot move without stopping and reflecting on itself. This obstructs its native fluidity.” – (Bruce Lee)

148. “Instead of dedicating your life to actualize a concept of what you should be like, actualize yourself.” – (Bruce Lee)

149. “Jeet Kune Do: it’s just a name; don’t fuss over it. There’s no such thing as a style if you understand the roots of combat.” – (Bruce Lee)

150. “To realize freedom the mind has to learn to look at life, which is a vast movement, without the bondage of time, for freedom lies beyond the field of consciousness care for watching, but don’t stop and interpret “I am free,” then you’re living in a memory of something that has gone before.” – (Bruce Lee)

151. “Training for strength and flexibility is a must. You must use it to support your techniques. Techniques alone are no good if you don’t support them with strength and flexibility.” – (Bruce Lee)

152. “In order to realize our true self we must be willing to live without being dependent upon the opinion of others.” – (Bruce Lee)

153. “I am learning to understand rather than immediately judge or to be judged.” – (Bruce Lee)

154. “Every man today is the result of his thoughts yesterday.” – (Bruce Lee)

155. “The reward is found in the work.” – (Bruce Lee)

156. “Self-Conquest is the greatest of victories. Mighty is he who conquers himself.” – (Bruce Lee)

157. “The height of cultivation always runs to simplicity.” – (Bruce Lee)

158. “Everyone wants to learn how to win, but no one wants to learn how to accept defeat.” – (Bruce Lee)

159. “Running water never grows stale.” – (Bruce Lee)

160. “Believe me that in every big thing or achievement there are always obstacles-big or small- and the reaction one shows to such obstacles is what counts, not the obstacle itself.” – (Bruce Lee)

161. “The consciousness of self is the greatest hindrance to the proper execution of all physical action.” – (Bruce Lee)

162. “We should devote ourselves to being self-sufficient and must not depend upon the external ratings by others for our happiness.” – (Bruce Lee)

163. “Are you going to let the obstacles in your life be stumbling blocks or stepping stones? Choose the positive. You are the master of your attitude.” – (Bruce Lee)

164. “Taoist philosophy is essentially monistic. Matter and energy, Yang and Yin, heaven and earth, are conceived of as essentially one or as two coexistent poles of one indivisible whole.” – (Bruce Lee)

165. “A good martial artist does not become tense, but ready. Not thinking, yet not dreaming. Ready for whatever may come. When the opponent expands, I contract; and when he contracts, I expand. And when there is an opportunity, “I” do not hit, “it” hits all by itself.” – (Bruce Lee)

166. “When you feel pain, you know that you are still alive.” – (Bruce Lee)

167. “The moment is freedom. – I couldn’t live by a rigid schedule. I try to live freely from moment to moment, letting things happen and adjusting to them.” – (Bruce Lee)

168. “Give recognition where it is due. Compliments stimulate more effort and desire to improve. Be generous with honest praising.” – (Bruce Lee)

169. “Emptiness the starting point. – In order to taste my cup of water you must first empty your cup. My friend, drop all your preconceived and fixed ideas and be neutral. Do you know why this cup is useful? Because it is empty.” – (Bruce Lee)

170. “To understand your fear is the beginning of really seeing.” – (Bruce Lee)

171. “It’s not what you give, it’s the way you give it.” – (Bruce Lee)

172. “You will never learn anything new unless you are ready to accept yourself with your limitations. You must accept the fact that you are capable in some directions and limited in others, and you must develop your capabilities.” – (Bruce Lee)

173. “The future looks extremely bright indeed, with lots of possibilities ahead – big possibilities. Like the song says, We’ve just begun.” – (Bruce Lee)

174. “Evaluation by others is not a guide for me.” – (Bruce Lee)

175. “The past is an illusion. You must learn to live in the present and accept yourself for what you are now. What you lack in flexibility and agility you must make up with knowledge and constant practice.” – (Bruce Lee)

176. “All fixed set patterns are incapable of adaptability or pliability. The truth is outside of all fixed patterns.” – (Bruce Lee)

