--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To be honest to oneself, and that is very…" description: "\"To be honest to oneself, and that is very hard to do.\" — Bruce Lee" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/162/bruce-lee-430_being-honest_to-be-honest-to-oneself-and-that-is-very_2153953.jpg" --- # To be honest to oneself, and that is very hard to do. ![“To be honest to oneself, and that is very hard to do.” quote by Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/162/bruce-lee-430_being-honest_to-be-honest-to-oneself-and-that-is-very_2153953.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/162/bruce-lee-430_being-honest_to-be-honest-to-oneself-and-that-is-very_2153953.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/162/bruce-lee-430_being-honest_to-be-honest-to-oneself-and-that-is-very_2153953.jpg) > “To be honest to oneself, and that is very hard to do.” [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. Self-honesty is difficult but essential for personal growth and authenticity. **In simple terms:** Being honest with yourself is hard but vital. Key Takeaway Practice daily self‑reflection. Themes self‑growth authenticity integrity Mood reflective serious Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - personal development - relationship building - career decisions Key Concepts psychology mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - How can you check your own honesty? - What habits reveal hidden self‑lies? A Different Perspective Self‑deception can undermine progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Being honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-honest/) [Honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [How desperately difficult it is to be honest with oneself. It is much easier to be honest with other people.What is true is invisible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/how-desperately-difficult-it-is-to-be-honest-with-oneself-it-is-much/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [How desperately difficult it is to be honest with oneself. It is much easier to be honest with other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/how-desperately-difficult-it-is-to-be-honest-with-oneself-it-is-much-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To be completely honest with oneself is the very best effort a human being can make.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/to-be-completely-honest-with-oneself-is-the-very-best-effort-a-human/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [Being entirely honest with oneself is a good exercise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/being-entirely-honest-with-oneself-is-a-good-exercise/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [Being extremely honest with oneself is a good exercise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/being-extremely-honest-with-oneself-is-a-good-exercise/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [Being entirely honest with oneself is a good excuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hussein-nishah/being-entirely-honest-with-oneself-is-a-good-excuse/) [Hussein Nishah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hussein-nishah/) > [Being frank and honest with oneself should be of highest priority. ~V](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-meetze/being-frank-and-honest-with-oneself-should-be-of-highest-priority-v/) Victoria Meetze > [One is honest about oneself either with a sense of shame or with vanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/one-is-honest-about-oneself-either-with-a-sense-of-shame-or-with/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [I believe that being honest to oneself and one's work is all that matters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barun-sobti/i-believe-that-being-honest-to-oneself-and-one-s-work-is-all-that/) [Barun Sobti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barun-sobti/) > [I may attempt a novel. I think that no matter what you write, it requires being honest with oneself, and you have to pull…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-chang/i-may-attempt-a-novel-i-think-that-no-matter-what-you-write-it/) [Iris Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-chang/) > [“One should try to be honest with oneself almost as a daily devotion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-brady/one-should-try-to-be-honest-with-oneself-almost-as-a-daily-devotion/) [Ian Brady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-brady/) > [To me, ultimately, martial arts means honestly expressing yourself. Now, it is very difficult to do. It has always been very easy for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/to-me-ultimately-martial-arts-means-honestly-expressing-yourself-now/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [I had never done anything with blue screen before, or prosthetics, or anything like that. Lord of the Rings was like stepping into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/i-had-never-done-anything-with-blue-screen-before-or-prosthetics-or/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [I have often spoken of integrity as the most important of these values, realizing that integrity – and personal integrity, at that – is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/verghese-kurien/i-have-often-spoken-of-integrity-as-the-most-important-of-these/) [Verghese Kurien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/verghese-kurien/) > [We have a fear of facing ourselves. That is the obstacle. Experiencing the innermost core of our existence is very embarrassing to a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/we-have-a-fear-of-facing-ourselves-that-is-the-obstacle-experiencing/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) ## 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 Being honest quotes > [We have a fear of facing ourselves. That is the obstacle. Experiencing the innermost core of our existence is very embarrassing