30 Bruce Lee Quotes To Inspire Love and Greatness Within You

Lee Jun-fan is commonly known as Bruce Lee. The man. The myth. The legend. And the pithy philosopher. He was also an iconic martial arts instructor, known for his lightning-quick fighting style, his grunts and facial expression he made while fighting, known for changing the film industry in Hong Kong, and a figure who popularized kung fu into Western popular culture.

You may not be aware of this, but Bruce Lee voiced most English voices in his films. Yep. Read that right all the English-speaking guys you heard in 'Way of the dragon' and his other Hong Kong releases before 'Enter the dragon' was voiced by him. He thought of Muhammad Ali as a superior fighter and learned his style, footwork, and movements – for that inevitable fight that never happened.

Through his writings, films, and interviews, Bruce Lee tried to dispatch the wisdom he had augmented over the many years of studying philosophy and practising martial arts. Here, in this article, we've collected 30 Bruce Lee quotes that convey his most profound insights, which will help you inspire love and greatness within you. So without further ado, let's jump right into them!

1) As you think, so shall you become.

While you may know Bruce Lee for his exceptional martial art abilities, incredible power and acting. He was also a philosopher, and this list of Bruce Lee quotes is a prime example of it. Our thoughts define who we are, shape our lives, and inspire the dreams we dream and create the realities we accomplish. Choose to make your life one that is filled with accomplishments, and you can proclaim proudly that you've lived with no regrets but wonder.

2) Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one.

Within the context of Bruce Lee’s philosophy of blending, the “strength” Bruce applies is one about not being complacent in living your life. Don’t pray for an easy or a hard life, live your life, be present, live in the moment, and exist in your life without expectation or decision about what your life is, or isn’t.

3) Adapt what is useful, reject what is useless, and add what is specifically your own.

This Bruce Lee quote is the formula for finding your path in this world, and the first step is “Own what is yours”. Always Pay attention to what ignites the spark within you and have the confidence to believe in yourself. Putting radical trust in yourself, recognizing what motivates, inspires and moves you and becoming the divining rod for our own experience.

4) For it is easy to criticize and break down the spirit of others, but to know yourself takes a lifetime.

While not all criticism is valid, some indeed are. Accepting criticism is not something that anyone enjoys. However, if you look at successful people, always listen to their criticism and learn from it. And it is much more valuable to look for the strength in others.

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

Failure is life’s ultimate lesson. To reach your potential, through failure, you will get to know yourself better, and you will learn from your mistakes. And when you embrace failure, it will maximize your motivation, determination and perseverance.

6) Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it.

One of the greatest lessons You could learn from Bruce Lee was his insistence on always being your authentic self. The truth is, Authenticity is powerful. In this quote by Bruce Lee, you can learn that it is essential to have faith in yourself and seek to express yourself fully, instead of looking to others to imitate. Be you. The real YOU!

7) Showing off is the fool’s idea of glory.

On this run of Bruce Lee quotes, Couldn’t pass this one up though showing off and basking in the implied glory is usually a short-lived link of the drug it may supply you with a short-lived high. You’ll end by repeating the process which leads us to the ultimate mantra for life ‘Keep your life private and let your success shine’.

8) 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 was undoubtedly right when he quotes this beautiful piece of advice. It’s not centrally the other person that projects their expectations onto you. It may very well be that you pitch onto you the expectation of others as perceived by you.

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

Do not slash that never dwell on failure. When you suffer from failure or setbacks, it can be harder to get back on your feet after life has knocked you down. Working through that defeat and climbing the impossible ladder than to stay knocked will help you overcome your fears. Don’t focus on what happened, focus on how you react to what happened.

10) 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.

11) The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering.

Here, this quote by Bruce Lee is not about creating a legacy by which people will remember you, but instead living a life of value to yourself.

12) Take things as they are. Punch when you have to punch. Kick when you have to kick.

Here, Bruce was essentially talking about the learning process and the winding path to expertise. As you assimilate each new piece of knowledge and information you learn, you eventually will know when you have to kick!

13) Life itself is your teacher, and you are in a state of constant learning.

In this quote by Bruce Lee, he compares life as a teacher and has been more dedicated than anyone else. Life is the most excellent teachers of all. The failure and achievement you get in life indeed teach you a thing about it, and life keeps teaching you until you take your last breath.

14) Life is never stagnant. It is constant movement, un-rhythmic movement, as we have constant change. Things live by moving and gaining strength as they go.

This quote by Bruce Lee is the words of wisdom that will make you think about the precision in the way he phrases his ideas in this bunch of statements. Things are temporary in life. You have to adapt to how life goes on instead of being stuck in the past, always keep moving forward.

15) I fear not the man who has practised 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practised one kick 10,000 times.