177. “In order to control myself I must first accept myself by going with and not against my nature.” – (Bruce Lee)

178. “The essence of fighting is the art of moving at the right time.” – (Bruce Lee)

179. “Remember no man is really defeated unless he is discouraged.” – (Bruce Lee)

180. “The highest technique is to have no technique. My technique is a result of your technique; my movement is a result of your movement.” – (Bruce Lee)

181. “Don’t ignore the five senses in search of a sixth.” – (Bruce Lee)

182. “A man must constantly exceed his level.” – (Bruce Lee)

Popular Bruce Lee Quotes

183. “Understanding requires not just a moment of perception, but a continuous awareness, a continuous state of inquiry without conclusion.” – (Bruce Lee)

184. “To live is to express oneself freely.” – (Bruce Lee)

185. “Belts are only good for holding up your pants.” – (Bruce Lee)

186. “Like a cobra, your strike should be felt before it is seen.” – (Bruce Lee)

187. “Let the spirit out – Discard all thoughts of reward, all hopes of praise and fears of blame, all awareness of one’s bodily self. And, finally closing the avenues of sense perception, let the spirit out, as it will.” – (Bruce Lee)

188. “To me, ultimately, martial arts means honestly expressing yourself.” – (Bruce Lee)

189. “Success is not in reaching the destination, but in making the journey.” – (Bruce Lee)

190. “In Buddhism, there is no place for using effort. Just be ordinary and nothing special. Eat your food, move your bowels, pass water and when you’re tired go and lie down. The ignorant will laugh at me, but the wise will understand.” – (Bruce Lee)

191. “If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves. Moving, be like water. Still, be like a mirror. Respond like an echo.” – (Bruce Lee)

192. “The change is from inner to outer. We start by dissolving our attitude not by altering outer conditions.” – (Bruce Lee)

193. “Take no thought of who is right or wrong or who is better than. Be not for or against.” – (Bruce Lee)

194. “We do not become. We simply are.” – (Bruce Lee)

195. “In order to taste my cup of water you must first empty your cup.” – (Bruce Lee)

196. “There will be calmness, tranquility, when one is free from external objects and is not perturbed.” – (Bruce Lee)

198. “An intelligent mind is an inquiring mind. It is not satisfied with explanation, with conclusions. Nor is it a mind that believes, because belief is again another form of conclusion.” – (Bruce Lee)

199. “Forget about winning and losing, forget about pride and pain.” – (Bruce Lee)

200. “Don’t get set into one form, adapt it and build your own, and let it grow, be like water.” – (Bruce Lee)

201. “The unconditioned mind intuits truth.” – (Bruce Lee)

202. “When one has reached maturity in the art, one will have a formless form. It is like ice dissolving in water. When one has no form, one can be all forms; when one has no style, he can fit in with any style.” – (Bruce Lee)

203. “I refer to my hands, feet and body as the tools of the trade. The hands and feet must be sharpened and improved daily to be efficient.” – (Bruce Lee)

204. “The knowledge and skills you have achieved are meant to be forgotten so you can float comfortably in emptiness, without obstruction.” – (Bruce Lee)

205. “Man, the living creature, the creating individual, is always more important than any established style or system.” – (Bruce Lee)

206. “Observe what is with undivided awareness.” – (Bruce Lee)

207. “Even today, I dare not say that I have reached a state of achievement. I’m still learning, for learning is boundless.” – (Bruce Lee)

208. “You must have complete determination. The worst opponent you can come across is one whose aim has become an obsession.” – (Bruce Lee)

209. “We have great work ahead of us, and it needs devotion and much, much energy. To grow, to discover, we need involvement, which is something I experience every day – sometimes good, sometimes frustrating. No matter what, you must let your inner light guide you out of the darkness.” – (Bruce Lee)

210. “Open yourself and flow, my friend. Flow in the total openness of the living moment.” – (Bruce Lee)

