--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have always been a martial artist by…" description: "\"I have always been a martial artist by choice, an actor by profession, but above all, am actualising myself to be an artist of life.\" — Bruce Lee" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/558/bruce-lee-430_actor_i-have-always-been-a-martial-artist-by-c_2328281.jpg" --- # I have always been a martial artist by choice, an actor by… ![“I have always been a martial artist by choice, an actor by profession, but above all, am actualising myself to be an artist of life.” quote by Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/558/bruce-lee-430_actor_i-have-always-been-a-martial-artist-by-c_2328281.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/558/bruce-lee-430_actor_i-have-always-been-a-martial-artist-by-c_2328281.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/558/bruce-lee-430_actor_i-have-always-been-a-martial-artist-by-c_2328281.jpg) > “I have always been a martial artist by choice, an actor by profession, but above all, am actualising myself to be an artist of life.” [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He sees martial arts, acting, and living creatively as facets of a single artistic pursuit, blending discipline with self‑expression. **In simple terms:** He blends combat, acting, and living as art. Key Takeaway Integrate discipline with creativity. Themes self‑expression discipline artistry identity Mood inspired reflective Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career development - personal growth - creative projects - mindful living Key Concepts personal philosophy holistic living Questions to Reflect On - How can you apply artistic mindset to routine tasks? - What balance is needed between discipline and spontaneity? A Different Perspective May overlook practical constraints of daily responsibilities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Artist Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist-life/) [Career](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/career/) [Choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) [Inspiring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspiring/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Martial Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/martial-art/) [Martial artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/martial-artist/) [Martial arts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/martial-arts/) [Profession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profession/) ## Related quotes > [Through all of this lovely interviewing, and nice things people say, and the rest of it, I have learned that I am an actor.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-leo/through-all-of-this-lovely-interviewing-and-nice-things-people-say/) [Melissa Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-leo/) > [A martial artist has to take responsibility for himself and accept the consequences of his own doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/a-martial-artist-has-to-take-responsibility-for-himself-and-accept/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [I hope martial artists are more interested in the root of martial arts and not the different decorative branches, flowers or leaves. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/i-hope-martial-artists-are-more-interested-in-the-root-of-martial/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [A good martial artist does not become tend but ready, not thinking but jet not dreaming. Ready for whatever may come.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/a-good-martial-artist-does-not-become-tend-but-ready-not-thinking-but/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [I hope martial artists are more interested in the root of martial arts and not the different decorative branches, flowers or leaves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/i-hope-martial-artists-are-more-interested-in-the-root-of-martial-2/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [If mere mechanical efficiency can make everyone a martial artist, then all is well. Unfortunately, combat, like freedom, is something that can not be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/if-mere-mechanical-efficiency-can-make-everyone-a-martial-artist-then/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [My submission game is always on point, it's always there. But to be a better mixed martial artist, I need to be able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-burns/my-submission-game-is-always-on-point-it-s-always-there-but-to-be-a/) [Gilbert Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-burns/) > [I've got respect for my mom, especially as a martial artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-perry/i-ve-got-respect-for-my-mom-especially-as-a-martial-artist/) [Mike Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-perry/) > [I'm a martial artist, not a fighter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uriah-hall/i-m-a-martial-artist-not-a-fighter/) [Uriah Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uriah-hall/) > [So much of the way a singer physically damages their voice could be caused by stress or nerves. I would never be so brazen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandi-carlile/so-much-of-the-way-a-singer-physically-damages-their-voice-could-be/) [Brandi Carlile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandi-carlile/) > [I am a professional martial artist, and I am a professional fighter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-shamrock/i-am-a-professional-martial-artist-and-i-am-a-professional-fighter/) [Frank Shamrock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-shamrock/) > [I'm here to be a martial artist and show people that I think there's a better way of life and a happier way of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-fitch/i-m-here-to-be-a-martial-artist-and-show-people-that-i-think-there-s/) [Jon Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-fitch/) > [I'm a lifelong martial artist and to have an arena to test my skills is essential for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-hardy/i-m-a-lifelong-martial-artist-and-to-have-an-arena-to-test-my-skills/) [Dan Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-hardy/) > [I do a one-hour workout called Drenched, a cardio-boxing fitness routine, Monday through Friday. There are usually between twenty-five and fifty people there -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-ann-inaba/i-do-a-one-hour-workout-called-drenched-a-cardio-boxing-fitness/) [Carrie Ann Inaba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-ann-inaba/) > [Every kid wants to reach their goals in life and be the best. During my Bruce Lee phase, I wanted to be the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-hosoi/every-kid-wants-to-reach-their-goals-in-life-and-be-the-best-during/) [Christian Hosoi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-hosoi/) ## More by Bruce Lee > [Do not like, do not dislike; all will then be clear. Make a hairbreadth difference and heaven and earth are set apart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/do-not-like-do-not-dislike-all-will-then-be-clear-make-a-hairbreadth/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [The great mistake is to anticipate the outcome of the engagement; you ought not