It's an understatement to say that Bruce Lee was one of the "greatest martial artists of all time." Rather, he is one of the greatest philosophers as well. When I first started my own martial arts journey, my instructor would share a Bruce Lee quote from time to time. I connected the relevance of the quotes to my training, but never thought that they would transcend into my personal life. That was until I started realizing that life is full of obstacles and hardships. This semester in particular seemed to be especially disheartening for me. Fortunately, I had the inspirational words of a true genius to help push me through when I felt down or hopeless. With this semester winding down, and finals upon us, I figured that I would share five of the quotes to give you guys some much needed motivation.
1.
This was the first quote I read by Bruce Lee. It's practically a martial arts twist on the old expression, "Jack of all trades, master of none." If you are anything like me, you may yearn to be good at everything, and not satisfied when you find that you aren't. This quote shows that it is much more effective to be proficient at one or two things that you truly love than try to excel at everything that you put minimal time into.
2.
Over the years, I've found that being honest and owning up to one's mistakes and weaknesses makes things easier than trying to cover them with lies. This is especially true with assignments and exams. If you know that you are going to turn something in late, or absolutely don't know the answer to a test question, don't conjure up excuses or cheat. Instead, just tell the truth to your professor, or come to the realization that you will not always be right.
3. 
In my article "The Importance of Taking an 'L'," I discussed the importance of taking a loss. Getting knocked down makes you stronger, but only if you decide to stand up. Make the choice to stand up and never let defeat become a reality.
4.
At this time in my life, I cannot think of a more suitable quote. When it seems like things are going wrong, we tend to want life to be easier. A truly "easy" life, however, does not exist. No matter how affluent or prominent a person might be, everyone experiences hardships. Lee's advice is to ask for the mental strength to get through it. Despite the difficulty of life, it is definitely worth living.
5.
In a plastic society, ran by the superficial, we need to remember not to mold ourselves into the celebrities we look up to. Rather, we should remain ourselves. Everyone is special and has the potential to accomplish great things. Do something that no one has done before, and stay true to who you are.
These quotes are my personal go-to quotes for motivation and inspiration from the legend. Do you have a favorite Bruce Lee quote that I didn't mention? Let me know in the comments below.
