Summary and Key Points: “Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way around or through it.” Bruce Lee said that, and more than half a century after his death at 32, it remains the most quoted line in martial arts—repeated by fighters, coaches, executives, and people who have never thrown a punch.
Why Bruce Lee Is a Legend
Have you ever entered into a flow state?
You may have, if you are an artist or musician. The paint strokes and words come out of you surprisingly.
You remember your training and all the rehearsals, and the lyrics and painting leave your body in a way that astounds viewers and listeners.
What Is Flow State?
Flow state also comes from physical activity. Run a long distance, and you can achieve a runner’s high, especially when listening to music as endorphins multiply.
Muscle memory takes over, and you flow to the next step, and a sense of wonder enters your mind, carrying you to new distances unthinkable when you first started.
Bruce Lee Had Flow State to the Max
Bruce Lee had that sense of flow state when performing martial arts. The image I have of Lee is of him wearing black pants without a shirt.
He glares at his adversary in a ready fighting stance, left hand poised to strike and right hand curled in a “come here” gesture.
He seemed to believe fighting was like water, finding openings to rush through.
But Lee was also relaxed, even humble, in a fight. He respected even his greatest enemies on film.
That feeling electrified his movements, which spurted out with power and precision.
Lee’s flowing period was stimulating to watch in movies and in his teaching.
Lee Inspired Many to Achieve Flow State
It inspired many young people to take up kung fu, karate, or taekwondo. The idea is to use an opponent’s strength against them.
Flow state comes after years of training. Lee was a martial arts giant, and he let the “water” flow “through the cracks.”
A Reluctant Fighter
Lee must have enjoyed his films, but his overall martial arts philosophy was understated and minimal.
He was effortless and confident. Lee had no real enemies, even though his movies were filled with violence against adversaries. The master of his craft didn’t want to fight for real until he was pushed into action and had no other way to resolve conflict.
Adaptable and Not Rigid
Lee was adaptable to challenging adversaries. He didn’t rely on just one strategy during a confrontation.
He could shift between fighting styles depending on his opponent’s skills.
He was flexible and not rigid. Lee was innovative in his combat style and used movements unseen in martial arts. He believed that strong and continuous movement could move mountains. Lee could also “empty his mind” through deep mindfulness, which led to his flow state.
Lee developed his own martial art, Jeet Kune Do, and starred in many movies, including Enter the Dragon and Fists of Fury.
Beyond the Quote: The History of Bruce Lee
Lee Jun Fan was born in 1940 in San Francisco, California, in the Year of the Dragon. His father was an opera singer, and Lee was born while his father stopped on tour. A hospital worker nicknamed him “Bruce.” Lee began working in film very early, as a three-month-old infant stand-in.
In the early 1940s, his family moved to Hong Kong, and Lee became a child movie star. Beginning in 1946, he appeared in 20 movies.
He also excelled at dancing and writing poetry, which later influenced his martial arts career.
Not all was fun for Lee. British students ridiculed him because of his Asian heritage. To defend himself, he started taking kung fu lessons.
His teacher was the famed Ip Man. Lee eventually left Hong Kong and moved to Seattle, Washington, to work as a dancer.
Lee thought that he would eventually become an intellectual. He attended the University of Washington, where he majored in philosophy. Inspired by Ip Man, he opened a martial arts studio and taught Wing Chun.
He moved to California and opened up two more schools in Los Angeles and Oakland. This is when Lee’s creative juices really started flowing.
He was still motivated by Ip Man, but he wanted a more tailored martial art that he could call his own. Lee then developed Jeet Kune Do, translated as the “Way of the Intercepting Fist.”
Hollywood beckoned as word spread about Lee’s charisma and teaching skills. In 1966, he landed the role of Kato, a skilled fighter, in The Green Hornet. He even appeared in early Batman episodes.
Lee kept teaching and was known for instructing James Garner, Steve McQueen, and James Coburn. Garner helped Lee meet directors and screenwriters. The martial arts wizard then appeared in Marlowe, starring Garner.
Lee injured himself at one point and focused on writing while recovering. “He came up with the idea that became the basis for the Buddhist monk TV series Kung Fu; however, David Carradine got the starring role initially slated for Lee due to the belief that an Asian actor wouldn’t pull in audiences as the lead,” according to Biography.com.
Lee grew frustrated and tried his luck back in Hong Kong, where he won a starring role in Fists of Fury. The movie was a huge hit and showed the world Lee could carry a picture as the lead. Hollywood was impressed, and a role in Enter the Dragon followed. That was a great success, but tragically, it would be his last leading role in a significant production. Lee died of cerebral edema at age 32 in 1973.
Lee was a living legend and inspired many people to take up martial arts training. His brand of peaceful but violent (at times) charisma was inspiring to many. No one will forget how skilled he was as a teacher and actor.
The “flow state” force was strong in him, and Lee made people look twice at Asian cultures, and many ended up emulating the Far East way of life. Lee will always be remembered as a completely charismatic figure and role model.
He never experienced failure and was always an epitome of honor, humbleness, and grace.
About the Author: Brent M. Eastwood
Author of now over 3,000 articles on defense issues, Brent M. Eastwood, PhD is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for US Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former US Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.
