Bruce Lee. The very name conjures images of lightning-fast punches, rock-hard muscles, whirlwind footwork and a blazing intensity that demands attention.
If you’ve only known The Little Dragon from his movies, you’ve been missing out. Catch rare footage from his first American screen test, his demonstration at the International Karate Championships of 1964, of 2-finger push-ups (yes, doing push ups on 2 fingers), his infamous one-inch punch, and sparring sessions that, to me, make his movie fighting look slow (warning: video contains techno music!).
Mind-blowing, isn’t it? If you haven’t seen it yet, watch it first, because that’d make what I have to say next even more astounding.
Most of us who watch someone so amazingly skilled at what he does would think that Bruce must have had all the right talents and all the right opportunities to get where he did.
While he did undoubtedbly had potential locked within him, did you know he faced massive obstacles to unleash that giant within? In fact, did you know that at one time, he was injured so badly he was told he would never be able to practice martial arts again for the rest of his life? How did he overcome that?
What would you say if I told you that you might also have that same potential locked within you? Then the only question would be; how do you explode that talent’s growth? If there’s anyone who’s been there, done that, and can give us clues to the answer, it’s Bruce Lee.
6 Things You Didn’t Know About Bruce Lee’s Success
1) He never finished university.
Growing up a teenage in Hong Kong, Bruce would get into fights. After a particularly bloody one involving a trip to the police station, Bruce’s family decided to send him back to America where he was born.
In 1964, at the end of his junior year, Bruce decided to drop out of university to head the Seattle branch of his Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute, and dedicate himself to expanding his martial arts schools, joining the ranks of people like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, people who never finished university and became massive successes later on in life.
Not to say that Bruce was an idiot! In fact, he had been a philosophy major before he left the University of Washington. And not to say you shouldn’t go to university either! But Bruce never let the lack of a degree stop him from achieving his heart’s desires.
2) He almost never practiced martial arts again.
In 1970, with The Green Hornet series in which he co-starred in cancelled and finances tight, Bruce failed to warm up properly during one of his weight-training routines and severly injured his back.
The doctors told him to rest in bed, and to forget kung fu: he would never kick again.
To someone whom once said that everything he learned, he learned from martial art, this would be a devastating blow. With financial worries bearing down on him, Bruce could only lay flat on his bed for the next three months, and for another three months be confined indoors.
But even then, he refused to let this stop him. If he couldn’t work out his body, he could work out his mind. In those six months he wrote furiously, penning down his own thoughts and methods of the martial arts which he so loved.
In six months’ time, he had written eight, two-inch volumes of notes. And in all that time, with evidence to the contrary, he refused to believe that he wouldn’t heal; he was an avid believer that our thoughts create our reality.
After those six months he started working out again, moderately at first, and resumed teaching afterwards.
And even though his back would remain a source of pain throughout his entire life, you wouldn’t think it to see the man blazing faster in his movies than any able-bodied person.
3) His greatest achievement came from a less than perfect victory.
Bruce Lee’s greatest contribution to the martial arts world was his philosophy and martial system of Jeet Kune Do. But he didn’t make up this martial art from thin air.
In fact, the catalyst that gave birth to one of the most efficient martial arts in the world came from a less than efficient fight.
In the 1960s, Bruce Lee was challenged for daring to reveal the secrets of Chinese martial arts to non-Chinese. He won the fight, but found himself unusually winded afterwards, and was disturbed in thinking back that even though he could have ended it in one, the fight had taken three minutes instead.
Before that time, Bruce had been content with modifying the traditional martial art of Wing Chun. But because of that less-than-perfect experience, he pursued more sophisticated training methods and rigourously dissected the martial arts for the very best that he could find, and in time his own profound and deadly expression of the martial arts was born.
4) He had his opportunities stolen from him.
Did Bruce have it easy from the get-go, especially with someone that had such astounding skills you’d think Hollywood would have been banging down his door to sign him on?
Hardly.
After the cancellation of The Green Hornet series, Bruce couldn’t find much more television work. In 1969, a movie project called The Silent Flute, which he had put in massive effort and pinned high hopes on, fell through.
