This quote is on the tip of my tongue with what it means, 10 points for the first answer who gets it right?

Question

bruce lee said it and if i said it wrong you will still now what im talking about correct me if i am wrong

its like a finger pointing to the stars, dont look at the finger or you will miss all the heavengly glory

Answer 1

Yes, he said it in enter the dragon

Answer 2

I think this has similar meaning to the Salman Rushdie quote,

'The only people who see the whole picture are the ones who step outside the frame'

so basically if you concentrate not on just what you know, ie that part of the picture (your circle of life) or the human finger (human nature) then you may broaden your knowledge and encounter a 'bigger picture'.

Answer 3

i think he actually says the moon, not the stars

It is like a finger pointing away to the moon. Do not concentrate on the finger or you will miss all that heavenly glory, ie

Answer 4

Focus on the bigger picture?

Answer 5

I think it is a complicated version of 'look at the bigger picture', i.e if you just focus on the small unimportant details (the finger for example) you'll miss the bigger picture which is far more amazing (the stars!)

Answer 6

It's a variation of the Buddhist concept of "moon on the water".

We can look at the reflection in the water & consider it reality, or we can point to the moon and consider that reality. However, the moon itself is only reflected light from the sun, so is also an illusion.

The point is that behind any reality we can contemplate there lies another reality.