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Although Bruce Lee is best known as a martial artist and actor, Lee majored in philosophy at the University of Washington. Lee's books on martial arts and fighting philosophy are well-known both for their philosophical assertions both inside and outside of martial arts circles. His philosophy often mirrored his fighting beliefs, though he was quick to claim that his martial arts were solely a metaphor for such teachings. His influences include Taoism and Buddhism.
The following are some of Bruce Lee's quotes on that reflect his fighting philosophy, primarily derived from Jiddu Krishnamurti's teachings.
If I tell you I'm good, you would
probably think I'm boasting, If I tell you I'm no good, You KNOW I'm
lying."
"Be formless... shapeless like
water. If you put water into a cup it becomes the cup. You put water
into a bottle it becomes the bottle. You put it into a teapot it
becomes the teapot. Water can flow, and it can crash. Be water, my
friend..."
"Use only that which works, and
take it from any place you can find it."
"The more relaxed the muscles
are, the more energy can flow through the body. Using muscular
tensions to try to "do" the punch, or attempting to use
brute force to knock someone over, will only work to opposite
effect."
"Mere technical knowledge is only
the beginning of Kung Fu, to master it, one must enter into the
spirit of it."
"There are lots of guys around
the world that are lazy. They have big fat guts. They talk about chi
power and things they can do, but don't believe it."
"I'm not a master, I'm a
student-master, meaning that I have the knowledge of a master and
the expertise of a master, but I'm still learning, So I'm a
student-master. I don't believe in the word master, I consider the
master as such when they close the casket."
"Do not deny the classical
approach, simply as a reaction, or you will have created another
pattern and trapped yourself there."
"Jeet Kune Do, It's just a name,
don't fuss over it. There's no such thing as a style if you
understand the roots of combat."
"Unfortunately, now in boxing
people are only allowed to punch. In Judo, people are only allowed
to throw. I do not despise these kinds of martial arts. What I mean
is, we now find rigid forms which create differences among clans,
and the world of martial art is shattered as a result."
"I think the high state of
martial art, in application, must have no absolute form. And, to
tackle pattern A with pattern B may not be absolutely correct."
"True observation begins when one
is devoid of set patterns."
"The other weakness is, when
clans are formed, the people of a clan will hold their kind of
martial art as the only truth, and do not dare to reform or improve
it. Thus they are confined in their own tiny little world. Their
students become machines which imitate martial art forms."
"Some people are tall, some are
short. some are stout, some are slim. There are various different
kinds of people. If all of them learn the same martial art form,
then who does it fit?"
"Ultimately, martial art means
honestly expressing yourself. It is easy for me to put on a show,
and be cocky so I can show you some really fancy movement. But to
express oneself honestly, not lying to oneself, and to express
myself honestly enough; that my friend is very hard to do."
