Top 5 Underrated Bruce Lee Quotes

Let's be real for a moment.

Bruce Lee needs no introduction and if you are unfamiliar, it is highly recommended of you to not only to visit his filmography, but to study his teachings and perspective on life and how we can apply practices for growth.

Not just growth on a level of becoming a skilled and talented martial artist, but taking these methods and incorporating them to everyday life no matter who you are, what you background is, or even what you do as a profession.

These philosophies can serve as a key to making you a better individual and a decent well meaning human being.

#1.) If you love life, don't waste time, for time is what life is made of.

This one is interesting because often it is taken for granted. Hopefully during theses insane times of COVID causing a global pandemic, people will learn to appreciate life more and the things that really drive us from a perspective of gratitude and passion. Before the pandemic we were trained for a long time to just go!

Don't stop just go, don't ask questions just go!

At one point in our lives we either bought in to the rat race or we were being pushed into that direction by others for various reasons. Regardless if it was said or not, if you're an observant individual you might of heard it like this.

"You need an education. Who cares if you're gonna be in debt forever, you'll have a degree, and that provides security."

"You need to find a job, give forty years of your life to something you don't like but it's okay because you'll at least be able to pay your bills."

Here's the icing on the cake,

"Get married, not outta love but so you can have a business partner to help you pay your bills to live in comfort and so that you can purchase a home and continue to stay in debt to something."

Make no mistake, there is nothing wrong with this but only if it is the true free will of that person. These were all things that were pushed on us and we never fully had a chance to think about what it is that we want for ourselves.

The bottom line is life is a gift. A precious gift, and our time is the natural currency. You should allow yourself to live life at the fullest to your spiritual, mental, and physical capacity. Do not waste time from your beautiful life. Money is able to be recouped as well as it comes and goes but you may never obtain a refund on your valuable time.

#2.) It's not the daily increase but daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential.

A huge key to our personal growth.

Often we carry a lot of clutter in our everyday lives that keeps us distracted from truly achieving our goals and maximizing our untapped abilities.

It doesn't help that we live in a ever changing and constantly growing technology heavy world that holds our attention for majority of the time.

From an underlining point of view, Bruce can be relaying the obvious which is no matter how you add on to your life, if you're not willing to be rid of the things that are keeping you stuck while slowly setting you backwards you will never really advance.

The unessential could be anything from poor diet, bad money habits, or an overall lack of focus and discipline needed to accomplish any goal on any level.

Whatever it is, apply the necessary steps to subtract things from your life that do not align with your advancement.

#3.) Obey the principles without being bound by them.

As humans were wired to an extent to operate with systems, almost as a machine. We do so by rooting ourselves in values or theories based on what is comforting and what works for us best. Along with the principles we learned growing up through personal experiences or influence from others.

Even though these are important elements that allow us to develop healthy systems to how we get things done in our lives.

Work, leisure, relationships, etc.

It's always good to employ ways that are convenient. Reminds us of the popular saying,

"If it ain't broke don't fix it."

Again, no right or wrong to that saying, although in order for the conscious mind to evolve it must be trained to pivot on the fly in case of any unsuitable conditions.

This could be one of the possible reasons Bruce created "Jeet Kune Do"

A hybrid philosophy of martial arts heavily influenced by his personal philosophy and experiences.

Also it's literal meaning, "Way of the intercepting Fist".

You see Bruce respected tradition but he was an innovator and visionary. A popular theory of his was why keep the fight going while you possess the ability to end it in a calculated strike.

Similar to a cobra.

Be prepared to whatever curveballs life will throw at you and be ready to adapt on the fly. We can all agree that 2020 was a helluva curveball.

This is reminiscent of one of his most famous quotes.

"Empty your mind. Be formless, shapeless. Like water. You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Water can flow, or it can crash. Be water, my friend!"

#4.) To hell with circumstances, I create opportunities.

Look yourself into the mirror and scream loud as you can at the top of your lungs, "QUIT MAKING EXUSES!!!".

Now that's not to say that there are no obstacles and everyone starts on an equal playing field because that is just false, especially when you throw in race, gender, class divides, and so on.

These are real misfortunes and unfair disadvantages of the world we live in but maybe, just maybe if we can pin point our focus to the exact barriers which face us in our day to day lives and identify what those problems are each individual can create an impact that can spark a domino effect.

Never view a problem as defeat.

Look at is as a challenge.

Treat it as sport to make it interesting.

Real changes always start and begin from within. This is an energy that is bound to spread in the most influential ways.

Take full control of your circumstances and personal obligations and allow the space for progress. You will see and experience growth. It may take a while or not. We'll never know unless we are willing to plant those seeds so that those flowers will sprout into mature form. Be sure to water those seeds everyday or when needed.

#5.) Real living is living for others.

Last but not least, this may be the most insightful of the five. When we as humans are on this journey to find our purpose on our planet Earth, everything after that will become clear.

As if you've been driving through a snow storm and all of a sudden it stops. The clouds go away and the sun shines a light on us.

We've mostly heard all our lives, especially in America to look out for self, number one.

Me, myself, and I.

Most of you understand those who are only willing to serve themselves usually end up being the most unhappy in the long run.

This unexplained selfishness can stem from past pain, hurt, and loss. Not to say that happy people are unselfish people and better individuals because you can also be a happy selfish person. The key is to express empathy for those people in whatever emotional state they are end. We are an everyday work in progress.

Others will understand that when they are fully in their element, happy in their lives, and living on their terms that the ultimate duty of being a human is not only just loving/taking care of family and friends but also by putting in the effort to be of service to our fellow humans. It is the ultimate sign of gratitude for being blessed with this thing called life.

Bruce Lee was bigger than being a great martial artist.

Martial arts was his paintbrush as he was a very gifted artist and one of the greatest thought-provoking philosophers of our time.

It is unfair to subjugate him to that.

He was a larger than life human who's impact still effects us in the best of ways.

If we all took a few notes from his teachings it could gradually lead us into a new world of limitless possibilities as well as evolved individuals!