211. “Know the difference between a catastrophe and an inconvenience.” – (Bruce Lee)

212. “Recognizing that the power of will is the supreme court over all other departments of my mind, I will exercise daily when I need the urge to act for any purpose; and I will form habits designed to bring the power of my will into action at least once daily.” – (Bruce Lee)

213. “A man strikes you, make him bleed. He makes you bleed, you break his bones. He breaks your bones, kill him. Being hit is inevitable, strike back twice as hard.” – (Bruce Lee)

214. “There is no love without friendship. Passion alone does not form relationships of value.” – (Bruce Lee)

215. “I have the absolute confidence not to be number two, but then I have enough sense to realize that there can be no number one.” – (Bruce Lee)

216. “A fight is not won by one punch or kick. Either learn to endure or hire a bodyguard.” – (Bruce Lee)

217. “Humility forms the basis of honor, just as the low ground forms the foundation of a high elevation.” – (Bruce Lee)

218. “The highest art is no art. The highest form is no form.” – (Bruce Lee)

219. “The word “superstar” is an illusion.” – (Bruce Lee)

220. “My strength comes from my abdomen. It’s the center of gravity and the source of real power.” – (Bruce Lee)

221. “I think of myself as a human being.” – (Bruce Lee)

222. “When you point to the moon, what do you see in front of your finger; Your task is to feel, not to think, when you can understand that the lesson will be learned.” – (Bruce Lee)

223. “To be honest to oneself, and that is very hard to do.” – (Bruce Lee)

224. “Don’t be forecasting evil unless it is what you can guard against. Anxiety is good for nothing if we can’t turn it into a defense.” – (Bruce Lee)

225. “Do not be tense, just be ready, not thinking but not dreaming, not being set but being flexible.” – (Bruce Lee)

226. “Since life is an ever evolving process, one should flow in this process and discover how to actualize and expand oneself.” – (Bruce Lee)

227. “Satori – in the awakening from a dream. Awakening and self-realization and seeing into one’s own being – these are synonymous.” – (Bruce Lee)

228. “To live is to express, and to express you have to create. Creation is never merely repetition. To live is to express oneself freely in creation.” – (Bruce Lee)

229. “One must be truthful and honest in his approach; a constant independent inquiry and not blindly following a certain blueprint laid down by others.” – (Bruce Lee)

230. “The more aware you become, the more you shed from day to day what you have learned so that your mind is always fresh and uncontaminated by previous conditioning.” – (Bruce Lee)

231. “From form to formless and from finite to infinite.” – (Bruce Lee)

232. “The best fighter is not a Boxer, Karate or Judo man. The best fighter is someone who can adapt on any style. He kicks too good for a Boxer, throws too good for a Karate man, and punches too good for a Judo man.” – (Bruce Lee)

233. “If you want to do your duty properly, you should do just a little more than that.” – (Bruce Lee)

234. “Where there is no style, there is no slave. Martial Arts mean honestly expressing yourself. No style. No slave.” – (Bruce Lee)

235. “Effort within the mind further limits the mind, because effort implies struggle towards a goal and when you have a goal, a purpose, an end in view, you have placed a limit on the mind.” – (Bruce Lee)

236. “Self-knowledge is the basis of jeet kune do because it is effective not only for the individual’s martial art but also for his life as a human being.” – (Bruce Lee)

237. “Martial arts, like any art, is an unrestricted athletic expression of an individual soul.” – (Bruce Lee)

238. “I have always been a martial artist by choice, an actor by profession, but above all, am actualising myself to be an artist of life.” – (Bruce Lee)

239. “With every adversity comes a blessing because a shock acts as a reminder to oneself that we must not get stale in routine.” – (Bruce Lee)

240. “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.” – (Bruce Lee)

241. “Learn the principle, abide by the principle, and dissolve the principle. In short, enter a mold without being caged in it. Obey the principle without being bound by it. Learn, master, and achieve.” – (Bruce Lee)

