What's your favorite Bruce Lee Philosophy/Quotable?

[kokuryuha]

Besides Bruce Lee's dexterity,talent,physique,and his obvious impact on the martial world and the world in general,one of the things that impressed me the most was the man's intellect.To call him brilliant would be an understatement.His philosophy has stood up to the test of time even to this day.What is your favorite quote or piece of wisdom that he imparted? And if you applied it to your life in any way feel free to share.The following is my favorite Bruce Lee philosophy that when I first read it at 11 yrs old it stayed with me ever since..."Simplicity is the last step of art and the beginning of nature.Be firm yet not hard,Soft yet unyielding"

[Fury]

Hi 

 

My favorite Bruce Lee quote is :- "Be water my friend" as i have applied this throughout my life - sometimes going slowly and sometimes going fast , sometimes going hard and sometimes soft.

[DragonClaws]

Not sure I could pick one off the top of my head. Don't forget Lee borrowed a lot stuff from other well known writers. I'm not putting BL down by saying this because it wasn't his idea to publish his writings/personal research. After his death the Bruce Lee estate released a lot of his personal and copied writings. In some cases they failed to cite the genuine authors of some of the quotes. I'm sure Lee himself never intended this to be as he never gave the books his blessing. John Little made a mistake while editing the book Bruce Lee Artist Of Life. He credited Lee as the author of an old Chinese poem which BL never actually wrote. He did of course come up with many original poems/ideas of his own too.

Edited October 3, 2015 by DragonClaws

[GOLDEN DRAGON YIN-YANG]

As anyone who has studied Bruce's writings he was deeply involved in studying the science and philosophy's of the symbol below.

 

His thoughts on said symbol were very profound.

 

And of course Bruce's use of said symbol for his Jeet Kung Do logo.

 

GD Y-Y

 

 

Edited October 2, 2015 by GOLDEN DRAGON YIN-YANG

[kokuryuha]

Not sure I could pick one off the top of my head. Don't forget Lee borrowed a lot stuff from other well known writers. I'm not putting BL down by saying this because it wasn't his idea to publish his writings/personal research. After his death the Bruce Lee estate released a lot of his personal and copied writings. In some cases they failed to cite the genuine authors of some of the quotes. I'm sure Lee himself never intended this to be as he never gave the books his blessing. John Little made a mistake while editing the book Bruce Lee Artist Of Life. He credited Lee as the author of an old Chinese poem which BL never actually wrote. He did of course come up with many original some poems/ideas of his own too.

I'm fully aware that Bruce Lee borrowed from other writers and authors.Just like he borrowed from other disciplines and styles as well.No crime in that.But if the man can take something that someone else said or previously did and bring further insight or enchance the wisdom imparted then more power to him and anybody else influenced positively by it.Like you also mentioned I'm pretty sure he came up with original concepts of his own as well.

[DarthKato]

"I'm not in this world to live up to your expectations and you're not in this world to live up to mine."

 

An amazing quote, by an amazing man.  

[SteyrAUG]

Not sure I could pick one off the top of my head. Don't forget Lee borrowed a lot stuff from other well known writers. I'm not putting BL down by saying this because it wasn't his idea to publish his writings/personal research. After his death the Bruce Lee estate released a lot of his personal and copied writings. In some cases they failed to cite the genuine authors of some of the quotes. I'm sure Lee himself never intended this to be as he never gave the books his blessing. John Little made a mistake while editing the book Bruce Lee Artist Of Life. He credited Lee as the author of an old Chinese poem which BL never actually wrote. He did of course come up with many original some poems/ideas of his own too.

 

Yep. Lee had a huge library and his knowledge of philosophy and history was vast, and he was more than happy to introduce classical Chinese philosophy to his western students, many of whom assumed the ideas were original to their sifu.

 

Even well respected student and writer "Joe Hyams" attributed the "Empty your cup" story to Lee in his book "Zen in the Martial Arts." Lee also expressed many classical Taoist and Zen concepts in a way that could be better related to by western students and he specifically applied many of those notions to the study of martial arts. Many of these "translated" ideas would find their way into the book "The Tao of Jeet Kune Do" which was published after his death.

