Skip to content
quotesby

About this quote

What does it mean?
Mastery leads to simplicity; intermediate stages favor decoration.
In plain terms
Aim for unadorned clarity.
What can you take from it?
Simplicity signals true skill.

Where it applies

  • art
  • craftsmanship
  • professional growth

Putting it to work

  • minimalism
  • stripping excess
  • focus on function

Questions to consider

  • Am I over-complicating my work?
  • Where can I subtract without losing value?

Another view

Decoration sometimes communicates necessary context.

More from Bruce Lee

  1. The great mistake is to anticipate the outcome of the engagement; you ought not to be thinking of whether it ends in victory or in defeat. Let nature take its …

    Permalink to quote #142
  2. The highest technique is to have no technique. My technique is a result of your technique; my movement is a result of your movement. A good JKD man does not op…

    Permalink to quote #144
  3. The future looks extremely bright indeed, with lots of possibilities ahead - big possibilities. Like the song says, 'We've just begun.'

    Permalink to quote #141

Related quotes

  1. Before I studied the art, a punch to me was just like a punch, a kick just like a kick. After I learned the art, a punch was no longer a punch, a kick no longe…

    Bruce LeeBruce Lee quote #88
  2. In products of the human mind, simplicity marks the end of a process of refining, while complexity marks a primitive stage. Michelangelo's definition of art as…

    Eric HofferEric Hoffer quote #135
  3. Simplicate, then add lightness.

    Colin ChapmanColin Chapman quote #1