Lee Jun-fan, commonly known as Bruce Lee , was a Hong Kong American actor, director, martial artist, martial arts instructor and philosopher. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy drawing from different combat disciplines that is often credited with paving the way for modern mixed martial arts (MMA). Lee is considered by commentators, critics, media, and other martial artists to be the most influential martial artist of all time and a pop culture icon of the 20th century, who bridged the gap between East and West. He is credited with helping to change the way Asians were presented in American films.
The son of Cantonese opera star Lee Hoi-chuen, Lee was born in the Chinatown area of San Francisco, California, on November 27, 1940, to parents from Hong Kong, and was raised with his family in Kowloon, Hong Kong. He was introduced to the film industry by his father and appeared in several films as a child actor. Lee moved to the United States at the age of 18 to receive his higher education at the University of Washington in Seattle, and it was during this time that he began teaching martial arts. His Hong Kong and Hollywood-produced films elevated the traditional martial arts film to a new level of popularity and acclaim, sparking a surge of interest in Chinese nation and Chinese martial arts in the West in the 1970s. The direction and tone of his films dramatically changed and influenced martial arts and martial arts films in the world. (via Wikipedia)
Following are a few great quotes by Bruce Lee:
On Love:
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.
On Life:
If you love life, don’t waste time, for time is what life is made up of.
I am learning to understand rather than immediately judge or to be judged. And 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 has transcended that and I have come to understand that life is best to be lived and not to be conceptualized. 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.
I’m not in this world to live up to your expectations and you’re not in this world to live up to mine.
Real living is living for others.
Life’s battles don’t always go to the stronger or faster man. But sooner or later the man who wins, is the man who thinks he can.
The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering.
On Courage:
Courage is not the absence of fear, it is the ability to act in the presence of fear.
Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one.
On Knowledge:
Knowledge will give you power, but character respect.
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 has transcended that and I have come to understand that life is best to be lived and not to be conceptualized. 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.
On Inspiration:
Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it.
You must be shapeless, formless, like water. When you pour water in a cup, it becomes the cup. As 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.
Be happy, but never satisfied.
Other Quotes:
In the middle of chaos lies opportunity.
Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough, we must do.
The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus.
Showing off is the fool’s idea of glory.
The more we value things, the less we value ourselves.
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.
To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities.