5 Bruce Lee Quotes To Live By

With the world-famous martial artist making yet another splash in the headlines with the Bruce Lee memorabilia auction this past weekend, we thought now would be a good time to look to the master himself for a little sage advice. Bruce Lee's quotes spoke to a way of thinking so elegantly simple that even today there is wisdom to be found in his words.

As with any great martial-arts philosophy, its views are by no means limited to only martial arts applications. Anybody can take something away from Bruce Lee's words and find a way to apply them to their daily life. The following quotes have been selected for their simplicity, wisdom, and their ability to clarify a troubled outlook. Enjoy.

1) "If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you'll never get it done"

I think just about every pair of eyes that reads that quote is guilty with a capital "Procrastination". We've all done it. I don't care if you're a business executive, a teacher, or *cough* a blog writer. There's been at at least a dozen goals you've wanted to accomplish but have put off for one reason or another.

Maybe you're just wanting the finished product to be absolutely perfect. Maybe you're dreading the task itself and keep looking for any reason to put it off. Either way, you're just spinning your wheels until you actually make an active effort to complete it. Maybe you haven't been aware of spending too much time thinking and less time doing. But now you are.

2) "Success means doing something, sincerely and wholeheartedly"

Here's another 'Get off your duff and do something about it' quote for anybody that's been way too lackadaisical about their goals. Notice: The idea of doing something and failing doesn't even come into play here. You're successful as long as you take action, both 'sincerely' and 'wholeheartedly', regardless of the actual outcome.

This is a great one for a martial-artist to remind themselves of just before a sparring match. Focusing less on the possibility of defeat and more on the sincerity of one's actions is a formula for success.

3) "Don't think - Feel!"

A different spin on the first quote, this is a common approach to many martial arts philosophies. The idea of acting from one's gut instinct rather than hesitation through over-thinking is an outlook that has been championed for many years.

The next time you find yourself frozen with indecision, make an effort to recognize your hesitation and go with what feels best to you. You'd be surprised how helpful going with your gut can really be.

4) "When I have listened to my mistakes, I have grown."

Are you one of those people that is scared to death of making a mistake? Go ahead and admit it. It's okay. Mr. Lee's words serve to remind us that even when we do make mistakes, it's not the end of the world. That is, not if we take the time to examine how we came to make the mistake in the first place, and take the proper action to prevent it from happening again.

Now, this nugget of wisdom is deceptively simple. Too many people will glance over this idea, all the while thinking 'Well duh! I've been hearing that since I was a kid!" But take a second to think of all of the adults you know that seem to be making the same kinds of mistakes over and over. Yeah, I thought so. Read that one over again and let it sink in.

5) "The meaning of life is that it is to be lived."

I'll leave this one up to you.



Hopefully you've enjoyed reading through these quotes as much as I did. If you can't get enough of these outlook-changing quotes, you may want to check out Bruce Lee: Wisdom for the Way. It's a great compilation of Mr. Lee's most inspirational quotes.

Can you think of anyone that might benefit from reading over some of these quotes? Don't forget that you can share this article with anyone you think might enjoy it! Just look over some of the options below this post. We've tried to make sharing easy for you.

Do you have any favorite Bruce Lee quotes that didn't show up on our list? Leave a comment letting us know which one's you think should have made the cut. We'd love to hear what you think!