Born as Lee Jun-fan on November 27th, 1940 in San Francisco, California, Bruce Lee is one of the most respected figures in history. He was known for his exceptional god-like abilities in MMA (Mixed Martial Arts). Called as the “Father Of MMA”, Bruce Lee starred in many movies and inspired many people with his skills. The man who made the one-inch punch popular and invented the six-inch punch, Bruce was truly an inspiration. In fact, he still is.

The modern-day Mix Martial Arts that we all know and love was made popular by none other than Bruce Lee. He is the most popular user of the fighting form. Though there were many great martial artists at that time, none came close to Bruce Lee. Well, even f they did, they would’ve tasted the brutal one-inch punch (pun intended). Throughout his life and even after he is gone, he kept and keeps inspiring people with his amazing life and unmatchable skills.

Bruce Lee inspired many people not only with what he did but also with the things he said. It’s natural to have such a clear, wise, and knowledgable mind when you are the greatest martial artist in the world. The things he said really got people to thinking. Bruce Lee was, is, and will always be a motivational icon and an inspiration for everyone who knows about him. It is true that he inspired with his words so in order to share that inspiration, here are some motivational quotes by the legend Bruce Lee:

“Knowing is not enough, we must apply; Willing is not enough, we must do”

This quote has a similar essence to a line by rapper Royce Da 5’9″, “Knowledge is power, but powerless if you got it and you do not acknowledge it”. This means that knowing about something or that you can do something is not enough until or unless you apply that knowledge in something positive. Plus, the will to do something will do you no good if you don’t actually do the thing you are willing to do. The genius of Bruce Lee is perfectly reflected by this quote.

“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”

This simply means ‘practice makes a person perfect’. It won’t make any difference if you practice many things just one time, however, if you practice just one thing a lot of times, your perfection in that thing will be god-like. Just keep your sight set on the goal and keep practicing the thing that you know will be the reason for you to achieve greatness one day. Become the unbeatable warrior that you always wanted to become. Never give up and never lose hope.

“If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done”

 Thinking is good, there’s nothing wrong with thinking, however, if you keep thinking about doing something without actually ever doing it, you’ll never get it done. In order to try or do something new, you need motivation and there is a possibility of that motivation vanishing due to overthinking. You must think about something before doing it, however, you must never overthink. Overthinking has a tendency to generate negative thoughts in your brain that’ll result in demotivation and ultimately, giving up without even trying. Also, you will waste a lot of time. In Layman’s terms, never ever overthink.

“If you love life, don’t waste time, for time is what life is made up of”

The meaning of this quote is quite simple and understandable. You only have one life. Do whatever you want to do with it and don’t waste time on insignificant things or the things that won’t help you in the long run. Time is what life is made up of and if you waste time, you waste a part of your one precious life. Do what makes you one step closer to your goals, not what keeps you stuck at the same spot and your growth stagnant.

“Mistakes are always forgivable, if one has the courage to admit them”

We all make mistakes. It’s natural. We are human beings. While making a mistake is not that big of a deal, not accepting that mistake is what makes the difference. If you have the courage and humility to accept or admit a mistake, you deserve to be forgiven for that mistake. On the other hand, if a person is not willing to accept or admit his mistake, it’s likely that he/she won’t be forgiven or don’t even deserve to be forgiven. We must always have the courage to accept or admit our mistakes.