With his back still hurting, and financial disaster on the horizon, his wife Linda had to work, while Bruce stayed at home to watch the kids and rest his back.
During that time, Warner Brothers contacted him with what looked like a glimmer of hope; they wanted his help to develop a TV series based on the martial arts. He was deeply involved and gave them numerous ideas…many of which were used in the ensuring TV series Kung Fu, starring not Bruce Lee, but David Carradine.
Later on, Warner Brothers admitted that despite his heavy involvement, they had never even considered him for the role.
Ironically, this was the final straw that pushed Bruce to accept an offer by a Hong Kong film producer named Raymond Chow to make the movie that would propel him into superstardom; The Big Boss.
Bruce turned setback into success, when he met Raymond for the very first time Bruce told him; ‘You just wait, I’m going to be the biggest Chinese star in the world.’
5) He practiced incessantly.
What do you think was the price of his eye-popping feats and unbeatable athletism? Exercising two times a week and a bottle of beer in front of the TV after?
Bruce Lee trained religiously every single day, there are training records that suggest he practiced kicks…upward to a thousand times a day!
6) He was an avid reader.
He had a vast library of books and loved scouring the bookshops for more. He not only had a appetite for books on martial arts, but he also devoured books on the personal growth writers of his day, pioneers like Napoleon Hill, Norman Vincent Peale and Clement Stone.
He believed in personal development so much so he once penned down this prophetic personal affirmation in 1969, 2 years before his first hit movie The Big Boss:
I, Bruce Lee, will be the highest paid Oriental superstar in the United States. In return, I will give the most exciting performances and render the best quality in the capacity of an actor. Starting in 1970, I will achieve world fame and from then onward till the end of 1989 I will have in my possession $10,000,000. Then I will live the way I please and achieve inner harmony and happiness.
So What Was The Key To Bruce Lee’s Amazing Success?
At the beginning of this article, I asked you the question: what if you already had the same potential for greatness as Bruce Lee (in anything, not just martial arts) locked within you, how would you unlock it?
Who better to answer you than Bruce Lee himself?
Dedication, absolute dedication, is what keeps one ahead-a sort of indomitable obsessive dedication and the realization that there is no end or limit to this because life is simply an ever-growing process, an ever-renewing process.
Thank you, Bruce.
To end; let me share with you my all-time favorite Bruce Lee quote that says it all:
Ever since I was a child I have had this instinctive urge for expansion and growth. To me, the function of and duty of a quality human is the sincere and honest development of one’s potential.
I have come to discover through earnest personal experience and dedicated learning that ultimately the greatest help is self-help-doing one’s best, dedicating one’s self wholeheartedly to a given task, which happens to have no end but is an on-going process.
Recommended Reading About Bruce Lee
The best Bruce Lee biography I’ve ever read in eleven years of being a fan (my copy is so worn the pages are falling off!), written by his widow, Linda Lee Cadwell.
Edit: Hadn’t realized it, but the original YouTube video no longer exists. I’ve updated it with a different clip showing even more rare footage – but still has bad techno music.
Update: Like this post? Learn the secrets of Bruce Lee’s charisma.
September 26th, 2006 at 3:28 pm
A truly amazing post, Alvin, which I believe does justice to the greatness of Bruce Lee.
Thank you!
September 26th, 2006 at 4:11 pm
Thanks Gleb! I’m a super big fan of Bruce so I’m flattered you think so
September 26th, 2006 at 8:34 pm
Wow! So inspiring!!
September 26th, 2006 at 9:49 pm
Thanks for that. What a great example of why your attitude toward your potential matters.
September 27th, 2006 at 12:13 am
I like Bruce too. Considering the fact that I will practise my martial arts 3x weekly rather than once a fortnight starting next month, I think I’ll fight like 19% of how well he fights soon. Yeah soon means in 10 years time lol …. Still, amazing guy !
September 27th, 2006 at 9:58 am
Thanks guys! You’ve hit the nail on the spot, RealityBytes, that’s exactly the point of the article; couldn’t have said it better myself!
Wow Michel, where are you from?
Ganbatte, Bren!
September 27th, 2006 at 5:53 pm
Hi Alvin
I am from Denmark, Copenhagen
)
September 28th, 2006 at 1:48 am
I have a few of Bruce Lee’s book and he truly was and still is one of the most inspiring Human Beings.
Great post Alvin!
October 23rd, 2006 at 10:32 pm
Great post Alvin!
Bruce Lee’s energy and drive is definitely admirable. Another great book about him is: Bruce Lee – Fighting Spirit by Bruce Thomas. You might want to include that one for your readers as well.
October 23rd, 2006 at 11:21 pm
Hi Erich!
I’ve got that book as well, and while it does provide stories about Bruce that Linda’s book doesn’t, I found parts of it a little more speculative than fact. While I enjoyed reading it, I normally wouldn’t recommend it to a starting Lee fan
November 14th, 2006 at 11:54 am
I had no idea Bruce Lee read Napoleon Hill and wrote down his goals using the “Think and Grow Rich” method.. That is awesome! Thanks for the great post!
January 23rd, 2007 at 8:13 am
I have come across this ranking on rankopedia.com: who’s the best martial artist ever? Guess who’s leading the poll… Bruce Lee of course.
February 19th, 2007 at 2:43 am
I wanted to watch the video, but unfortunately, says it’s no longer available on YouTube. I came here through a Lifehacker link.
February 19th, 2007 at 2:48 am
I was hoping for the video as well but get the same ‘no longer available’ message.
February 19th, 2007 at 2:54 am
A great post? What are you lot smoking? Sorry but this is a really hopeless post. So the big exposé is that Bruce was totally committed, totally dedicated, totally focussed and made the most of his time learning and keeping himself sharp? Wow – There’s something I never knew – Not!The most useful thing on here would have been the video, but sadly it’s no longer available.
The guy was a phenomenal man and a great example to us all, but this article is really not telling us anything that we hadn’t already worked out for ourselves or found out from other people.
Long story short, it goes to show that hard work is really the only way you will carve out success for yourself.
February 19th, 2007 at 7:55 am
No longer available.
February 19th, 2007 at 8:14 am
And the last comment goes to show you that there’s always someone trying to put you down or hold you back. This is a good article. Although Matt believes everyone already knows this, it’s obvious to most people that no-one knows everything and this article may have served to teach the uninitiated about this great man. Beyond that, sometimes we need a little reminder and inspiration. This article certainly provides that whether or not you already know of Bruce Lee’s life or not.
I’ll say it again. This is a good article.
You can’t make everyone happy but some people try to make us all miserable. Ignore the miserable ones.
February 19th, 2007 at 8:16 am
I”d like to add that just because you already know something doesn’t mean you shouldn’t reflect on it from time to time and try to learn from it or take inspiration from it.
February 19th, 2007 at 12:12 pm
hi matt, how’s all that negative energy working for you?
great post!
February 19th, 2007 at 10:59 pm
I’ve always admired those kungfu-masters, untill I saw kungfu in practice. Never expected a martial art to be so inefficiënt. Kung fu, I’m afraid, sucks big time. In a free-fight, or against kickboxers etc, its completely worthless. Such a shame. Eversince I can’t see Bruce Lee as anything more than a circus-artist. An acrobat or somehting. Not a fighter.
February 20th, 2007 at 4:50 am
Huh, I thought Bruce Lee formed Jeet Kune Do to provide a more effective and practical martial art/philosophy, one that is easily used in street fighting. And as acrobatic as his moves looked, I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of anything that “circus clown” had to offer. Check out a Jeet Kune Do class some time and see if there is anything to it. May I suggest striking up the same conversation you did here? Good luck with that…
February 20th, 2007 at 1:24 pm
Kudos Alvin,
My appreciation for you grows daily, you’re doing great work. Bruce Lee is a personal hero of mine, and I certainly agree with most of the commentors, he was a fine fighter.
I’d like to comment on Dolf’s comment. I’d love to know what his fighting credentials are? I suspect they’re restricted to getting beaten by his younger brother and watching UFC.
I have practiced martial arts since childhood. First, Ninjitsu, then Muay Thai, and then Jeet Kune Jow Do (Tiger/Mantis Kungfu). My time practicing Kungfu was by far my most productive with respect to personal development, not only developing my fighting prowess and fitness, but my ‘inner power’ too.
It is this last aspect, Chi in chinese, and Ki in Japanese, that is what makes the Kungfu so powerful. It helps a fighter develop enormous power in a natural flowing way, and it allows you to sustain great damage with little effect. Chi also focuses the mind away from the fear and panic that’s inherent in a fight situation.
It’s this last aspect, an almost spiritual dimension, that makes Kungfu pretty much the best thing I’ve ever done to develop myself.
And, Dolf, I had to practice the one-inch “circus” punch, and had to perform that and a one-inch palm through thick wood for my blackbelt grading. It is very real and would destroy almost anyone, your vaunted kickboxers include, should they take a hit, even from such short distance. I don’t know of any martial art that allows one to develop such ‘unified’ and focussed power…
February 20th, 2007 at 1:52 pm
Bruce lee a never ending legend, an icon of our era, this article is very interesting it shows how the martial arts philosophy can help us reach our goals.
“Don’t luck at the finger”
I’m from Monterrey Mexico
February 21st, 2007 at 12:24 am
Thanks for this! Always been a fan, though I may have not thought of Bruce for some time it was good revisiting and once again being reminded about this inspirational legend. I found this so enjoyable I sent the link to many friends/family.
Good work!
February 21st, 2007 at 3:03 am
Amen…
February 21st, 2007 at 1:44 pm
You neglected to mention that one leg was shorter than the other (the left I believe) which led him to develop his personal style of always leading with his right leg; he was very near-sighted and had to wear glasses most of his life and that he was passed up for work in Hollywood time and again because of a simple racial prejudice; his accent was too pronounced.
February 22nd, 2007 at 12:06 am
“Eversince I can’t see Bruce Lee as anything more than a circus-artist. An acrobat or somehting. Not a fighter”
The ultimate statement of ignorance if I have ever read or heard one. Obviously you know very little about Master Bruce Lee!
February 22nd, 2007 at 10:32 pm
Skip,
You’re right! I remember reading that about his leg, but because I couldn’t find the reference I didn’t put that in.
So this is what happens when your post is mentioned on Lifehacker. I don’t have the time to reply to everyone’s post, but the best surprise is that I don’t have to: people chime in with helpful support and useful add-ons, it’s fantastic.
Thanks to everyone who came and left a thoughtful note; I’m very happy my post was of value to you
March 1st, 2007 at 6:54 am
books are all good and well, i should probably read more, the bruce fix for the tv generation
check out “bruce lee: a warrior’s journey” dvd, it’s awesome, i haven’t watched the youtube video, but i’m sure most of that stuff is on the dvd
also, another really insightful dvd, “bruce lee: the lost interview”, there’s a lot of bruce fans here (i am one of them), but did you know he used steroids? i don’t think that takes too much gloss off his aura, everyone makes mistakes
March 17th, 2007 at 10:21 am
Thanks for sharing this very inspiring post. I knew little about Bruce Lee other than the martial arts champ/actor he was. Now I’m very impressed with his mind and focus.
March 20th, 2007 at 11:14 am
I like bruce for his great determination in Life, his phylosopic attitude and trust with his self.
for me your the greatest artist in the true life. saludo ako sa iyo Bruce
March 20th, 2007 at 11:16 am
Dedication, absolute dedication, is what keeps one ahead-a sort of indomitable obsessive dedication and the realization that there is no end or limit to this because life is simply an ever-growing process, an ever-renewing process.
April 4th, 2007 at 12:33 pm
I studied both Bruce Lee and Martial Arts most of my life and had forgotten what an inspiration he was to me when I was younger. You article brought those feelings that we all have potential to do something bigger than the small world we have locked ourselves into. Thanks for the reminder. By the way this is a VERY inspiring site.