 

I don't think Lee ever deliberately took credit for a given idea or philosophy, but he was very eager to share and a lot of people simply assumed, especially after his death.

 

 

So with that said, my favorite quote will probably always be "You have offended my family, and you have offended a Shaolin temple."

Edited October 3, 2015 by SteyrAUG

[DragonClaws]

I'm fully aware that Bruce Lee borrowed from other writers and authors.Just like he borrowed from other disciplines and styles as well.No crime in that.But if the man can take something that someone else said or previously did and bring further insight or enchance the wisdom imparted then more power to him and anybody else influenced positively by it.Like you also mentioned I'm pretty sure he came up with original concepts of his own as well.

 That's cool, you make some good points Kokuryuha.

 

 

[kokuryuha]

Edited October 6, 2015 by kokuryuha

[kokuryuha]

[Lady Jin Szu-Yi]

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

Make at least one definite move daily toward your goal.” - Bruce Lee

 

(Thanks to our good Abbot Administrator for reposting this at his Instagram.)

Edited October 8, 2015 by Lady Jin Szu-Yi

[GOLDEN DRAGON YIN-YANG]

Bruce Lee living harmoniously with the Yin and Yang.

Bruce Lee

GD Y-Y

 

Source: Little, John. 2001. Bruce Lee: Artist of Life. North Clarendon, VT. Tuttle Publishing.

 

There was no concept that was more important to Bruce Lee than that of Yin and Yang.  To Lee, this was a principle that underlined the very structure of gung fu, and was something that a gung fu man should try to incorporate into their lives.  It is a principle that was derived from Lee's study of Taoism, and it is one that is very influential in Eastern life and culture.  In order to understand the importance of this simple yet powerful concept, we must examine it fully as Bruce Lee did many years ago. 

 

The Yin/Yang is a concept that was established over three thousand years ago by a man named Chou Chun I.  They are a pair of complementary forces that are involved in all phenomena.  The Yin (white) represents positiveness, firmness, masculinity, substantiality, brightness, right, coldness, etc.  The Yang (black), therefore, represents negativeness, softness, femininity, insubstantiality, darkness, wrong, warmth, etc.  These forces follow the basic principle of Tai Chi in that nothing is so permanent that it can never change.  They follow a certain pattern that if looked at closely offers a world of insight to the viewer.  In the most basic of terms, when activity (Yang) ends up reaching its threshold, it becomes inactivity (Yin).  Extreme inactivity (Yin) leads to activity (Yang) again, and thus the circular cycle begins anew.  One can see from this principle that these forces are not at odds with each other, but are in fact mutually interdependent and act together in cooperation.

 

This in turn leads to another principle that is important to understanding of Yin/Yang, and that is called The Law of Harmony.  According to Lee, this law states that "one should be in harmony with, not in rebellion against, the strength and force of the opposition."  He described this so eloquently using examples pertaining to martial art.  When one is attacked by an opponent using strength (Yang), one should not respond back with strength (Yang) but should instead use softness (Yin) and lead his opponents strength (Yang) into his own force against him.  Once the opponents force reaches its apex, it is converted into softness (Yin).  It is in this moment that the victim can use his own strength (Yang) against his opponent with an attack of force.  As you can see, this is not a strained response.  It allows for the action/reaction to work harmoniously together by allowing the victim to fit his movements in flawlessly with his attacker to diffuse the situation!

 

Lee would also use other visual metaphors to explain this important concept.  Some of his favorites included comparing a stiff oak tree that breaks in a hard wind with that of bamboo which bends and then springs back upright.  He also liked to use a metaphor about riding a bike.  In order to attain movement when riding, there must be a unison of opposing forces.  To start, you must push (Yang) the pedal, and as that movement occurs, the opposite pedal pulls (Yin) back.  As it pulls (Yin) back, you must once again push (Yang) the pedal forward to keep the cycle going.  The only way for the bike to attain movement is for the two forces to work cooperatively together. 

 

Bruce Lee believed that if one can master the art of Yin and Yang, one can live in balance with the universe.  It is the Way of martial art, the Way of life, and the Way of all things.  Practice this concept and you can achieve a power that is unlike anything else in the world, the power of living in harmony.

