It may surprise those who think of bruce lee primarily as a martial artist that his true passion was philosophy. Ancient philosopher and founder of tao principles, lao tzu, also believed in waters. For bruce lee, his art was a physical art as it was a martial art. You might want to read the book the rise of superman. Maria popova, brain pickings transcend media service in order to control myself i must first accept myself by going with and not against my nature.
Join bruce lees daughter shannon lee and cultural anthropologist sharon ann lee for a conversation about the life and philosophy of bruce lee. Touching on martial arts, the universe and life in general, this collection defines the concepts behind both a warrior and a martial artist. Aug 02, 2014 bruce lee in order to figure out the meaning of this, i suppose we should first discuss the extraordinary attributes of water. Lee was raised in hong kong, but returned to the united states for college where he studied philosophy at the university of washington. Water needs the rifts, the ripples and the waves so that it keeps flowing. In the confines of this book the author is talking about fine art, but in bruce lees philosophy art is expressing ones soul out in the world in our individual ways, even if the art is simply the creating ones own life. While lee began his search for truth in martial arts with the chinese. Bruce lee would share lifechanging wisdom every chance he would get. Mo shi tung as a child read in the book what it means.
Now you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup, you put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle, you put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. He was a diligent journaler and made copious notes on his thoughts and ideas on how to live life to. Top 20 most inspiring bruce lee quotes to combat self. The philosophies of bruce lee by little, john isbn. Bruce lee s daughter, shannon lee, is holding open a tiny, leatherbound planner for me to take a photo. What bruce lee meant with his quote be like water my friend is that you should not hold your own image so tightly. How bruce lees daughter is sharing his philosophies with the. Below we have listed bruce lee s most inspiring quotes that are sure to make you at least a little wiser. Bruce lee right with his only formal martial art instructor, yip man.
John little has been identified as one of the foremost authorities on bruce lee in the world by black belt magazine. Selfknowledge and personal expression lee said all types of knowledge ultimately mean selfknowledge. Its organized by art, goals, growth, life, mistakes, positive thinking, personal development, power, selfawareness, simplicity, time, and truth. From the greatest modern martial artist of all time, this book is a compilation of proverbs coined by bruce lee himself. Be water, my friend is a story of bruce lees childhood years, from birth to.
In my mind, to be really good at anything, you have to be like water and i think bruce lee totally perfected that quality. Dont get set into one form, adapt it and build your own. Be water, my friend bryan okeeffe i really enjoyed reading this book, part of it has to do with my love for bruce lee. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Jul 20, 2017 here are 20 bruce lee quotes to overcome selfdoubt. Bruce lee was born on november 27, 1940, in the chinese hospital in chinatown, san francisco. You dont have to be a martial artist to appreciate bruce lees quotes. The philosophy and origin of bruce lees famous metaphor for resilience.
Bruce lees philosophies have inspired millions of people the world over. Bruce lee in order to figure out the meaning of this, i suppose we should first discuss the extraordinary attributes of water. Bruce lee already explains this a bit in the full quote. He was the master of his own body, and there were literally no limits in his mind. And when we talk about fulfilling your potential in life, bruce is the person to aspire towards. Also what is your interpretation of the whole quote. Up to this day he is considered as a legend and his philosophy continues to live through the martial art that he created jeet kune do and through his writing. He grew up in seoul, south korea, and went on to illustrate books in both the united states and korea. Apr 01, 1996 ive read all of john littles view of bruce lees teachings, and this book, the warrior within, is by far the most insightful and informative of them all. Shannon shares personal stories about her dad and unpacks the quote to help us understand its depth and meaning.
His real name was lee junfan but he used the name of bruce lee in his acting career. This is why today ive decided to share with you 11 inspiring bruce lee quotes. The early years of bruce lee ken mochizuki, dom lee on. Bruce lee s philosophies have inspired millions of people the world over. Here are 20 bruce lee quotes to overcome selfdoubt. Due to limited information about lees earliest years, some events in the book are extensions of the. Bruce lee wisdom for the way by bruce lee, paperback.
You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. It is these characteristics of water the adaptability, the persistency and the endurance that inspired bruce lee to say be water, my friend. If i tell you im good, you would probably think im boasting, if i tell you im no good, you know im lying. I am too having to be fluid and find my new way due to nerve damage. He believed that a great fighter must be ready to adapt to whatever situation he faces, to flow like water around and through an opponent. It has no plan, but deals with the environment that it finds. From the term the art of dying, i will talk about 3 points to deepen the meaning of the phrase by explaining the philosophical views of bruce lee and his. Bruce was such a powerful and successful individual.
But even changing its form doesnt stop water to fulfill its purpose as eventually it will became water again falling on earth and continuing its flow. Therefore in order to control myself i must first accept myself by going with and not against my nature. Water is flexible, its everywhere, and its lifesustaining. See all books authored by bruce lee, including tao of jeet kune do, and striking thoughts. Mar 30, 2011 kinetic typography be water my friend by bruce lee. Bruce lee when asked if he thought of himself as chinese or american.