May 6th, 2007 at 2:23 am
I always wanted to learn what bruce knew in the martial art’s when i was a kid. I became homeless at the age of 33.
At this homeless shelter in Chicago a guy interupted a conversation i was having with someone else about Bruce Lee;
how much I admired the man. Well this guy was a student of Dan Inasanto, the man that helped bruce develope Jun fan gung fu (jeet kune do). We practiced several hours every day for months. I was able to fight off an attacker in an alley on Chicago’s west side and gained a tremendous amount of confidence in my self. I have a note book filled with hundreds of techniques given to me by Master Frank Rogers. I know that i am very lucky and will be selective to who I pass this knowledge on to. Bruce lee is still kickin!.
June 6th, 2007 at 7:46 pm
Bruce Lee has always been my role model. I like many others wish I could be him, but I can’t.I can walk around being cocky and pretend I’m him, but I’ll never be him.I’ll never match his Martial skills and prowess, so following his advice, I’ll try to find and be myself.
I am in New Zealand. I have recently applied for a job as a Martial Art instructor/life coach teaching self confidence and self improvement skills to both the young and old.
My Martial Art experience and skills are ok, but my procrastination and lazy bouts are the biggest problem. Also I lack a living role model and are not inspired and passionless.
This site is very interesting and may help me to change and find my own form of self expression.
I need to find a ‘way’ that will inspire me to get up and do all I dream of doing and become successful at it…Any ideas??
I have chosen 3 majors I’d love to be an expert in:
1) Religion -i.e. Christianity
2) Martial Arts
3) Computers.
I find Christianity too confusing, due to so many variations/beliefs,too pushy converters,false teachings and meanings etc
Martial Arts-Lack of passion and teachers don’t seem to be open to what works best for your way of fighting, and get upset if you don’t follow their ‘way’ without question
3)Computers- very technical I’m not.I’m best at repairs.
Can you suggest a means?
June 6th, 2007 at 7:54 pm
Bruce Lee proved himself to be all that he claimed to be.Read it in his books, and see it in hiis interviews.He is the most published celebrity in the world.He was all he claimed to be and more.The facts are all there.
So why do you call him a ‘circus clown’? Were you once in the circus?
June 6th, 2007 at 8:02 pm
Hey I heard he had one inverted testicle, wore glasses cause he was short sighted, had arms longer than normal people.This gave him a reach advantage…They came down to his knees.I heard that he was double jointed.When he died it was a mystery how he died.So a post-mortem was done, and a chunk of his brain was sent here to Palmerston north or New Plymouth,New Zealand for examination.
Rumours floated about the world saying he died from over doing the exercise thinng, drug abuse, too much sex, ninja masters killed him…the triads got him…someone secretly gave him DIM MAK-or the death touch…etc..
I personally think he fled the scene when he made his $10,000,000 as he knew that someday when he was old as someone would beat him…Even chuck norris says this on ‘The warrior within ‘movie…
June 8th, 2007 at 2:59 am
bruce lee is my idol. growing up i always wanted to be like him, so i decided to to train in martial arts. not having enough money to enter a class, i decided to train on my own, gathering all the books i could find and started training very hard every day. i was surprised at how quickly i learned.
i also started exercising at a young age and now i have a phsique similar to what bruce lee had. after about three years of dedicated training, i have to say that i have come a long way.
following in bruce`s footsteps, i tried to match his speed, and i did. i even beat the guinness world records for most kicks in a minute, no joke. being so light and small(133 lbs 5`8) i was able to punch and kick with amazing speed. in fact i measured my punch to be at 61 feet per second with my right hand, and 54 ft per seconds with my left, a truly mind boggleling rate of speed. bruce`s punch was measured to be 50 ft a sec.
after studying various styles of martial arts, including jeet kune do, i decided to create my own style…kundo ken. it is actually very similar to bruce`s style, but with slightly more streamlined kicks and modified techniques.
i believe that in order to be the best, you must believe you`re that best, and that`s what i believe. i hear a lot of people saying that they could never be as good as bruce lee, but bruce lee wasn`t necessarily someone special, he worked hard to get where he was, and so do i. i could do tecniques that most people wouldn`t even attempt, because i worked hard to get where i`m at.i mean no disrespect, but i truly believe that i am better than bruce, and i plan to prove it… with a video.
i plan to play in movies one day and am trying to teach my style to anyone who wants to learn. i believe that, with my training methods, i could make someone as good as any black belt, in as little as 2 to 3 months.
