Bruce Lee: Encyclopedia II - Bruce Lee - Philosophy

Bruce Lee - Philosophy

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 insight 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. One of Lee's passion was martial arts philosophy and his knowledge of both Eastern and Western philosophy was extensive.

The following are some of Bruce Lee's quotes on that reflect his fighting philosophy. ^[14]

• "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."

See Wikiquotes for more quotes by Bruce Lee.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Philosophy", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki