13 Quotes by Bruce Lee on Success and Failure
A comprehensive guideline to unleashing your potential
Bruce Lee is a modern-day legend, and rightfully so. On top of being an incredibly gifted martial artist and a pop culture icon of the 20th century, he founded the Jeet Kune Do fighting system, popularized martial arts films, and helped to change the stereotypical depictions of the Asian community in Hollywood movies.
What not many people know, however, is that Lee was also an accomplished poet and a deep thinker whose intellectual legacy still lives on, almost 50 years after his untimely passing in 1973.
His philosophy centered on simplicity, discipline, directness, freedom, self-knowledge, and the development of one’s inner potential; all of which he expressed through his poetry and teachings on martial arts.
Many of Bruce Lee’s viewpoints focus on the dynamics of success and failure, two inescapable realities of life we all have to face every now and then. And as there is golden wisdom in his words, I’ve decided to compile some of his most memorable quotes on that topic, along with a short reflection on each.
Here we go!
1. “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.” — Bruce Lee
Here’s the thing: If you plan to be successful at something, you’d better be ready to spend a great deal of time dedicating your efforts to it.
The only way to become a musical virtuoso, for example, is through intensive, everyday practice. Jimi Hendrix is said to have practice for hours every day, from age 15.
One of the reasons we keep failing to reach our goals is our lack of focus and commitment to a single objective. Attempting to master several disciplines at once requires dividing the little time we have into every one of those activities, resulting in limited efforts dedicated to each.
How to apply this principle:
Focus on one activity at a time. The more you try to excel at multiple endeavors simultaneously, the higher are your chances of failure and disappointment at your results.
If I had to paraphrase Bruce Lee here, I’d say, bite off more than you can chew, and you’ll end up becoming a jack of all trades and master of none, at best.
2. “I’m not in this world to live up to your expectations, and you are not in this world to live up to mine.” — Bruce Lee
There’s a huge problem in trying to please everyone: It goes against your self-interest, especially when their expectations of you differ from your own. I’ll use myself as an example.
I had a decent childhood, except for one thing. You see, my older brother and I attended the same school, and since he was always top of his class, every teacher there expected me to follow his steps and be just like him.
There was only one problem, though: I am not my brother.
These expectations felt like a burden to me, as my teachers were quick to point out that my behavior and performance weren’t “what they expected from me” every time I failed to live up to my brother’s legacy.
As a result, I was always worried I wasn’t good enough and I had a sickening fear of academic failure, however small it could be. Also, I never took the time to think about what I expected of myself as a student, as I was always worried about disappointing my teachers. That, in turn, made me anxious and miserable.
Back then, of course, I was too young to know that although my teachers were wrong in comparing me to my brother, I was also wrong in trying to please them.
How to apply this principle:
Repeat after me: I am my own gold standard. The only person I should be as good as, and eventually better than, is myself. The steady, everyday improvement over your current self is the only expectation you should live up to. Today, be better than you were yesterday. Tomorrow, be better than you are today. Make that a habit, and you’ll start seeing positive results.
I always tell my daughter: “I don’t expect you to be the best student. It’s okay not to be number one. Now, if you want to work your way to the top of your class, go for it. Just make sure you do it because you want to. Don’t do it to make me proud. I already am.”
3. “To me, defeat in anything is merely temporary. Defeat simply tells me that something is wrong in my doing; it is a path leading to success and truth.” — Bruce Lee
People will always say “You can do it!”, “Go for it!”, “The sky’s the limit!”, and similar phrases every time someone starts a new project. It is only natural; after all, cheerful encouragement has proven to have positive results in giving others the push they need to pursue their dreams.
However, there’s something we’re never told about the whole goal-reaching process: Failure is not only a possibility; it’s almost certain to happen. This is why many of us give up on our dreams after getting initial, less-than-favorable results.
How to apply this principle:
Understand that failure is not only inevitable, but it is also an essential part of the process of winning. You see, failure shows us exactly where we went wrong, which in turn becomes the experience we need to do better next time.
Just look at the greatest writers of our time. Most of them had to write not one, but several books that went completely unnoticed before they managed to craft their first bestseller. If they all had stopped at their first flop, no one would know their names today.
4. “To become a champion requires a good mental attitude toward preparation. You must accept the most tedious tasks with pleasure.” — Bruce Lee
I started writing regularly last month, and so far, I’ve had a great time. However, I’d be lying if I said it’s all been rainbows and unicorns.
Writing can be very time-consuming, especially during the editing process. One minute you like what you’ve written, and the next, you think it’s garbage. Also, it sucks when you have an awesome idea but you can’t come up with a good way to express it.
However, I wouldn’t be writing this article if I didn’t love the whole process of it. That’s right; no matter how tedious it gets, I enjoy every single part of it.
Here’s a hard fact: Regardless of how awesome your projects are, there will always be a part of it that you’ll find unpleasant. And that’s the part you’ll have to learn to love if you want to reach your goals in the end.
How to apply this principle:
Embrace the unpleasant aspects of your endeavors. Stop thinking of them as chores to be completed, but as necessary steps in the whole process of winning.
The old gym saying No Pain, No Gain is a perfect example of this. Attempting to adhere to a strict workout routine is pointless if you’re not willing to fall in love with the pain you’re required to go through to get that sexy six-pack of your dreams.
5. “If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done.” — Bruce Lee
Years ago, I had a plan to get a scholarship and study a Master’s degree abroad. It was something I used to dream about daily, and back then, you could say it was my life’s ultimate goal.
I did the research, watched the videos, read the articles, and heard the podcasts. I told everyone “I’m going off to study abroad soon”, but in the end, I never got around to doing it.
My younger brother, on the other hand, never talked about leaving and now he’s a college student in Eastern Europe. How about that?
Planning goes hand in hand with execution. When we think and talk about our plans for too long we trick ourselves into believing we’re making progress, when in fact, we’re not.
How to apply this principle:
Divide your goals into achievable parts. Focus on completing each of those parts one by one while you plan your next move. That’s a more effective approach to getting things done.
It’s okay to plan your endeavors. I’d say that’s exactly what you should do. Just make you don’t get stuck in the process so you don’t fall for the trap of the Endless-Planning-Loop.
6. “Don’t fear failure. In great attempts, it is glorious even to fail.” — Bruce Lee
The fear of failure is what stops us from reaching our full potential in life. It’s that nasty little voice whispering to your ear: “This is too risky. Don’t do it. You’ll only make a fool of yourself. They will laugh at you. Why bother?”
These thoughts can be terrifying, of course, especially in a society in which “failure is not an option”.
However, it is important to know and understand that failure is a possible outcome to pretty much anything we do. Instead of fearing it, we should expect it, and embrace it.
How to apply this principle:
Just go for it. Of course, success is never guaranteed, but in the end, even if you have to accept utter defeat, there’s a benefit to losing big: At least, you can have the satisfaction of knowing that you had the guts and wits to give it one hell of a try.
You know what they say, it’s better to live a life of “Oh, wells” than a life of “What ifs”.
7. “Patience is not passive, on the contrary, it is concentrated strength.” — Bruce Lee
…and,
8. “Long-term consistency trumps short-term intensity.” — Bruce Lee
You may call it cheating, but I’m putting these two quotes together because they share the same basic point.
I’ve told my daughter about my school days, when I had to spend hours in a library to get the information I needed for my homework assignment, as opposed to just spending a few minutes on a smartphone Googling it.
You know what I’m talking about. Everything is instantaneous in the 21st century: TV streaming, Uber riding, e-books, instant microwave meals, instant telecommunication, online shopping, online banking, you name it.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not demonizing the technological advancements making our lives more comfortable and convenient. After all, the 21st century is, in many ways, the best time there’s ever been for anyone to be alive.
What I mean to say, however, is that this era of instant gratification we live in has spoiled us into believing that anything we have to wait for is not worth having. This is one of the main reasons we assume we have failed at reaching our goals if we don’t see immediate results.
How to apply these principles:
Be patient. As T. E. Lawrence put it in Lawrence of Arabia, “Big Things Have Small Beginnings”. You won’t get anywhere if you expect success right from the start. That’s not the way it works. We usually fall into this trap as we aspire to become just as successful as the people we most admire.
We tend to forget, however, that amazing writers, actors, athletes, YouTubers, singers, etc, all have one thing in common: They managed to get to the top of a seemingly unconquerable mountain, starting their journey from the very bottom; a feat that didn’t take them a few days, but several years.
9. “Sorrows are our best educators. A man can see further through a tear than a telescope.” — Bruce Lee
Suffering is one of those bitter aspects of life we constantly try to avoid. After all, pain is anything but pleasant. However, trying to escape it is pointless, not only because it is impossible, but also because suffering-avoidance prevents us from reaching personal growth.
