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Case study: Bruce Lee
Take a look at the most famous and my favorite martial artist, Bruce Lee .
Bruce completely and monumentally revolutionized Martial Arts in a way no one would ever have thought possible.
He earned a spot on Time magazine’s Time 100: The Most Important People of the 20th Century under Heroes and Icons of the 20th Century . source: Bruce Lee Official Website
Bruce had been inaugurated into countless Hall of Fames and won incredible awards for his hard work including achieving the B lack Belt Hall of Fame as Man of the Year and Martial Artist of the Year and was even honored by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame . source: Bruce Lee Official Website
Bruce even made time for humanitarian causes such appearing on the Hong Kong TVB Operation Relief telethon for typhoon victims. source: Bruce Lee Official Website
How did Bruce Lee become so successful?
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He read books.
Behind the trophies, the awards, the amazing titles, and the successful film icon is a spirit with a thirst for knowledge .
Bruce Lee read books quietly in the afternoons and even in the evenings. source: The Art of Manliness: The Libraries of Famous Men: Bruce Lee
His bookshelf contains 2,500 books . Bruce loved to read philosophy , American self help books, and of course a lot of martial arts topics like fencing, boxing, etc. source: The Art of Manliness: The Libraries of Famous Men: Bruce Lee
He read so much material and was “actively engaged [in his reading] and [continuously] wrestled with new ideas” he was able to create a philosophy and practice of martial arts, Jeet Kun Do.
How did Bruce Lee read?
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When he read, Bruce Lee would write a ton of notes, annotate, and carefully underlined sentences (sometimes with a ruler!) and write his favorite passages and quotes into a notebook. Source: The Art of Manliness: The Libraries of Famous Men: Bruce Lee
Even before martial arts he was already “frequenting bookstores” and even wanted to open a used bookstore. source: The Art of Manliness: The Libraries of Famous Men: Bruce Lee
Bruce’s Have Read List
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Western Philosophy:
Summa Theologica by St. Thomas Aquinas $39 Books A MillionAn Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding by David HumeMeditations on First Philosophy by Rene DescartesThe Undiscovered Self by Carl JungOn Becoming a Person by Carl RogersThe Works of Bertrand Russell The Works of Plato Art of Worldly Wisdom by Baltasar Gracian Hero With a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell (and other Campbell titles)Ethics by Benedict de SpinozaMaxims and Reflections by Johann Wolfgang van Goethe
Eastern Philosophy:
The Works of Jiddu Krishnamurti (whom Polly notes was “one of his more important influences”) Tao-Te-Ching by Lao-TzuThe Way of Chuang-Tzu The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi The Works of Alan Watts The Analects of Confucius Art of War by Sun-Tzu Bushido: The Soul of the Samurai Siddhartha by Herman Hesse (and many other Hesse titles) Buddhism by Christmas Humphreys (and dozens of other Buddhism-related titles)The Chinese Classics compiled by James Legge (all 5 volumes)Living Zen by Robert Linssen (and many other Zen-related titles)
Martial Arts/Fencing/Boxing:
On Fencing by Aldo Nadi (plus at least 60(!) other books on fencing and fencing theory)Aikido: The Art of Self-Defense by Koichi ToheiAdvanced Karate by Mas Oyama (and many other Oyama titles)A Beginner’s Book of Gymnastics by Barry JohnsonChampionship Fighting by Jack Dempsey Book of Boxing and Bodybuilding by Rocky MarcianoHow to Box by Joe LouisUS Army Boxing Manual Efficiency of Human Movement by Marion Ruth BroerPhysiology of Exercise by Laurence MorehouseWing Chun by James LeeAcupuncture: The Ancient Chinese Art of Healing by Felix MannEsquire’s The Art of Keeping Fit Combat Training of the Individual Soldier by the US Army Modern Bodybuilding by Oscar Heidenstam
American Self-Help:
The Amazing Results of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale (and many other Peale titles)Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon HillDynamic Thinking by Melvin PowersThe Magic of Thinking Big by David SchwartzAs a Man Thinketh by James AllenThe Success System That Never Fails by Clement StoneHow to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie $6.95 Books A MillionHow I Raised Myself From Failure to Success in Selling by Frank Bettger
Miscellaneous:
Elements of Style by Strunk and WhitePlayboy’s Party Jokes & More Playboy’s Party Jokes The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane (one of the few novels) The Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis The Story of Civilization by Will Durant (all 11 volumes!) The Viking Book of Aphorisms The Works of Shakespeare
source: The Art of Manliness: The Libraries of Famous Men: Bruce Lee
Who is your inspiration?
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