Striking Thoughts: Bruce Lee's Wisdom for Daily Living (Bruce Lee Library)

by Bruce Lee

You can never step in the same water twice, my friend. Like flowing water, life is perpetual movement. There is nothing fixed. Whatever your problems happen to be in the future, remember well that they cannot remain stationary but must move together with your living spirit.

Life is sometimes unpleasant. — Life is an ever-flowing process and somewhere on the path some unpleasant things will pop up — it might leave a scar, but then life is flowing, and like running water, when it stops it grows stale. Go bravely on, my friend, because each experience teaches us a lesson. Keep blasting because life is such that sometimes it is nice and sometimes it is not.

The root vs. the branches. — What we are after is the ROOT and not the branches. The root is the real knowledge; the branches are surface knowledge. Real knowledge breeds “body feel” and personal expression; surface knowledge breeds mechanical conditioning and imposing limitation and squelches creativity.

Being in the Now. — Listen. Can you hear the wind? And can you hear the birds singing? You have to HEAR IT. Empty your mind. You know how water fills a cup? It BECOMES that cup. You have to think about nothing. You have to BECOME nothing.

You do not allow yourself to be totally yourself

Self honesty leads to one becoming a “real” human being. — What the hell; you are what you are, and self-honesty occupies a definite and vital part in the ever-growing process to become a “real” human being and not a plastic one. Somehow, one day, you will hear “hey, now that’s quality; here is someone REAL.” I’d like that.

An intelligent mind is an inquiring mind. — An intelligent mind is an INQUIRING mind. It is not satisfied with explanations, with conclusions; nor is it a mind that believes, because belief is again another form of conclusion.

The mind is an ultimate reality. — Mind is an ultimate reality which is aware of itself and is not the seat of our empirical consciousness — by “being” mind instead of “having” mind.

if you work for information, then you don’t understand. You only explain.

Fear vs. awareness. — The enemy of development is this pain phobia — the unwillingness to do a tiny bit of suffering. As you feel unpleasant you interrupt the continuum of awareness and you become phobic — so therapeutically speaking we continue to grow by means of integrating awareness/attention.

On being talented. — Oftentimes people come up to me and ask, “Bruce, are you really that good?” I say, “Well, if I tell you I’m good, probably you will say I’m boasting; but if I tell you I’m no good, you’ll know I’m lying.” I have the absolute confidence not to be number two, but then I have enough sense also to realize that there can be no number one.

On social functions. — I don’t like to wear stuffy clothes and be at places where everyone is trying to impress each other.

Emotions are both positive and negative. — Realizing that my emotions are both Positive and negative, I will form daily Habits which will encourage the development of the positive emotions and aid me in converting the negative emotions into some form of useful action.

Attaining happiness. — In order to achieve happiness or the right conduct of life, one must acquire knowledge — so he can think, reason, and create. Knowledge creates desire for the beautiful. Therefore anyone that teaches must have the knowledge of his teaching.

There is fear and insecurity in pride. — Pride emphasizes the importance of the superiority of one’s status in the eyes of others. There is fear and insecurity in pride, for when one aims at being highly esteemed, and having achieved such status, he is automatically involved in the fear of losing one’s status. Then protection of his status appears to be his most important need, and this creates anxiety.

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.

I feel that if I can just take a second to make someone happy, why not do it?

Watch what you say. — Diseases enter by the mouth, misfortune issues from it.

True friends are rare. — True friends are like diamonds, precious and rare. False friends are like autumn leaves, found everywhere.

You are judged by your acts. — If you make an ass out of yourself, there’ll always be someone ready to ride you. Showing off is the fool’s idea of glory.

Being free of tradition, one holds no prejudice. — I, Bruce Lee, am a man who never follows these formulas of the fear-mongers. So, no matter if your color is black or white, red or blue, I can still make friends with you without any barrier.

Adversity is beneficial to us. — Prosperity is apt to prevent us from examining our conduct; but adversity leads us to think properly of our state, and so is beneficial to us.

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.

Sure my back screwed me up good for a year but with every adversity comes a blessing because a shock acts as a reminder to oneself that we must not get stale in routine.

You control the confrontation. — No one can hurt you unless you allow him to.

Aim at perfection in all endeavors. — Aim at perfection in everything, though in most things it is unattainable; however, they who aim at it, and persevere, will come much nearer to it than those whose laziness and despondency make them give it up as unattainable.

Suffering, especially, is mostly self-manufactured; we are never so happy or so unhappy as we suppose.

Defeat is a state of mind. — Defeat is a state of mind; no one is ever defeated until defeat has been accepted as a reality.

Defeat is temporary. — To me, defeat in anything is merely temporary, and its punishment is but an urge for me to greater effort to achieve my goal. Defeat simply tells me that something is wrong i...

To be discouraged is to be defeated. — It is not what happens that is success or failure, but what it does to the heart of man. No man is defeated unless he is discouraged.

Become what you think. — What you HABITUALLY THINK largely determines what you will ultimately become.

A goal is not always meant to be reached. — A goal is not always meant to be reached. It often serves simply as something to aim at.

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

Mixing thought with definiteness of purpose. — I begin to appreciate now the old saying “he can because he thinks he can.” I believe that anybody can think himself into his goal if he mixes thought with definiteness of purpose, persistence; and a burning desire for its translation into reality.

The future can give you happiness. — The past is history and only the future can give you happiness. So, everybody must prepare for their future and create their own future.

One rarely reaches the goal in one step. — The control of our being is not unlike the combination of a safe. One turn of the knob rarely unlocks the safe. Each advance and retreat is a step toward one’s goal.

Attitude determines altitude. — You will never get any more out of life than you expect. Every man today is the res...

Always keep your goals in focus. — Keep your mind on the things you want a...

Every man is what he is because of the dominating thoughts which he permits to occupy his mind.

An actor’s problem though is not to be egotistical and [to] keep his cool and to learn more through discoveries and much deep soul-searching. Dedication, absolute dedication is what keeps one ahead.

Tradition enslaves the mind. — Classical methods and tradition make the mind a slave — you are no longer an individual, but merely a product. Your mind is the result of a thousand yesterdays.

Truth is outside of all fixed patterns. — All fixed set patterns are incapable of adaptability or pliability. The truth is outside of all fixed patterns.

Freedom of expression occurs when one is beyond system. — True observation begins when one is devoid of set patterns; freedom of expression occurs when one is beyond system. A style is a classified response to one’s chosen inclination.

Emptiness cannot be confined. — You cannot hurt that which is formless. The softest thing cannot be snapped and emptiness cannot be confined.

the softest thing cannot be snapped.

On freeing oneself. — To free yourself, observe closely what you normally practice. Do not condemn or approve, merely observe.

Do not look for a successful personality to duplicate. — When I look around, I always learn something and that is to be always yourself. And to express yourself. To have faith in yourself.

Self actualization is the highest state. — This achieving the center, being grounded in one’s self, is about the highest state a human being can achieve.

Strive to be better. — One must always strive to be better. The sky’s the limit.

True individualism is self-sufficiency. — Evaluation by others is not a guide for me. Only the self-sufficient stand alone — most people follow the crowd and imitate.