Instead of battling against the current, fighting what was and trying to go back to what has passed, instead of resisting what is, or trying to rush ahead, towards what might bebe like water. Bruce lee was a famous martial artist, movie star and cultural iconbut his philosophy has caught fire around the world inspiring millions searching for meaning. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way round or through it. Bruce lee was a famous martial artist, actor, and philosopher who was born on november 27th, 1940 in chinatown, san francisco. Dont get set into one form, adapt it and build your own, and let it grow, be like water. Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless, like water. Im not in this world to live up to your expectations and youre not in this world to live up to mine. She says its from 1968, the year her martial arts superstar father fully transformed into. Lee founded the system on july 9, 1967, referring to it as nonclassical, suggesting that it is a. Bruce lee was an hong kong and american actor born in chinatown, san francisco, but was raised in kowloon, hong kong. Bruce lee quotes about mediocrity, negativity, failures. During his lifetime, legendary martial artist bruce lee formulated a complex personal philosophy a synthesis of eastern and western idealsthat extolled the virtues of knowledge and total mastery of ones self. Ive read all of john littles view of bruce lees teachings, and this book, the warrior within, is by far the most insightful and informative of them all. Bruce lee 27 november 1940 20 july 1973 was a hong kong american martial artist and actor who is widely regarded as the most influential martial artist of.
Bruce lee quotes be like water by allan jardin in fighting principles jeet kune do martial arts philosophy december 21, 2016 for this blog post i gathered all the quotes i can find on bruce lee quotes be like water. Mistakes are always forgivable, if one has the courage to admit them. He lived from november 27, 1940, until july 20, 1973, and left a memorable legacy. We return to bruce lees library to examine another book that greatly influenced bruce lees philosophy. These famous bruce lee quotes reflect the man, his philosophy, his martial arts, and more. The philosophy and origin of bruce lees famous metaphor for resilience in order to control myself i must first accept myself by going with and not against my nature. This book was very interesting, mostly because i did not know a lot about. Most people know bruce lee for his fighting prowess, but he was also a big proponent of eastern philosophy. Lee and his parents returned to hong kong when he was three months old. The meaning of life is that it is to be lived, and it is not to be traded and conceptualized and squeezed into a pattern of systems. Little is uniquely suited to the task of relating the philosophy of bruce lee and his approach to life.
He edited a threevolume series for the bruce lee estate and has written articles for several publications, including mens fitness, official karate, and inside kung fu. The project for this book began in 1970 when bruce lee suffered a back injury. Join bruce lee s daughter shannon lee and cultural anthropologist sharon ann lee for a conversation about the life and philosophy of bruce lee. A rare, neverbeforeseen collection of lees private letters and writing, offering insight into the many facets of his life, including his poetry, life philosophies, and his thoughts on martial arts, love, fatherhood, friendship.
Part 1, part 2 this is bruce lees most famous quote and conveys his most important fighting philosophy. Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it. What did bruce lee mean by his saying be like water. Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless like water. The concept of adaptability as a fighter and in life was central to bruce lees philosophy and martial way. Growing up in hong kong in the 1940s and 1950s, young bruce lee had an active mind, boundless energy and a knack for finding trouble. The project for this book began in 1970 when bruce lee suffered a back injury during one of his practice sessions.
Bruce lee was an intense and complex human being, philosopher, martial artist, actor, poet, and teacher, but one thing is for sure he was gifted. Top 20 most inspiring bruce lee quotes to combat selfdoubt. This book was very interesting, mostly because i did not know a lot about bruce. By fighting, he was able to better understand who he was he could force himself out of his comfort zone, test his limits, and confront his fears. Remember my friend to enjoy your planning as well as your accomplishment, for life is too short for negative energy.
Bruce lee didnt see martial arts merely as a competitive sport, but in essence as a means of selfdiscovery and selfexpression. Even more surprising is the extent of his knowledge of both eastern and western philosophy. You are not your past, you are not the object people shaped you to be. He was a diligent journaler and made copious notes on his thoughts and ideas on how to live life to its fullest as well as on his martial expression.
Dom lee made his picturebook debut with baseball saved us. If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed william mcraven, us navy admiral duration. Be water, my friend bruce lee moving people to action. His role, whose character was named li tsung, was an instructor for mike longstreet james franciscus, and was meant to teach him a number of martial arts techniques for selfdefense. Bruce lee was not the first to admire this fascinating ability of water. Below we have listed bruce lees most inspiring quotes that are sure to make you at least a little wiser. Whereas lees philosophy was a melding of eastern and western thought, ted wong liked to refer to jkd as contemporary western thinking. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way around or. Bruce lee what does bruce lee mean when he says water can crash. Frustrated by his inability to master the art of detachment, bruce lee spent a week in meditation. Bruce would underline and annotate his books, and would journal about them creating his own version of a book report after reading. According to the chinese zodiac, lee was born in both the hour and the year of the dragon, which according to tradition is a strong and fortuitous omen. When he recommends, be water, my friend, it means that you can never stay in the same situation.
Dec 06, 2016 inspire and educate yourself with this comprehensive guide to the tactful and legendary ways of renowned martial arts master, bruce lee. These famous bruce lee quotes come from a man who was a martial artist, philosopher, actor, and filmmaker. Longstreet then searches for the criminals who did this. If one loves, one need not have an ideology of love. There are different takes on what he could have meant. This bruce lee book details each important phase of lees life. Bruce lees wisdom for daily living the bruce lee library, and more on. Bruces father, lee hoichuen, was han chinese, and his mother, grace. Bruce lee quotes and words of wisdom the world of english. Tao of jeet kune do is a book expressing bruce lees martial arts philosophy and viewpoints. In 1965, bruce appears in a screen test for his eventual role as kato in the green hornet. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way around or through it. Tao of jeet kune do is a book expressing bruce lees martial arts philosophy and viewpoints, published posthumously after bruce lees death in 1973.
The source for this comes from a forty year old interview with martial arts star bruce lee. Bruce lee was a famous martial artist, movie star and cultural iconbut his philosophy has caught fire around the world inspiring millions searching for meaning and consciousness. Master lee has left echos of his message that is like water. Bruce lees metaphor of water sums up a philosophy for life.