Why Bruce Lee said, “Be Like Water”

The incredible power of going with the flow

Chloé Garnham
4 min readOct 24, 2023
Josh Withers

Every morning I complete a coastal hike near my home (pictured above). I watch the ocean from the National Park with its rolling waves, foaming breaks, and tidal churn.

It’s the same ocean every day — yet it isn’t. It can never really be the same ocean, because there are always fluctuations. The water continually changes to accommodate nature. It quite literally goes with the flow.

As I’ve watched day after day, I’ve noticed how much the water has to teach us.

Importantly, it never resists.

Bruce Lee famously said:

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. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves.

He knew just how much being like water can benefit us.

How Bruce Lee realized water’s power

To come to the conclusion Bruce Lee did, he first struggled with detachment. His master, noticing that he was experiencing acute…

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Chloé Garnham

Personal development, philosophy, books, & mindfulness. An imperfect person on a journey to a more peaceful life. wisewordsbychloe.substack.com/