The path of self-improvement: advice from Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee accomplished a lot in his life: he served in the military in Hong Kong, was a film actor, martial artist, director and founder of his own kung fu school. He also went down in history as a significant philosopher and thinker. And he definitely had a unique outlook on life. We decided to share his wisdom with you. Our issue contains the most striking statements of the Master.

I graduated from the University of Washington in Seattle. Believe it or not, I studied philosophy there.

I'm sure of only one thing: I can't sing. Although I usually tell everyone what a rich voice I have.

If I tell you that I'm a great guy, you'll think I'm bragging. If I tell you that I am worthless, you will know that I am lying.

Eastern people say: “Be more flexible. During life a person is soft and flexible, death makes him hard. This applies to body, mind and soul.”

You can't win a fight with one blow. Either learn to tolerate insults or hire a bodyguard. Forget about victories and defeats, forget about pride and pain. If your opponent scratches you, hit him. If your opponent hits you, break his arm. If your opponent breaks your arm, take his life. Don't think about leaving the battle intact. Be ready to sacrifice everything. Even life.

Move like water. Freeze like a mirror. Answer like an echo. Money as such has no meaning. They are just a tool to achieve certain goals, and you need to understand what they can do and, most importantly, what they cannot do. My father told me, “You made ten dollars this year. Next time you can earn five. Be ready".

If you don't want to stumble tomorrow, tell the truth today. Western education is good for one thing, Eastern education for another. You can say: “It’s better to do some things with this finger, and others with this finger.” But the whole hand is better anyway.

A wise man gains more knowledge from a stupid question than a fool does from a wise answer.

An American is like an oak tree: it stands firmly on the ground, does not bend in the wind, and if the wind blows stronger, it breaks. Eastern man is like bamboo: he bends in the wind, but then straightens out and becomes even stronger than before.

Get all the great teachers in one room and they will agree on all things in the world. Gather their students and they will argue about everything.

There is one Chinese fairy tale. Once upon a time there lived a butcher, and he had a knife that remained perfectly sharp year after year. When a butcher was asked how he managed to keep the blade in this condition, he answered: “I follow the lines of the bone. I'm not trying to cut it, break it, or generally resist it in any way. It will only ruin the knife." In life you need to go along obstacles. If you try to overcome them, it will only do harm.

My weight is 70 kilograms. If I don't knock out my opponent in three hits, I'm done. I use both my arms and legs, and I hit so fast that I have to slow down for the camera to catch my movements. In my very first takes, people simply fell to the ground, and it was absolutely invisible how I hit them.

Hitting boards and bricks is nonsense for suckers. The board will never give back.

Of course, sometimes I compromise with my wife and eat American food. You wouldn't serve fried rice with steak.

My strength comes from my stomach. It is the center of gravity, it is a source of energy.

Let's put it this way: 99 percent of all martial arts are bullshit. Everything looks very nice, but it doesn't work at all. If a 45-kilogram girl is attacked, all she can do is hit one of three points with all her might: her eyeballs, her groin, or her shin. And at this moment you need to give in.

If you love life, don't waste time, because time is what life is made of.

Fuck circumstances, create opportunities.