46 Impactful Bruce Lee Quotes from Striking Thoughts

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Excerpt: Striking Thoughts is a book that features 800+ Bruce Lee quotes. We read each one and hand-picked 46 of the best ones (in our humble opinion)…

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Introduction: Countering Striking Thoughts

The beauty of this collection of “Striking Thoughts” is that they’re not designed merely to “strike” you—they’re designed to get you to do some “striking” yourself. This book is more like a friendly sparring match where Bruce offers up ideas and insights that you can respond to, counter, and use as tools to better understand your own inner workings.

A theme that Bruce adamantly communicates throughout the book is that he doesn’t want to be perceived as a “giver of truth,” but rather as a pointer towards truth. He insists that he is no teacher because he has no style and believed that a recitation of his own truths/ beliefs does nothing for the person who doesn’t discover truths and beliefs for themself—through inward reflection and trial-and-error against their own realities.

This comes not from a place of arrogance, but from a place of humility. It comes not from a place of “superiority,” but from a place of understanding. Without exchange there is no growth. Without counter-inquisitions and challenge—we become but a punching bag to the striking thoughts of others. And that is no way to grow. As Bruce so beautifully said, “To know oneself is to study oneself in action with another person.”

And today, you get to explore your inner workings by taking actions against 46 impactful quotes from Bruce Lee himself. Hand-picked from a collection of over 800 from his book, this list is sure to stimulate some fresh thoughts that will hopefully impact not only you—but, those whom you interact with hereafter. Remember, reading isn’t enough—we must apply. So, soak it in, explore what intrigues you, and go engage with what comes up! It’s what Bruce would’ve wanted you to do. Enjoy!

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The List: 46 Impactful Bruce Lee Quotes from Striking Thoughts

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9 Bruce Lee Quotes on Living / Creating

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“Realize the fact that you simply ‘live’ and not ‘live for.’”

Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 3)

“The function and duty of a human being, a ‘quality’ human being, that is, is the sincere and honest development of potential and self-actualization.”

Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 28)

“To understand and live now, there must be dying to everything of yesterday. Die continually to every newly gained experience—be in a state of choiceless awareness of WHAT IS.”

Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 14)

“To live is to express, and to express you have to create. Creation is never merely repetition. To live is to express oneself freely in creation.”

Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 6)

“Art is never decoration, embellishment; instead it is work of enlightenment. Art, in other words, is a technique for acquiring liberty.”

Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 135)

“The true artist has no public; he works for the sheer joy of it, with an element of playfulness, of casualness. Art reaches its greatest peak when devoid of self-consciousness. Freedom discovers man the moment he loses concern over what impression he is making or about to make.”

Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 140)

“Art is communication of feelings.”

Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 134)

“You can never invite the wind, but you must leave the window open.”

Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 13)

“If you want to do your duty properly, you should do just a little more than that.”

Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 117)

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13 Bruce Lee Quotes on Achieving / Mindset / Obstacles

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“Our grand business is not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand.”

Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 31)

“Man’s mind and his behavior are one, his inner thought and outer expression cannot contradict each other. Therefore a man should set up his right principle, and this right mind (principle) will influence his action.”

Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 40)

“I have no religion whatsoever. I believe that life is a process and that man is a self-made product. The spirit of the individual is determined by his dominating thought habits.”

Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 76)

“Recognizing the influence of my subconscious mind over my power of will, I shall take care to submit to it a clear and definite picture of my Major Purpose in life and all minor purposes leading to my major purpose, and I shall keep this picture constantly before my subconscious mind by repeating it daily!”

Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 41)

“We are told that talent creates its own opportunities. But it sometimes seems that intense desire creates not only its own opportunities, but its own talents.”

Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 115)

“Shut out all forms of distraction. Eliminate all opportunities for rivalry.”

Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 103)

“Believe me that in every big thing or achievement there are always obstacles, big or small, and the reaction one shows to such obstacles is what counts, not the obstacle itself. There is no such thing as defeat until you admit so yourself, but not until then!”

Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 102)

“Be pliable. When a man is living, he is soft and pliable; when he is dead, he becomes rigid. Pliability is life; rigidity is death, whether one speaks of man’s body, his mind, or his spirit.”

Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 5)

“We are always in a process of becoming and NOTHING is fixed. Have no rigid system in you, and you’ll be flexible to change with the ever changing. OPEN yourself and flow, my friend. Flow in the TOTAL OPENNESS OF THE LIVING MOMENT. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves. Moving, be like water. Still, be like a mirror. Respond like an echo.”

Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 13)

“Life is an ever-flowing process and somewhere on the path some unpleasant things will pop up—it might leave a scar, but then life is flowing, and like running water, when it stops it grows stale. Go bravely on, my friend, because each experience teaches us a lesson. Keep blasting because life is such that sometimes it is nice and sometimes it is not.”

Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 5)

“What is defeat? Nothing but education; nothing but the first step to something better.”

Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 100)

“Sorrow are our best educator. A man can see further through a tear than a telescope.”

Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 100)

“In a time when everything goes well, my mind is pampered with enjoyment, possessiveness, etc. Only in times of adversity, privation, or mishap, does my mind function and think properly of my state. This close examination of self strengthens my mind and leads me to understand and be understood.”

Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 98)

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4 Bruce Lee Quotes on Success

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“To many, the word ‘success’ seems to be a paradise, but now that I’m in the midst of it, it is nothing but circumstances that seem to complicate my innate feeling toward simplicity and privacy.”

Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 126)

“The good life is a process, not a state of being. It is a direction, not a destination. The good life constitutes a direction selected by the total organism, when there is psychological freedom to move in ANY direction.”

Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 93)

“Live content with small means; seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion. Be worthy, not respectable, wealthy, not rich; study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly; bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await occasions, hurry never. In a word, let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common.”

Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 78)

“A simple life is one of plainness, in which profit is discarded, cleverness abandoned, selfishness eliminated, and desires reduced. It is the life of perfection which seems to be incomplete, and of fullness which seems to be empty. It is the life which is as bright as light, but does not dazzle. In short, it is a life of harmony, unity, contentment, tranquillity, constancy enlightenment, peace, and long life.”

Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 6)

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3 Bruce Lee Quotes on Love / Marriage

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“Young love is a flame: very pretty, often very hot and fierce, but still only light and flickering. The love of the older and disciplined heart is as coals, deep-burning and unquenchable.”

Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 85)

“The happiness we have today is built on the ordinary life we had before we married. The happiness that is derived from ordinary life lasts longer; like coal, it burns gradually and slowly. The happiness that is derived from excitement is like a brilliant fire—soon it will go out. Many young couples live a very exciting life when they are in love. So, when they marry, and their lives are reduced to calmness and dullness, they will feel impatient and will drink the bitter cup of a sad marriage.”

Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 86)

“I think when a couple marry, they either go into heaven or live in hell. They may live a fairy-tale-like life, or they may suffer a lot. I am a fortunate man. I am fortunate not because my films have broken box-office records in various parts of the world, but because I have a good wife, Linda. She is unsurpassed. Why do I say this? First, I believe a couple should develop a kind of friendship. Linda and I have this kind of friendship. We understand each other, like a pair of good friends. We thus can spend our time together happily. My wife is the luckiest thing that ever happened to me—not The Big Boss.”

Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 66)

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10 Bruce Lee Quotes on Teaching / Learning / Problem-Solving

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“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.”

Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 2)

“A teacher, a good teacher that is, functions as a pointer to truth, but not a giver of truth. He employs a minimum of form to lead his student to the formless. Furthermore, he points out the importance of being able to enter a mold without being imprisoned by it, or to follow the principles without being bound by them.”

Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 90)

“Remember, I am no teacher; I can merely be a signpost for a traveler who is lost. It is up to you to decide on the direction. All I can offer is an experience but never a conclusion, so even what I have said needs to be thoroughly examined by you. I might be able to help you discover and examine your problem by awakening your awareness of their cause and effect, but I cannot teach you, for I am not a teacher, and I have no style. I don’t believe in a system, nor in a method. And without system, without method, what’s to teach?”

Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 90)

“The problem lies in asking somebody else to solve your own problem instead of asking yourself. I can give you ten thousand of my ways, but they are my way, not yours. An individual’s questions are answerable only by the individual himself, and nothing would be gained by his sitting in on a recital of mine.”

Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 179)

“The eight requirements that will eliminate suffering by correting false values and giving true knowledge of life’s meaning have been summed up as follows: First, you must see clearly what is wrong. Next, decide to be cured. You must act. Speak so as to aim at being cured. Your livelihood must not conflict with your therapy. The therapy must go forward at the ‘staying speed;’ the critical velocity that can be sustained. You must think and feel about it incessantly. Learn how to contemplate with the deep mind.”

Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 162)

“To know oneself is to study oneself in action with another person. Relationship is a process of self-revelation. Relationship is the mirror in which you discover yourself—to be is to be related.”

Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 181)

“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.”

Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 11)

“The root is the fulcrum on which will rest the expression of your soul; the root is the ‘starting point’ of all natural manifestation. If the root is right so will be all its manifestation. It cannot be, when the root is neglected, that what should spring from it will be well-ordered.”

Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 12)

“My life it seems is a life of self-examination: a self-peeling of my self, bit by bit, day by day. More and more it’s becoming simple to me as a human being [as] more and more I search [within] myself. And more and more the questions become listed. And more and more I see clearly. It is not a question of developing what has already been developed but of recovering what has been left behind. Though this has been with us, in us, all the time and has never been lost or distorted except for our misguided manipulation of it.”

Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 182)

“Create immediately an atmosphere of freedom so that you can live and find out for yourselves what is true, so that you are able to face the world with the ability to understand it, not just conform to it. One can tell for oneself whether the water is warm or cold. In the same way, a man must convince himself about these experiences, only then are they real.”

Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 208)

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7 Bonus Bruce Lee Quotes:

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“Oftentimes people come up to me and ask, ‘Bruce, are you really that good?’ I say, ‘Well, if I tell you I’m good, probably you will say I’m boasting; but if I tell you I’m no good, you’ll know I’m lying.’ I have the absolute confidence not to be number two, but then I have enough sense also to realize that there can be no number one.”

Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 54)

“To be humble to superiors is duty; to equals is courtesy; to inferiors is nobleness; and to all, safety!”

Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 55)

“To be perfectly frank, I really do not believe in God. If there is a God, he is within. You don’t ask God to give you things, you depend on God for inner theme.”

Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 76)

“I wish neither to possess nor to be possessed. I no longer covet paradise. More important, I no longer fear hell. If you ask me what I will do in heaven, I will say this: Why should I think about something so far away when there are so many things in this life I have not finished learning about?”

Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 76)

“The method for health promotion is based on water, as flowing water never grows stale. The idea is not to overdevelop or to overexert, but to normalize the function of the body.”

Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 82)

“The stillness in stillness is not the real stillness, only when there is stillness in movement does the universal rhythm manifest.”

Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 106)

“I will play with my [children] and joke with my [children], but business is business. When the subject is a serious one, you don’t go around trying to keep from hurting [their] feelings. You say what must be said and set the rules which must be set without worrying about whether [they] like it or not.”

Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 88)

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If you enjoyed these Bruce Lee quotes from Striking Thoughts, you should read the book in full. It comes warmly recommended:

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