to a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/we-have-a-fear-of-facing-ourselves-that-is-the-obstacle-experiencing/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [I have often spoken of integrity as the most important of these values, realizing that integrity – and personal integrity, at that – is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/verghese-kurien/i-have-often-spoken-of-integrity-as-the-most-important-of-these/) [Verghese Kurien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/verghese-kurien/) > [I had never done anything with blue screen before, or prosthetics, or anything like that. Lord of the Rings was like stepping into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/i-had-never-done-anything-with-blue-screen-before-or-prosthetics-or/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [Let's be honest, if the Democrats didn't support ignoring our nation's immigration laws, there is no way they could win the presidency or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nugent/let-s-be-honest-if-the-democrats-didn-t-support-ignoring-our-nation-s/) [Ted Nugent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nugent/) > [I think what saved me is me being honest. I think I somewhow had the courage to do something and say something that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-degeneres/i-think-what-saved-me-is-me-being-honest-i-think-i-somewhow-had-the/) [Ellen DeGeneres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-degeneres/) > [An actor has to evaluate his own abilities and be honest with himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-newman/an-actor-has-to-evaluate-his-own-abilities-and-be-honest-with-himself/) [Paul Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-newman/) > [The cultural integration of psychedelics won't happen overnight, and the question of young people is perhaps the most difficult involved. The first step is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-doblin/the-cultural-integration-of-psychedelics-won-t-happen-overnight-and/) [Rick Doblin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-doblin/) > [I'm a person of change and I must be honest to my artistry and my creativity. That's part of the word 'jazz'... it's an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-ferguson/i-m-a-person-of-change-and-i-must-be-honest-to-my-artistry-and-my/) Maynard Ferguson > [I'm going to be honest, I would love for Flava Flav to be president. It would bring a lot of excitement to the country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dj-khaled/i-m-going-to-be-honest-i-would-love-for-flava-flav-to-be-president-it/) [DJ Khaled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dj-khaled/) > [The buildings that were in question, they said in the same report, which was - actually, it wasn't even a bad story, to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/the-buildings-that-were-in-question-they-said-in-the-same-report/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [I guess it has to be healthy, you have to be honest with yourself and I think that's when ego is okay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophia-amoruso/i-guess-it-has-to-be-healthy-you-have-to-be-honest-with-yourself-and/) [Sophia Amoruso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophia-amoruso/) > [ The opening for solid waste is very small \[in the space ship\]. It's not toilet-bowl size. And aim is critical. To be honest with… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mullane/the-opening-for-solid-waste-is-very-small-in-the-space-ship-it-s-not/) [Mike Mullane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mullane/) > [We had 90 percent rates, but nobody paid them. And so you had all these exemptions, exclusions, shelters, all this kind of stuff. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/we-had-90-percent-rates-but-nobody-paid-them-and-so-you-had-all-these/) [Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/) > [I think, as a filmmaker, it's important to be honest with yourself at all times in terms of what's working and what's not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-wingard/i-think-as-a-filmmaker-it-s-important-to-be-honest-with-yourself-at/) [Adam Wingard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-wingard/) > [We live in a world in which the only utopian visions arrive in commercial breaks: magical visions of an impossibly hospitable world, peopled by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/we-live-in-a-world-in-which-the-only-utopian-visions-arrive-in/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) [Browse all 1,333 Being honest quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-honest/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To be honest to oneself, and that is very hard to do.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bruce Lee" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/to-be-honest-to-oneself-and-that-is-very-hard-to-do/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Being honest" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/to-be-honest-to-oneself-and-that-is-very-hard-to-do/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/162/bruce-lee-430_being-honest_to-be-honest-to-oneself-and-that-is-very_2153953.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/162/bruce-lee-430_being-honest_to-be-honest-to-oneself-and-that-is-very_2153953.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/162/bruce-lee-430_being-honest_to-be-honest-to-oneself-and-that-is-very_2153953.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To be honest to oneself, and that is very hard to do.” — 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": "To be honest to oneself, and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/to-be-honest-to-oneself-and-that-is-very-hard-to-do/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/to-be-honest-to-oneself-and-that-is-very-hard-to-do/#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 } } ] } ```