[GOLDEN DRAGON YIN-YANG]

The yin-yang as Bruce saw it.

His words:

GD Y-Y

 

Bruce LeeOakland, California, USA Taken from; “Chinese Gung Fu” The Philosophical Art of Self-Defense by Bruce Lee 

The basic structure of Gung Fu is based on the theory of Yin/Yang, a pair of mutually complementary forces that act continuously, without cessation, in this universe. This Chinese way of life can be applied to anything, but here we are interested in its relationship to the art of Gung Fu. the black part of the circle is called Yin. Yin can represent anything in the universe as: negativeness, passiveness, gentleness, insubstantiality, femalness, moon, darkness, night, etc. The other complementary part of the circle is Yang, which represent positiveness, activeness, firmness, substantiality, maleness, sun, brightness, day, etc.

 

 

The common mistake most people make is to identify this Yin/Yang symbol, T’ai-Chi, as dualistic; that is Yang being the opposite of Yin, and vice versa. As long as we separate this “oneness” into two, we won’t achieve realization. Actually, all things have their complementary part; it is only in the human mind and his perception that they are being separated into opposites. The sun is not the opposite of the moon, as they complement and are interdependent on each other, and we cannot survive without either of them. In a similar way, a male is but the complement of the female; for without the male, how on earth do we know there is female, or vice versa. The “oneness” of Yin/Yang is necessary in life. If a persona riding a bicycle wishes to go somewhere, he cannot pump on both the pedals at the same time or not pumping on them at all. In order to move forward, he has to pump one pedal and release the other. So the movement of going forward requires this “oneness” of pumping and releasing. Pumping then is the result of releasing, and vice versa; each being the cause of the other. In the Yin/Yang symbol there is a white spot on the black part, and black spot on the white one. This is to illustrate the balance in life, for nothing can survive long by going to either extremes, be it negativeness or positiveness. Therefore, firmness must be concealed in gentleness, and gentleness firmness, and that is why a Gung Fu man must be pliable as spring. Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or will bend with the wind. So in Gung Fu, or any other system, one must be gentle yet not giving away completely; be firm yet not hard, and even if he is strong, he should guard it with softness and tenderness. For if there is no softness in firmness, he is not strong; in a similar way, if one has firmness concealed in softness, no one can break through his defense. This principle of moderation provides a best means of preserving oneself, for since we accept this existence of the oneness (Yin/Yang) in everything, and do not teat it dualistically, we thus secure a state of tranquility by remaining detached and not inclining to either extreme. Even if we do incline on one extreme, be it negative or positive, we will flow with it in order to control it. This flowing with it without clinging is the true way to get rid of it.   When the movements in Yin/Yang flow into extremes, reaction sets in. For when Yang goes to the extreme, it changes to Yin; and when Yin (activated by Yang) goes to the extreme, it returns back to Yang (that is why each one is the result and cause of the other.) For example, when one works to the extreme, he becomes tired and has to rest (from Yang to Yin). This incessant changing of Yin/Yang is always continuous. The application of the theory of Yin/Yang in Gung fu is known as the Law of Harmony, in which one should be in harmony with, and not against the force of the opponent. Suppose A applies strength on B, B shouldn’t oppose or gives way completely to it. For these are but the two extreme opposites of B’s reaction. Instead, he should complete A’s force, with a lesser force, and lead him to the direction of his own movement. As the butcher preserves his knife by cutting along the bone and not against it, a Gung Fun man preserves himself by following the movement of his opponent without opposition or even striving (Wu-Wai, spontaneous, or spirit action). This spontaneous assisting or A’s movement as he aims it will result in his own defeat. When a Gung fu man finally understood the theory of Yin/Yang, he no longer “fusses” with so-called “gentleness” or “firmness”; he simply does what the movement requires him to do. In fact, all conventional forms and techniques are all gone, his movements are those of everyday movements. He doesn’t have to “justify” himself like so many other masters have, claiming his spirit or his internal power; to him, cultivation of martial art in the long run will return to simplicity, and only people of half-way cultivation justify and brag about themselves.

[Bruce Lee]

Do not concentrate on the finger or you will miss all the heavenly glory

[Cognoscente]

"Having money doesn't solve all your problems, but it sure beats not having money."