242. “In building a statue, a sculptor doesn’t keep adding clay to his subject. Actually, he keeps chiseling away at the nonessentials until the truth of his creation is revealed without obstruction.” – (Bruce Lee)

243. “If you follow the classical pattern, you are understanding the routine, the tradition, the shadow – you are not understanding yourself.” – (Bruce Lee)

244. “To reach me, you must move to me. Your attack offers me an opportunity to intercept you.” – (Bruce Lee)

245. “It is compassion rather than the principle of justice which can guard us against being unjust to our fellow men.” – (Bruce Lee)

246. “Practice all movements slow and fast, soft and hard; the effectiveness of Jeet Kune-Do depends on split-second timing and reflexive action, which can be achieved only through repetitious practice.” – (Bruce Lee)

247. “Zen is not “attained” by mirror-wiping mediation, but by “self-forgetfulness in the existential ‘present’ of life here and now.” We do not “come”, we “are.” Don’t strive to become, but be.” – (Bruce Lee)

248. “My style? You can call it the art of fighting without fighting.” – (Bruce Lee)

249. “Seek freedom from the conformity of styles.” – (Bruce Lee)

250. “I personally do not believe in the word style. Why? Because, unless there are human beings with three arms and four legs, unless we have another group of human beings that are structually different from us, there can be no different style of fighting.” – (Bruce Lee)

251. “Do not deny the classical approach, simply as a reaction, or you will have created another pattern and trapped yourself there.” – (Bruce Lee).

Inspiring Bruce Lee Quotes

252. “A martial artist has to take responsibility for himself and accept the consequences of his own doing.” – (Bruce Lee)

253. “If you make an ass out of yourself, there will always be someone to ride you.” – (Bruce Lee)

254. “Know the difference between a catastrophe and an inconvenience. – To realize that it’s just an inconvenience, that it is not a catastrophe, but just an unpleasantness, is part of coming into your own, part of waking up.” – (Bruce Lee)

255. “To tell the truth, I could beat anybody in the world.” – (Bruce Lee)

256. “The second-hand artist blindly following his sensei or sifu accepts his pattern. As a result, his action is and, more importantly, his thinking become mechanical. His responses become automatic, according to set patterns, making him narrow and limited.” – (Bruce Lee)

257. “When you freely express, you are the total style.” – (Bruce Lee)

258. “False teachers of the Way of life use flowery words.” – (Bruce Lee)

259. “Because one does not want to be disturbed, to be made uncertain, he establishes a pattern of conduct, of thought, a pattern of relationship to man etc. Then he becomes a slave to the pattern and takes the pattern to be the real thing.” – (Bruce Lee)

260. “Every morning like a scholar at his first-class I prepare a blank mind for the day to write upon.” – (Bruce Lee)

261. “When one has no form, one can be all forms.” – (Bruce Lee)

262. “A good fighter must sense rather than perceive his chance to strike.” – (Bruce Lee)

263. “To know oneself is to study oneself in action with another person.” – (Bruce Lee)

264. “Before me now there is only one real fact – Death. The truth I have been seeking – this truth is Death. Yet Death is also a seeker. Forever seeking me. So – we have met at last. And I am prepared. I am at peace. Because I will conquer death with death.” – (Bruce Lee)

265. “All goals apart from the means are illusions; becoming is a denial of being.” – (Bruce Lee)

266. “The intangible represents the real power of the universe. It is the seed of the tangible.” – (Bruce Lee)

267. “I’m a philosophy major. That means I can think deep thoughts about being unemployed.” – (Bruce Lee)

268. “The truth is outside of all fixed patterns.” – (Bruce Lee)

269. “When we hold to the core, the opposite sides are the same if they are seen from the center of the moving circle. I do not experience; I am experience. I am not the subject of experience; I am that experience. I am awareness. Nothing else can be I or can exist.” – (Bruce Lee)

270. “You know what I want to think of myself? As a human being. Because, I mean I don’t want to be like As Confucius say, but under the sky, under the heavens there is but one family. It just so happens that people are different.” – (Bruce Lee)

