Summary
- A compilation of Bruce Lee’s interviews from 1958-1973
Key Takeaways
- He simply knows what he wants and with a great deal of care, goes about achieving it
- In whatever he does, be it a small action or big decision, he reflects quality
- He is every minute of every day discovering new things, adding the essential, hacking away the unessential. Forever growing and expanding
- Walk on! – inspirational phrase he turned to often when he was bedridden with a back injury for many months
- Lee’s basic philosophy was to grasp the absolute necessity for honest self-expression. Understanding and striving for this is the key to fulfilling one’s potential
- The ultimate source of happiness, meaning, knowledge that we each long for from so many divergent sources ultimately resides within us all
- Gung fu = mastery in virtually any field
- The concept of oneness is expressed often, the Tao, the way. Firmness is concealed in softness
- One must learn to react rather than plan his movements
- On marriage
- The most satisfactory marriage is a friendship caught on fire. Romance dwindles and in its place must grow the day-to-day companionship that would endure throughout the couple’s life
- A successful marriage takes two halves which are more efficient whole than either half would ever be alone
- A husband and wife must simultaneously have both similar and different interests
- Only sober moderation lasts and persists through all time. Only the mid-part of anything is preserved because the pendulum must have balance, and the mid-part is the balance. The almighty oak cracks in the wind but the fragile and flexible bamboo simply bends and survives
- Each man blinds himself – the fetters are ignorance, laziness, preoccupation with self and fear.
- Gung fu is deadly simplicity which concerns self-defense and self-mastery, an empty mind
- Key life philosophy – look at things and draw from them the essence that made for its effectiveness
- Man is at his worst when he does not understand himself
- Victory gained by force is no real victory
- Worst opponent to face is one who’s aim has become an obsession
- Inability to adapt brings destruction
- “Self-actualization is the important thing. And my personal message to people is that I hope they will go towards self-actualization rather than self-image actualization. I hope they will search within themselves for honest self-expression.”
- Quality comes from never accepting less than your best. Quality > outcome
What I got out of it
- Good, broad overview of Bruce Lee’s career, philosophy and impact