June 13th, 2007 at 6:51 pm
Bruce Lee By Raimond Chow and Betty ting pei and others they are were provided the Chinies Mafiya………I have true facts……………………………………………………………
June 13th, 2007 at 7:01 pm
Bruce Lee was killed by Raimond Chow and Betty ting pei and others chiinies mafiya provided them because Bruce teached foreigns Saoline art………………………………………….
June 14th, 2007 at 4:36 am
Hey, Hannam, if you an reach my message, study Wu wei.
You will reach this “empty” way.
July 11th, 2007 at 4:54 pm
Bruce Lee had a lot of enthusiasm for his art. it is a shame that people can show little respect for good people, especially someone as hard-working and able as mr. lee. My feeling though is that mr. lee showed in several his movie fights a character that exhibited joy in sadism. I cannot know if this is movie business demands of not. Something to see.
I read his books and found them most inspiring. Amituofu.
July 11th, 2007 at 6:02 pm
I have some queries. During the Hey Day of Bruce Lee before Enter the Dragon shoots. He met with Mast. Trubador Ramos (TRACMA) a RED DAN Belter i read that he was awarded by the Karate Assoc like the UFC. then during the meeting they sparred, during thoses intense moment Bruce was knock down twice, i do not know if this real or just a MYTH, i believe nobody can beat Bruce. If you have a pix or video pls provide, they say there are a lot of people watching the spar.
Looking forward on your reply, pls email me
Thanks.
July 24th, 2007 at 9:47 am
I really like bacon. Thanks.
August 6th, 2007 at 7:56 pm
Thank you for an excellent article about Bruce Lee. I’ve read “Tao of Jeet Kune Do”, but now I guess I’ll have to read “The Bruce Lee Story” as well.
September 18th, 2007 at 7:36 am
Hi
Very interesting information! Thanks!
G’night
October 30th, 2007 at 5:18 pm
I stumbled on this by accident and I’m thankful I did. Brilliant post; informative, well-written and inspiring. Many thanks.
November 5th, 2007 at 10:30 pm
im doing this repot thing at school and i just found this site and i think it is sortas interesting but i think some of the info is false cuz i read lick 2 books on this dude and some of it is different but thats all up to u soo.but most of it is very informing….i just might save this to my favorites so i can go on this later……………………………………….see ya ill be back!!
November 13th, 2007 at 2:20 pm
I have a very little knowledge about the great bruce lee……i simply say about him is he used his knowlegde into the actions….till perfection……………….i salute him..
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:19 pm
I JUST CAN SAY THAT I AM HIGHLY INTERESTED IN HIM.ALTHOUGH HIS FACTS ARE GOOD OR BAD,I STILL ADMIRE HIM.
January 14th, 2008 at 7:51 pm
Brus lee muj idol bym chcial sie bic tak jak on on potrafił wszystko niechjego moc bedzie zemnom wal po twazy bruchu i wygraj
February 14th, 2008 at 2:32 am
every body has a Bruce inside!! let him out
February 21st, 2008 at 10:35 am
Love your awesome, well-research article. Lots of inspiration there.
Also found a great addition to this article: http://bedtimestories4u.blogspot.com/ (a.k.a. My BED TIME STORIES).
March 24th, 2008 at 11:57 pm
I am a huge Bruce Lee fan so your post was a nice read!
ThomasC
March 26th, 2008 at 8:32 pm
in my opinion he was and is the best teacher and studend of martial arts .i like reading his books and aplying his methods in my personal life. which is helping me to know myself and understandind life n be fully aware of my surroundings. thanks again bruce
April 3rd, 2008 at 9:21 am
Fantastic blogging. I am a 2nd degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do. I got started in martial arts at the young age of 57. I am a yonger 70 years old now.