Bruce Lee was an expert at everything he did. To become that kind of expert in any field, you have to practice every day and repeat that action repeatedly until you overcome all the nerves of fears you are experiencing.

16) A goal is not always meant to be reached, it often serves simply as something to aim at.

'Shoot for the moon and you'll land in the stars' that's the idea here, by pushing yourself outside your comfort zone you become something more. Even if you don't achieve that goal. You've made progress and progress will eventually add up to something incredible which will help you in future.

17) If you don’t want to slip up tomorrow, speak the truth today.

The importance of speaking the truth has never been more meaningful. Here it means to speak mindfully, with authenticity, compassion, and speaking from your heart and always think before you speak as it creates a safe space for others to be with you and open up more.

18) Mistakes are always forgivable if one has the courage to admit them.

The sooner you realize that in life, everybody makes mistakes. No one is perfect, and no one can ever be. The best we can try is to avoid mistakes from reoccurring is to learn from them. Always consider the world as your classroom, and be the best students out there.

19) Remember no man is really defeated unless he is discouraged.

Bruce Lee quotes this in regards to defeat. Defeat is a state of mind; No one is ever defeated until defeat has been accepted as a reality.

20) Those who are unaware they are walking in darkness will never seek the light.

The darkness isn't the wrong path of life but one with a backdrop. It's part of life. Darkness has a way of reminding you of the light, the positivity that still will seep into that darkness if you are willing to walk out of it. Don't keep these words only on your device, take these into the real-life!

21) It’s not the daily increase but the daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential.

Bruce Lee was an inspiration to millions from his training to his martial arts training, he pushed himself harder than anyone– and the results showed. It takes tireless effort and intense focus to achieve your goals and becoming your best self by focusing on making a little bit of effort each day, a few tokens here and there, you’ll get there.

22) To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities.

Bruce Lee quotes this with a frustrated, fed up tone, but ends in a bold, accurate manner. It is about not being a victim of circumstances and creating your own solution. Here, this quote expresses busting through life’s plateaus by being action-oriented, not just read but ponder and really apply it to your life.

23) A quick temper will make a fool of you soon enough.

It is hard to live or work with unpredictable and quick-tempered people, who usually make a fool of themselves. But rightful anger, Aristotle suggested, is only felt by those good-tempered when treated with contempt, spite, or insolence.

24) Be happy, but never satisfied.

But one should indeed be happy and satisfied with family, friends, earning profit and caring for those who really care about you. However, you should never be satisfied with a few things in your life. If you are not satisfied with it, it will motivate you to do it. Always opt for the best of the best.

25) Time means a lot to me because you see I am also a learner and am often lost in the joy of forever developing and simplifying.

Bruce Lee has all talked ad infinitum about the time-the greatest gift in one's life through his quotes. He has reminded us not to waste time foolishly and thoughtless doing nothing but using time in the best way possible and realize how valuable and important it is.

26) 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.

This bunch of Bruce Lee quotes strung together yet again remind us about time. Time can move very quickly or very slowly, being tied to a clock can constrict your flow. Your future potential is available right around the corner. All you need to do is make the right decision and always take advantage of the time before it is gone forever.

27) The mind is a fertile garden – it will grow anything you wish to plant – beautiful flowers or weeds. And it is with successful, healthy thoughts or negative ones that will, like weeds, strangle and crowd the others. Do not allow negative thoughts to enter your mind, for they are the weeds that strangle confidence.

Blanking the unnecessary thoughts- is a beautiful mind technique about blanking the unnecessary negative thoughts whenever it comes at some point whenever it comes where those negative thoughts will fade away from your mind. Blank it out consecutively and embrace the positivity around you!

28) Real living is living for others.

This quote by Bruce talks about living for others which certainly change everything. You find a pursuit greater than the material things around you and become more fulfilled. Along the way, you find true happiness and understand the meaning of life.

29) If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done.

Throughout Bruce Lee quotes, it's evident that he advises us about the importance of time. He talks about how the act of thinking will not help you achieve your goals and dreams. Every day you've to step towards your goal, and only then will you gain absolute success.

30) If you truly love life, don’t waste time because time is what life is made of.

Tragically, this quote of Bruce Lee has its importance personified in his premature death at the young age of 32 years old. Here, he is telling us not to squander the time we have. In fact, many of you have wasted time by procrastinating, but you cannot just sit back and relax and expect to accomplish your goal. If you waste your time sitting on your couch, nothing good will happen to you. Hence start doing what you love right now. Or else it will be too late.

Bruce Lee was a philosopher of combat and profound insights. According to him, life is in constant change and life all about making choices. Unless you learn to adapt to it or make a wrong choice, you’re bound to encounter tremendous resistance that will entangle us in a state of suffering.

From this list of Bruce Lee quotes, you will surely realize the only person you need to be better than is the person you were yesterday.

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