271. “A kung fu man who was really good was not proud at all. Pride emphasizes the superiority of one’s status. There has to be fear and insecurity in pride, because when you aim at being highly esteemed and achieve such status, you automatically start to worry about losing status.” – (Bruce Lee)

272. “I did what I came here to do. What I’ve done I’ve done with sincerity and to the best of my ability. You can’t expect much more from life.” – (Bruce Lee)

273. “The timeless moment. – The “moment” has no yesterday or tomorrow. It is not the result of thought and therefore has no time.” – (Bruce Lee)

274. “To be bound by traditional martial art style or styles is the way of the mindless, enslaved martial artist. But to be inspired by the traditional martial art and to achieve further heights is the way of genius.” – (Bruce Lee)

275. “There’s only one basic principle of self-defense- you must apply the most effective weapon, as soon as possible, to the most vulnerable target.” – (Bruce Lee)

276. “People try to hold onto the sameness. This holding onto prevents growth.” – (Bruce Lee)

277. “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.” – (Bruce Lee)

278. “Truth comes when your mind and heart are purged of all sense of striving and you are no longer trying to become somebody; it is there when the mind is very quiet, listening timelessly to everything.” – (Bruce Lee)

279. “Truth cannot be structured or confined.” – (Bruce Lee)

280. “Do not like, do not dislike; all will then be clear. Make a hairbreadth difference and heaven and earth are set apart.” – (Bruce Lee)

281. “Simplicity of expression rather than complexity of form.” – (Bruce Lee)

282. “I am happy because I am growing daily and I am honestly not knowing where the limit lies. To be certain, every day there can be a revelation or a new discovery. I treasure the memory of the past misfortunes. It has added more to my bank of fortitude.” – (Bruce Lee)

283. “Maturation is the development from environmental support to self-support.” – (Bruce Lee)

284. “When you say that something is impossible, you have made it impossible.” – (Bruce Lee)

285. “True observation begins when devoid of set patterns; freedom of expression occurs when one is beyond system.” – (Bruce Lee)

286. “I don’t want to do anything halfway. It has to be perfect.” – (Bruce Lee)

287. “Never trouble trouble till trouble troubles you. I’ll not willingly offend, nor be easily offended.” – (Bruce Lee)

288. “All martial arts is simply an honest expression of one’s body – with a lot of deception in between.” – (Bruce Lee)

289. “If one loves, one need not have an ideology of love.” – (Bruce Lee)

290. “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.” – (Bruce Lee)

291. “It is true that the mental aspect of kung-fu is the desired end; however, to achieve this end, technical skill must come first.” – (Bruce Lee)

292. “Art lives where absolute freedom is because when it is not, there can be no creativity.” – (Bruce Lee)

293. “Art is never decoration, embellishment; instead, it is work of enlightenment. Art, in other words, is a technique for acquiring liberty.” – (Bruce Lee)

294. “Art reaches its greatest peak when devoid of self-consciousness. Freedom discovers man the moment he loses concern over what impression he is making or about to make.” – (Bruce Lee)

295. “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.” – (Bruce Lee)

296. “The happiness that is derived from excitement is like a brilliant fire- soon it will go out.” – (Bruce Lee)

297. “Turn your sparring into play – but always play seriously.” – (Bruce Lee)

298. “I hope martial artists are more interested in the root of martial arts and not the different decorative branches, flowers or leaves. It is futile to argue as to which leaf, which design of branches, or which attractive flower you like; when you understand the root, you understand all its blossoming.” – (Bruce Lee)

299. “Reality is apparent when one ceases to compare.” – (Bruce Lee)

300. “Understanding comes about through feeling, from moment to moment in the mirror of relationship.” – (Bruce Lee)

301. “I’ve come to understand that life is best lived, not conceptualized.” – (Bruce Lee).