Pain is a natural mechanism that dictates what is good for us and what is not. Just like you learned not to walk around the house barefoot after stepping on a Lego piece, psychological pain teaches us a lesson or two on the mistakes we’ve made in the past, so we don’t have to go through the same suffering again in the future.
Some years ago, I had to face the pain of a failed romantic relationship that left me swimming in a pool of my tears — so to speak. However, I’m glad it happened. The suffering I had to endure taught me some of the most important lessons on love and relationships I’ve ever learned.
How to apply this principle:
Learn from your mistakes. The pain and suffering you‘re experiencing now will become the deterrents you need to do things differently in the future. If you fail to learn your lessons, you will be doomed to go through the same suffering again.
It’s okay to make mistakes. After all, we’re only human. The problem is making those same mistakes repeatedly, and suffering through them every single time.
10. “Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless — like water. Now, you put water in a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.” — Bruce Lee
…also,
11. “Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind.” — Bruce Lee
…and,
12. “To hell with circumstances. I create opportunities.” — Bruce Lee
Again, I’m putting these three quotes together because they deal with the same situation: Adverse circumstances in the way to success.
Look, no matter what you set out to do, things will never be perfect. You will always find problems and obstacles along the way. And these problems will give you a chance to shine and subsequently, to succeed.
How to apply these principles:
- Be like water: This is a call to adaptability. Since circumstances will never be ideal, we must adapt to our environment and work with it, instead of against it. Do what you can with the resources you have: Even if this slows you down, you can always reach your goal if you’re persistent.
- Bend with the wind: This is a call to flexibility. Circumstances will also change along the way. Sometimes the wind will be favorable. Some other times, you will have to go against it. Don’t be discouraged when this happens. Your projects will always go through ups and downs: A reality you must be ready — and willing — to deal with.
- Create opportunities: This is a call to reinvention. Trouble will arise, and you will have to do something about it. Many people see their endeavors fall apart at the first signs of trouble because they fail in taking the right course of action. And that course of action is often something that no one has done or considered doing before.
There’s no way around this: If you give in to the fear of adverse circumstances, you will never make your dreams come true. In order to be successful, you have to be willing to face adversity with initial adaptability, ongoing flexibility, and a neverending ability for reinvention.
13. “He who wants to succeed should learn how to fight, to strive and to suffer. You can acquire a lot in life if you are prepared to give up a lot to get it.” — Bruce Lee
This quote can be summarized in one word: Sacrifice.
Life’s a tradeoff. To get something, you must be willing to give something in return, which is usually a commodity, a resource, a source of pleasure and entertainment, or even a personal necessity. Those who are unwilling or unable to sacrifice will never get anywhere.
If you want to start a business, for example, you’ll need to sacrifice time with your family and friends, a considerable amount of money (at least, initially), and, if you can’t afford to quit your daytime job just yet, you will also have to sacrifice your sleeping time.
How to apply this principle:
Be ready to give up, at least temporarily, some of the things you value the most in life. The realization of a project requires this. You will lose sleep. You will lose money. You will miss out on awesome TV shows. You will lose weight. But in the end, it will be worth it.
Be careful, though. You shouldn’t be willing to sacrifice absolutely everything to reach your goals. An endeavor is never worth it if you need to give up your own family, your honor, your principles, your self-love, your self-respect, or your overall health.
Bottom line
Bruce Lee’s teachings on success and failure can be summarized in the next few points:
- Focus on one discipline at a time until you master it. Dedicating your attention and efforts to multiple, simultaneous endeavors will produce mediocre results, at best.
- Attempting to please others by continuously trying to live up to their expectations is pointless. You should set your own goals and expectations for your life. Don’t let anyone else do this for you.
- Defeat is temporary and necessary. Those who are not willing to fail are not willing to grow.
- Patience pays off, as long as you work consistently toward the fulfillment of your goals and dreams. Instant success is nothing but fantasy.
- You need to embrace the boring and tedious parts of your goal with a positive attitude if you want to accomplish your objectives.
- All great projects have a great chance of failure. Don’t fear failure. It’s better to try and fail than not trying at all.
- Pain will teach you the importance of not making the same mistakes again and again.
- You will always encounter problems and difficulties in the way to success. In order to face them, you need the ability to adapt to adverse circumstances, the flexibility to deal with situational changes, and the wisdom to reinvent yourself and the environment to reach your goals.
- You will never make your dreams come true if you’re not willing to sacrifice anything along the way.
There is wisdom, indeed, in the way of the Dragon, Bruce Lee.