to be thinking of whether it ends in victory or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/the-great-mistake-is-to-anticipate-the-outcome-of-the-engagement-you/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [The more aware you become, the more you shed from day to day what you have learned so that your mind is always fresh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/the-more-aware-you-become-the-more-you-shed-from-day-to-day-what-you/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [The usefulness of the cup is its emptiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/the-usefulness-of-the-cup-is-its-emptiness/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [My style? You can call it the art of fighting without fighting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/my-style-you-can-call-it-the-art-of-fighting-without-fighting/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [The founder of any branch must be more ingenious than the common man. However, if his achievement is not carried on by disciples of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/the-founder-of-any-branch-must-be-more-ingenious-than-the-common-man/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [I don't believe in different ways of fighting now. I mean, unless human beings have 3 arms and 3 legs, then we will have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/i-don-t-believe-in-different-ways-of-fighting-now-i-mean-unless-human/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [Be a practical dreamer backed by action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/be-a-practical-dreamer-backed-by-action/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [In order to taste my cup of water you must first empty your cup.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/in-order-to-taste-my-cup-of-water-you-must-first-empty-your-cup/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [Truth comes when your mind and heart are purged of all sense of striving and you are no longer trying to become somebody; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/truth-comes-when-your-mind-and-heart-are-purged-of-all-sense-of/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [A person cannot forget someone who is good to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/a-person-cannot-forget-someone-who-is-good-to-them/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [The highest art is no art. The highest form is no form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/the-highest-art-is-no-art-the-highest-form-is-no-form/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [To live is a constant process of relating, so come on out of that shell of isolation and conclusion, and relate DIRECTLY to what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/to-live-is-a-constant-process-of-relating-so-come-on-out-of-that/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [I hope martial artists are more interested in the root of martial arts and not the different decorative branches, flowers or leaves. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/i-hope-martial-artists-are-more-interested-in-the-root-of-martial/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [Art lives where absolute freedom is, because where it is not, there can be no creativity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/art-lives-where-absolute-freedom-is-because-where-it-is-not-there-can/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) [Explore all 562 Bruce Lee quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) ## More Actor quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. 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Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/) [David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/) > [I'm an actor, so I'm never going to feel like I've done enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italia-ricci/i-m-an-actor-so-i-m-never-going-to-feel-like-i-ve-done-enough/) [Italia Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italia-ricci/) > [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/) [Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/) > [When I was 13, I auditioned for the theater school, and I was there for four years. In the meantime, I did my first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-de-armas/when-i-was-13-i-auditioned-for-the-theater-school-and-i-was-there-for/) [Ana de Armas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-de-armas/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [failure in the theater is more public, more brilliant, more unreal than in any other field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-hellman/failure-in-the-theater-is-more-public-more-brilliant-more-unreal-than/) [Lillian Hellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-hellman/) > [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/) [Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/) > [Actors don't hate acting. Most people don't hate acting! Whether you're a child mucking around with your friends or a grown up being paid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-hewson/actors-don-t-hate-acting-most-people-don-t-hate-acting-whether-you-re/) [Liv Hewson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-hewson/) > [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/) [Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/) > [I never planned to do female roles. It just happened. I was typecast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divine/i-never-planned-to-do-female-roles-it-just-happened-i-was-typecast/) [Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divine/) > [Once I committed to acting, this has been it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-hudson/once-i-committed-to-acting-this-has-been-it/) [Ernie Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-hudson/) [Browse all 21,590 Actor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I have always been a martial artist by choice, an actor by profession, but above all, am actualising myself to be an artist of life.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bruce Lee" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/i-have-always-been-a-martial-artist-by-choice-an-actor-by-profession/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/i-have-always-been-a-martial-artist-by-choice-an-actor-by-profession/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/558/bruce-lee-430_actor_i-have-always-been-a-martial-artist-by-c_2328281.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/558/bruce-lee-430_actor_i-have-always-been-a-martial-artist-by-c_2328281.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/558/bruce-lee-430_actor_i-have-always-been-a-martial-artist-by-c_2328281.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I have always been a martial artist by choice, an actor by profession, but above all, am actualising myself…” — Bruce Lee", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Bruce Lee", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I have always been a martial...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/i-have-always-been-a-martial-artist-by-choice-an-actor-by-profession/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/i-have-always-been-a-martial-artist-by-choice-an-actor-by-profession/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```