---

---

You Might Like

• Yoda Quotes
• Mark Twain Quotes
• Winnie the Pooh Quotes
• Viktor E. Frankl Quotes
• Alexander the Great Quotes
• Tupac Shakur Quotes
• David Goggins Quotes
• Jackie Robinson Quotes
• Ernest Hemingway Quotes

---

Short Biography of Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee was a pioneering martial artist and actor, known for creating Jeet Kune Do and revolutionizing martial arts cinema.

Born in San Francisco and raised in Hong Kong, he started as a child actor before moving to the U.S. where he opened martial arts schools and taught famous students.

Full Name	Lee Jun-fan (李振藩)
Born	27 November 1940, Chinese Hospital, San Francisco, California, United States
Died	20 July 1973 (age 32 years), Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong
Resting place	Lake View Cemetery, Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Other names	Lee Siu-lung, Lee Yuen-cham, Lee Yuen-kam
Nationality	Hong Kong, American (from 1959)
Occupations	Martial artist, Actor, Philosopher, Film director, Screenwriter, Producer
Years active	1941–1973
Martial arts	Kung fu, Chinese martial arts, Boxing, Jeet Kune Do, MORE
Works	Filmography
Height	1.72 m (5 ft 7+1⁄2 in)
Spouse	Linda Lee Cadwell (m. 1964–1973)
Children	Brandon Lee, Shannon Lee
Parents	Lee Hoi-chuen, Grace Ho
Relatives	Peter Lee (brother), Robert Lee (brother)
Website	bruceleefoundation.org

His films in the early ’70s, such as “Enter the Dragon,” made him a global icon, blending Chinese martial arts with Western cinema.

Despite his untimely death at 32, Lee’s legacy endures in combat sports and pop culture, earning him a spot as one of the 20th century’s most influential figures.

---

Quick Facts about Bruce Lee

• Bruce Lee was born Lee Jun-fan on November 27, 1940, in San Francisco.
• He created Jeet Kune Do, a martial arts philosophy blending different fighting styles.
• Lee is regarded as a martial arts pioneer and a 20th-century pop culture icon.
• His work helped bridge Eastern and Western cultures.
• Lee was instrumental in changing stereotypes of Chinese people in American films.
• He began his career as a child actor in Hong Kong, influenced by his father.
• Lee’s martial arts training included Wing Chun, tai chi, and boxing, among others.
• In 1959, he moved to Seattle and later attended the University of Washington.
• He opened his first martial arts school in Seattle, then another in Oakland.
• Lee’s students included famous personalities like Chuck Norris and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
• His films in the early 1970s revolutionized martial arts cinema.
• Lee starred in major films like “The Big Boss” and “Enter the Dragon.”
• He died at the age of 32 in July 1973 but remains a significant cultural figure.
• Lee’s father was a Cantonese opera singer, and his mother was of Eurasian ancestry.
• He returned to Hong Kong with his family when he was four months old.
• Lee’s early exposure to films came through his father’s connections.
• He won a Hong Kong schools boxing tournament in 1958.
• Lee was introduced to Wing Chun by his friend William Cheung but faced initial resistance due to his mixed ancestry.
• Despite resistance, he trained privately with Ip Man and others in Wing Chun.
• Lee’s philosophy evolved into Jeet Kune Do, emphasizing practicality and efficiency.
• He broke into American television with roles in “The Green Hornet” and other series.
• Lee’s proposal for a TV series, “The Warrior,” was not realized in his lifetime but influenced other projects.
• His fight choreography and martial arts demonstrations were highly influential.
• Lee’s match with Wong Jack-man in 1964 was a turning point in his martial arts philosophy.
• He emphasized physical fitness and a holistic approach to martial arts training.
• Lee’s philosophy blended Eastern and Western thought, drawing from Taoism and Buddhism.
• He was known for his poetry, reflecting his personal emotions and philosophies.
• Lee’s influence extends to modern combat sports, cinema, and popular culture.
• His death led to posthumous recognition and continued popularity of his films.
• Lee’s legacy includes the ongoing influence of Jeet Kune Do and his contributions to martial arts and fitness.

---

Top Questions about Bruce Lee