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Hong Kong and American actor,
Bruce Lee
was also a martial artist, philosopher, filmmaker and founder of the martial art Jeet Kune Do. A pop culture icon of the 20th century, Lee is widely considered by commentators, critics, media and other martial artists to be one of the most influential martial artists of all time. His influence was such that he is often credited with helping to change the way Asians were depicted in Hollywood.
Born in Chinatown, San Francisco, to parents from Hong Kong, Lee was raised in Kowloon with his family until his late teens. Although his mother was a Cantonese opera star - Lee Hoi-Chuen - it was his father who introduced him to the film industry and appeared in several films as a child actor.
His Hong Kong and Hollywood-produced films elevated the traditional Hong Kong martial arts film to a new level of popularity and acclaim, causing a surge of interest in Chinese martial arts in the West in the 1970s. The direction and tone of his films changed and influenced martial arts and martial arts films in the US, Hong Kong and the rest of the world.
He is noted for the films The Big Boss, Fist of Fury, Way of the Dragon, Enter the Dragon and The Game of Death. His portrayal of Chinese nationalism in his films won him worldwide popularity, particularly among the Chinese.
Here are some of his most famous quotes:
"Mistakes are always forgivable, if one has the courage to admit them."
"I'm not in this world to live up to your expectations and you're not in this world to live up to mine."
"If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you'll never get it done."
"I fear not the man who has practice 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times."
"A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer."
"Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it."
"Adapt what is useful, reject what is useless, and ad what is specifically your own."
"To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities."
"Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough, we must do."
"If you love life, don't waste time, for time is what life is made up of."
"A goal is not always meant to be reached, it often serves simply as something to aim at."
"Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do."
"Mistakes are always forgivable, if one has the courage to admit them."
"Defeat is a state of mind; no one is ever defeated until defeat has been accepted as a reality."
"For it is easy to criticize and break down the spirit of others, but to know yourself takes a lifetime."
"Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it."
"The past is no more; the future not yet. Nothing exists except the here and now. Our grand business is not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what lies clearly at our hands."