11 Lessons From Bruce Lee That Will Make You A Greater Person Than You Were Yesterday

By Felisha M. Mina

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Bruce Lee (November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) is widely recognised as the “father of Martial Arts”. Despite a tragic death at the age of 32, he was able to establish himself as a respected figure in the film and combat industries. 

His lessons on discipline, mindfulness and personal development were highly regarded, as Time Magazine labelled him as one of the most influential icons of the 20th century. Today, his legacy lives on, empowering leaders, athletes, politicians, and individuals who wish to better themselves. 

1. It is mediocre to have motivation and be goal orientated. To achieve the impossible, you must actively refine your habits day-by-day.
“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.”

2. Methods that work for other people won’t necessarily work for you.
“Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it.”

3. It’s more impactful to be a master of a few things, rather than be “average” at all things.
“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.”

4. To be flexible and adaptable are signs of strength. Those who are intolerable are likely to quit early.
“Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked wile the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind.

5. Excuses are for amateurs.
“To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities.”

6. To compare yourself to others is an inaccurate way to measure success. Invent your own wheel so that you are in a league of your own.
“I’m not in this world to live up to your expectations and you’re not in this world to live up to mine.”

7. Every situation or outcome presents a window for growth.
“Defeat is a state of mind; no one is ever defeated until defeat has been accepted as a reality.”

8. Contentment is not an ingredient of brilliance.
“If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there – you must go beyond them.”

9. An individual cannot improve unless they can acknowledge that they have room for improvement.
“A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer.”

10. Everything you associate with will subconsciously influence your behaviour. Be selective about your surroundings.
“Absorb what is useful. Discard what is not. Add what is uniquely your own.”

11. To be humble is a sign of maturity. People think more highly of those who do not need to compensate their actions through words.
“If I tell you I’m good, you’ll say that I’m boasting. But if I tell you I’m not good, you’ll know I’m lying.”

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