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This text, neither an obituary nor a course in the history of psychology, is a reflection on the qualities that made J.S. Bruner such an important researcher during his exceptionally lengthy career. Although he is well known as a scientist and an intellectual, what is known of him—at least in France—is often partial and sometimes misleading. This text emphasizes that, although Bruner was involved in many subfields of psychology, his objective remained constant: to try to understand how mental activity is organized and what part is played in its constitution by cultural constraints. Three major aspects of his intellectual contribution are underlined here: Bruner was the scientist who introduced representations and strategies within the “black box,” he involved himself in social questions, and he was an intellectual who always sought connections between psychology, the human sciences, and the social sciences. His capacity to innovate, breaking through the concepts and methods of psychology and the borders around it, reveals both personal courage and a youthful spirit that make of him a model for generations.