I loved and respected Bruce Lee. He not only was a champion martial artist, but also an student of spirituality. He knew how to access the energy of the supernatural. thanks, jack
April 9th, 2008 at 3:29 am
bruce lee is a great man and a great martial artest of his time .bruce is my idol he inspire me to take up martial arts.so iam a green belt in ninjutsu .like him i train every day hope to fill in his shoes some day.
May 7th, 2008 at 4:07 pm
Bruce Lee and Brandon Lee are truly angels in heaven! They are looking down over us all! Both of these guys were truly amazing!
May 7th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
Bruce left us a great gift which is Jeet Kune Do! Thanks for this great article on Bruce Lee, you help his memory live on forever!
June 1st, 2008 at 1:48 pm
yeah bruce left us with great gifts…i wish i could have his great success in the future….soon the world will know me ^__^
July 1st, 2008 at 11:06 am
7) Large portions of his bestselling “Tao of Jeet Kune Do” were copied out of other people’s books.
July 1st, 2008 at 11:58 am
That’s true Chris, and it’s quite obvious to anyone who’s read Lee’s inspiration (like D.T. Suzuki & Krishnamurti) but I think that Lee was not entirely to blame.
If you’ve read his biography, you’ll know that Lee was an avid reader and took copious amounts of notes from all sources. He also modeled the best that he found, not just in his fighting techniques (like the footwork he adapted from western fencing and the straight blast from Wing Chun for example) but also in his philosophy (like the famous Zen story about a full and empty cup that he repeated in his movie Enter the Dragon).
After his death, his widow Linda Lee Cadwell was the one who issued the print of the Tao of Jeet Kune Do from his notes. I’m not sure as to how much Cadwell was familiar with Lee’s original sources, but looking at the published work I think she probably wasn’t.
The 6-volume series of Lee’s notes that were published 10 years or so ago by John Little was the result of a much more extensive look through Lee’s notes, and although it also references Lee’s inspirations, there’s a lot more original material there as well and is quite worth the look.
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:46 am
I can see how the mistake would be made. I can’t see how it remains uncorrected after thirty years, with nearly one million copies sold.
July 3rd, 2008 at 9:29 am
Chris, that’s a very different compliant from accusing Lee of plagiarism to indifference on the publishing house.
If you really want an answer, I suggest you drop an email to the publisher to ask for a clarification.
August 15th, 2008 at 11:04 pm
(warning: video contains techno music!).
….lol
September 20th, 2008 at 9:14 am
Bruce Lee will always be the greatest martial artist ever. OK, some people will be better fighters, some will teach more students, some will make more, and better, films. But Bruce Lee brought it all together first. Bruce Lee was the first the bring kung-fu to the west, to promote kung-fu in films, to teach westerners, to talk about it – and he was damn good too. For this Bruce Lee will always be the king of kung-fu.
January 9th, 2009 at 6:47 pm
Bruce Lee knew about The Secret.
January 10th, 2009 at 7:11 am
Great post. A very interesting read. Thank you for writing it, Alvin.
February 1st, 2009 at 11:59 pm
I have to say I just cried reading this post. Just amazing the way the ideas match with mines. What a wonderful example of life! Good luck to everyone, and keep going until you get it !!
September 29th, 2009 at 10:44 am
李小龙（Bruce Lee）是传大的武术家！我爱李小龙！他是我的偶像！
I lOVE Bruce Lee!!
September 29th, 2009 at 10:47 am
李小龙（Bruce Lee）是伟大的武术家！他是我的偶像！我爱李小龙！
对不起，刚才打错一个字，是“伟大”而不是“传大”
October 20th, 2009 at 10:01 pm
ya im work on somthing for school and this site is good i found what i need sooo its nice and bruce lee i awsome guy
February 9th, 2010 at 7:42 pm
Bruce Lee, is by far the greatest martial artist of all times. I have watched all his movies, collected all books written by him, and have some memorabilia of him. He really was a great artist who inspires others to have that strength in them. I believe he is a highly evolved being and his spirit will live on for generations to come.