Bruce Lee was one of a kind.

His life and accomplishments have left a legacy that is known to millions of people and his work will be remembered for many years to come.

Obviously he had a huge impact on the world of martial arts, but he also taught us many great lessons about life, self confidence, hardship, and achievement. All things we work on every day in our own lives.

Although he did have children, most of his quotes relate to life, martial arts, and bettering ourselves.

And in these lessons, there are many things we can apply not only to our personal lives, but in our roles as fathers as well.

Bruce had so many great quotes and I chose 20 that I believe apply directly to us as dads .

20 Bruce Lee Quotes That Will Inspire You To Be A Better Dad

Knowledge will give you power, but character respect.

As pissed as some of us are about our situations, we must always take the high road. If you are pissed at your ex, don’t let her see it. Be the bigger person. Let her be the bitter one. You be the role model for your child(ren).

I’m not in this world to live up to your expectations and you’re not in this world to live up to mine.

Too often we try to live by someone else’s expectations of us. Many times it’s our spouses (or ex-spouses now) and we all know how that ends up. Be true to yourself, do the right things, and make choices you want your kids to learn from.

Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one.

Life isn’t easy and for many of us, it’s damn hard. But there is growth through struggle and I’ve always believed that. Every setback has an opportunity behind it.

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

Listen, we all fuck up sometimes. We can blame our spouses or ex’s all we want, but we need to take responsibility for ALL of our actions.

Be happy, but never satisfied.

This is such an important point because we often settle for what life has given us and then give up. Being satisfied is nothing more than settling for what we have been given. There is so much more to life than what we already have. Now we have to take it!

Don’t fear failure. — Not failure, but low aim, is the crime. In great attempts it is glorious even to fail.

Sure we’ve failed at lots of things, some of us our marriages included, but so what? Did you give it your all to try to make it work? Me too. Sometimes it’s not meant to be. Now we get to set our sights on something better for ourselves and our children.

To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities.

You may feel like life has thrown you a big ol’ pile of shit, but that’s a lie. We deal with the hand we have now and then get to create a whole new world for ourselves.

A quick temper will make a fool of you soon enough.

Are we pissed that we are getting screwed by our ex’s? Are we pissed that we’re paying exorbitant amounts in child support and alimony? Are we pissed that we can only see our kids a few days a week? Fuck yes we are. But we need to keep our cool not only for us, but for our kids. They shouldn’t be subject to their dad being pissed off, regardless of the situation.

Defeat is a state of mind; No one has ever been defeated until defeat has been accepted as a reality.

Many of you are almost down and out. I was too but I never gave up. I knew I made the right decision when I left my marriage and never wavered in that choice. Don’t give up hope, don’t think you’ve lost. You have won, my friend..

Those who are unaware they are walking in darkness will never seek the light.

You could also say this a different way, like get your head out of your ass. But I think it’s more about being ignorant to the fact that there is so much more to this life and until we realize that, we cannot fully experience what is has to offer.

If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done. Make at least one definite move daily towards your goal.

Paralysis by analysis, a curse I’ve had for years. Action is the only thing that gets results and for many of you who are starting a new life, you need change and lots of it. And the only way to create change is by taking action, and massively.

The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t care all that much about my legacy. I want to be remembered by my daughters as a great dad and care immensely about the present time I have with them. Living, not just existing, each day is what life is all about.

Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough, we must do.

I’ve heard it said that knowledge isn’t power, but rather applied knowledge is power. I agree 100%.

Life is wide, limitless. There is no border, no frontier.

It’s true. There is nothing stopping us from having it all. Except us.

To spend time is to pass it in a specified manner. To waste time is to expend it thoughtlessly or carelessly. We all have time to either spend or waste and it is our decision what to do with it. But once passed, it is gone forever.

Never forget how short life is and you’ll remember to cherish each moment you have, especially those with your loved ones.

As you think, so shall you become.

This has been said a thousand times in a thousand different ways but they’re all true. Your mind controls who you are, what you have, and what you become.

Choose the positive. You have choice, you are master of your attitude. Choose the positive, the constructive. Optimism is a faith that leads to success.

Even in our darkest times, we must always believe there will be a brighter day. I knew that one day I would feel better. I knew one day I would smile again. If you are only seeing the negative side of everything, take a moment to look at what is possible and try to imagine yourself in a better place.

If you always put limits on what you can do, physical or anything else, it’ll spread over into the rest of your life. It’ll spread into your work, into your morality, into your entire being. There are no limits. There are plateaus, but you must not stay there, you must go beyond them. If it kills you, it kills you. A man must constantly exceed his level.

Being stuck in a rut sucks. I know because I was there for a decade. It’s not good for you or your kids and the first step is recognizing that you actually are stuck. Remember, there is nothing holding you back from having what you want (except that damn restraining order…) and you just have to reach out and take it.

The possession of anything begins in the mind.

Having a strong body is one thing, but having a strong mind is quite another. We can have the life we always wanted but first must realize that it’s possible.

In the middle of chaos lies opportunity.

This is your life right now; chaos. Mine was too. If we choose to get wrapped up in the drama and bad emotions, it will suck us down. Instead we need to focus on what good can and will come out of our situation. Believe me, there is a lot of good coming…

Apply These To Your Life

Bruce is famous for saying “absorb what is useful, discard what is not, add what uniquely is your own.” This holds true for us as well. We can take what means the most from each of these quotes and use it to make ourselves better fathers and better people.

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