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legendary legacy in martial arts and film, he was also one of the most
underappreciated philosophers of the twentieth century, instrumental in introducing
Eastern traditions to Western audiences. A philosophy major in college, he fused
ancient ideas with his own singular ethos informed by the intersection of physical
and psychological discipline, the most famous manifestation of which is his water
metaphor for resilience.
Early in his career, Lee was systematically sidelined by Hollywood�s studio system,
which operated with extreme racial bias and still used white actors in yellowface
to portray Asian characters based on flat stereotypes. Over and over, Lee was told
in no uncertain terms that white audiences simply wouldn�t accept an Asian man as a
lead character in a movie.
Lee saw philosophy as inseparable from everyday life, just as he saw the mind as
inseparable from the body, each end of the battery constantly charging the other.
He recorded his rigorous workout routine alongside his philosophical meditations,
which he fleshed out in the course of living. Like Oliver Sacks, who carried a
notebook everywhere, Lee always had a tiny 2�3? pocketbook with him, which he
filled with everything from training regimens to the phone numbers of his pupils
(who included trainees like Chuck Norris and Steve McQueen) to poems, affirmations,
and philosophical reflections. Even his handwriting, meticulously neat and measured
to fit the tiny page, radiates Lee�s formidable discipline and orderliness.
With special permission from the Bruce Lee estate, here is an exclusive look at
several pages from his 1968 pocketbook, penned shortly before Lee�s twenty-eighth
birthday, each transcribed below, beginning with Napoleon Hill�s �Daily Success
Creed,� which Lee copied into his notebooks:
Archival material with exclusive permission from the Bruce Lee Foundation archive
Archival material with exclusive permission from the Bruce Lee Foundation archive
WILL POWER: �
Recognizing that the power of will is the supreme court over all other departments
of my mind, I will exercise it daily, when I need the urge to action for any
purpose; and I will form HABIT designed to bring the power of my will into action
at least once daily.
EMOTION: �
Realizing that my emotions are both POSITIVE and negative I will form daily HABITS
which will encourage the development of the POSITIVE EMOTIONS, and aid me in
converting the negative emotions into some form of useful action.
REASON: �
Recognizing that both my positive & negative emotions may be dangerous if they are
not controlled and guided to desirable ends, I will submit all my desires, aims and
purposes to my faculties of reason, and I will be guided by it in giving expression
to these.
IMAGINATION: �
Recognizing the need for sound PLANS and IDEAS for the attainment of my desires, I
will develop my imagination by calling upon it daily for help in the formation of
my plans.
MEMORY: �
Recognizing the value of an alert memory, I will encourage mine to become alert by
taking care to impress it clearly with all thoughts I wish to recall, and by
associating those thoughts with related subjects which I may call to mind
frequently.
SUBCONSCIOUS MIND: �
CONSCIENCE: �
When Lee felt that he had arrived at a particularly significant idea, he wrote it
on the unlined back of a plain 3�5? lined yellow notecard, which he signed, almost
like a will or perhaps a contract with himself. He would often refine or copy
reflections first recorded in his pocketbook onto the notecards reserved for only
his firmest convictions and deepest dedications.
What makes the affirmations especially notable is that they fuse ancient
philosophical and spiritual traditions (particularly Zen Buddhism�s ideas about
character, the self, and the ego), questionable New Agey magical thinking, and
habits of mind which contemporary psychology has since proven fruitful � a reminder
that our personhood is a mashup of our era and our culture, with all their inherent
knowledges and ignorances, and it is the way we combine the elements at our
disposal that makes us who we are.
Archival material with exclusive permission from the Bruce Lee Foundation archive
Archival material with exclusive permission from the Bruce Lee Foundation archive
You will never get any more out of life than you expect
Keep your mind on the things you want and off those you don�t
Inner to outer ~~~ we start by dissolving our attitude not by altering outer
condition
Archival material with exclusive permission from the Bruce Lee Foundation archive
Archival material with exclusive permission from the Bruce Lee Foundation archive
I know that I have the ability to ACHIEVE the object of my DEFINITE PURPOSE in
life; therefore I DEMAND of myself persistent, continuous action toward its
attainment, and I here and now promise to render such action.
I know through the principle of autosuggestion, any desire that I PERSISTENTLY hold
will eventually seek expression through some practical means of attaining the
object back of it; therefore, I will devote 10 min. daily to DEMANDING of myself
the development of SELF-CONFIDENCE.
I have clearly written down a description of my DEFINITE CHIEF AIM in life, and I
will never stop trying until I shall have developed sufficient self-confidence for
its attainment.
Complement with Lee on the crucial difference between pride and self-esteem, then
tune into the excellent new Bruce Lee podcast, in which Lee�s daughter, Shannon,
and creative director Sharon Lee unpack his philosophies and discuss how the
abiding ideas behind each of his tenets apply to various aspects of our modern
lives. You can help keep his legacy alive with a donation to the Bruce Lee
Foundation.