Top 496 Quotes & Sayings by Bruce Lee - Page 6

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.

Put 'going the extra mile' to work as part of one's daily habit

I treasure the memory of the past misfortunes. It has added more to my bank of fortitude.

The idea is that flowing water never goes stale, so just keep on flowing.

Boards don't hit back.

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.

Using no way as a way, having no limitation as limitation.

The intangible represents the real power of the universe. It is the seed of the tangible.

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.

A self-willed man obeys a different law, the one law I, too, hold absolutely sacred the human law in himself, his own individual will.

A fight is not won by one punch or kick. Either learn to endure or hire a bodyguard.

To live is a constant process of relating, so come on out of that shell of isolation and conclusion, and relate DIRECTLY to what is being said. Bear in mind I seek neither your approval nor to influence you. So do not make up your mind as to "this is this" or "that is that." I will be more than satisfied if you begin to learn to investigate everything yourself from now on.

A powerful athlete is not a strong athlete, but one who can exert his strength quickly. Since power equals force times speed, if the athlete learns to make faster movements he increases his power, even though the contractile pulling strength of his muscles remains unchanged. Thus, a smaller man who can swing faster may hit as hard or as far as the heavier man who swings slowly.

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.

Voidness is that which stands right in the middle between this and that.

You need emotional content.

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.

A good martial artist does not become tense, but ready.

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

The more relaxed the muscles are, the more energy can flow through the body. Using muscular tensions to try to 'do' the punch or attempting to use brute force to knock someone over will only work to opposite effect.

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.

Art reaches its greatest peak when devoid of self-consciousn ess.

Truth cannot be structured or confined.

When you fight, if it is a real fight, use every tool that you have, use your whole body. Use your fists, your legs, your fingers, your head if you have to, and hit them in every vulnerable spot, the balls, the eyes etc. to win.

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.

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!

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.

There are lots of guys around the world that are lazy. They have big fat guts. They talk about chi power and things they can do, but don't believe it.

If people say Jeet Kune Do is different from this or from that, then let the name of Jeet Kune Do be wiped out, for that is what it is, just a name. Please don't fuss over it.

The timeless moment. - The "moment" has no yesterday or tomorrow. It is not the result of thought and therefore has no time.

Can you look at a situation without naming it? Naming it, making it a word, causes fear.

Ever since I was a child I have had this instinctive urge for expansion and growth.

You will never get any more out of this life than you expect.

A quality martial artist is always ready for any move, and trains oneself invincible.

What is true stillness? Stillness in movement.

Since weight training involves repetitions, a great deal of energy must be exerted. Therefore, weight training should be practiced only every other day.

How can there be methods and systems to arrive at something that is living? To that which is static, fixed, dead, there can be a way, a definite path, but not to that which is living. Do not reduce reality to a static thing and then invent methods to reach it. ...Truth has no path. Truth is living and, therefore, changing. It has no resting place, no form, no organized institution, no philosophy. When you see that, you will understand that this living thing is also what you are. You cannot express and be alive through static, put-together form, through stylized movement.

Maturation is the development from environmental support to self-support.

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.

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.

Let yourself go with dis-ease, be with it, and keep it company. This is the way to be rid of it.

Willing is not enough, one must apply.

When finger point at moon, don't look at finger or you'll miss the moon.

Its like a finger pointing away to the moon. Dont concentrate on the finger or you will miss all that heavenly glory.

The best form of endurance exercise is the performance of the event.

Remember, you are expressing the techniques and not doing the techniques.

An instructor should exemplify the things he seeks to teach. It will be of great advantage if you yourself can do all you ask of your students and more.

Relationship is the mirror in which you discover yourself - to be is to be related.

Success is not in reaching the destination, but in making the journey.

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.

If there is always light, you don’t experience light anymore. You have to have the rhythm of light and darkness.

Ideas are the beginning of all achievement.

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.

I don't believe in getting something for nothing.

Endurance is lost rapidly if one ceases to work at its maximum.

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.

Give up thinking as though not giving it up. Observe techniques as though not observing.

Through my own observations. I am convinced that an absolutely honest and direct inquiry into oneself will lead to understanding.

I don't want to do anything halfway. It has to be perfect.

Art calls for complete mastery of techniques, developed by reflection within the soul.