Interesting facts
The Role Model (The Black Jupiter)
Bruce Lee's widow, Linda Lee Cadwell, writes: «There has passed more than twenty years since he died, but a stream of letters from people who admired his personality still has not dried up. Thirteen years old young man who was born when Bruce had long been dead, writes that the example of Bruce prompts him to study hard; an old man sais about how under Bruce's influence his life changed for better; young woman sais that, inspired by the personality of Bruce, she began studying martial arts and this increased her self-confidence a lot. Such stories are countless, but their sense is the same: Bruce Lee is an object to follow, a sample of the hero and the real human. I think that the main thing here is the depth of his own philosophy, which, he liked it or not, clearly emerges in his films and in his writings. The impact of his personality was so strong that you were drawn into his inner world, your attitudes and beliefs were changed and the consciousness was rebuilt".
The disciple-master (The Black Jupiter, The Black Mars)
Bruce Lee spent his life in self-education and read a lot. He thoroughly studied various martial arts of the world, selecting the most effective and applicable in real battle elements. Bruce realized that the true master is a fighter without a style who does not limit himself with the knowledge of one school but who applies all of them, depending on the situation and constantly invents new ones during the fight. Lee believed that a fighter should have the freedom of self-expression and he should approach the fighting and training creatively. He abandoned the classical stands, having coordinated and developed a technique of movement, which was to adapt quickly to any situation. Complete freedom and efficiency - these are the two principles underlying the philosophy of the quick fight which Bruce called the "Tao of Jeet Kune Do".
"I'm not a master, I am a disciple-master. I have the knowledge and experience of the master but I continue learning. Therefore, I am a disciple-master. I do not believe in the word "master", thinking of it as about a person, who can be shoot down".
The discipline and self-restraint (The White Mercury, The White Moon)
An important role in Bruce Lee’s philosophy was assigned to self-restraint and discipline. "Discipline is not a limitation of freedom. It is a cutoff of everything unnecessary", he said. His physical training stroke everybody: Bruce was a master of himself and constantly improved the abilities of his body. The world known master of Chinese martial arts not only systematically performed the necessary exercises but also strictly abode certain rules of nutrition throughout his life. Bruce thought that he managed to achieve such amazing results in life due to his diet, as he kept it during the whole life. For example, Bruce has never fed his body with "empty" calories. This is how he called the flour products. Only once a year he could pumper himself with only one cake. Not everyone can boast with such iron self-restrain.
The faithfulness (The Black Sun, The White Venus)
In love relationships Bruce Lee showed consistency unusual for a "Hollywood star". Love affairs did not interest Bruce and he left his wife, Linda, only for the cinema and kung-fu. He did not stop to convince Linda that she is a treasure given to him by the fate. "Love is like friendship embraced with the flame. Initially, the flame is enchantingly beautiful, often searing and dazzling, but it is still easy and unstable. When love becomes older, our hearts mature and our love resembles ember: it burns from the bottom and for ever". These Bruce’s words, touching and wise at the same time, reflect the depth of his feelings to his wife.
A few rules of life of Bruce Lee (The White Mercury)
— There is a Chinese fairytale. There lived a butcher and he had a knife, which remained perfectly sharp year after year. When the butcher was asked how he manages to keep the blade in such state, he replied: "I follow the lines of the bone. I'm not trying to cut it, break it or somehow resist it. It will only spoil the knife". You have to go along the obstacles in life. If you try to overcome them it will just hurt.
— Do not think about who is good and who is bad or who is the best. Be neither "for" nor "against".
— Clear your mind up. Be formless as water. When water is poured into a cup, it becomes the cup. When water is poured into a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Be the water, my friend.
The loneliness (The Black Saturn)
Fred Weintraub, a friend of Bruce Lee, recalls: "Bruce Lee was a very powerful person, he possessed great soul warmth. Nevertheless, he was extremely lonely; he always kept everyone at a distance. In my opinion, he was extremely lonely and he did not believe for one hundred percent to anyone, except for his wife Linda. She was the only person he could talk to, whom he believed and in whom he was completely sure... He was never absolutely honest in conversation with other people. If he was displeased with something or someone, he asked Linda to call to these people and show them that he is upset. If he "locked" with someone, Linda called this person. Bruce never called and never asked for forgiveness in such cases".
The contradictory of the temper (The Black Saturn, The Black Sun)
Intolerant and too ambitious temper often contradicted the philosophy Bruce Lee professed. A huge thirst for self-affirmation and the desire to be a superstar endlessly pushed him to expand the boundaries of the possible, to the new records, depriving of the necessary stability and "the ground under his feet". According to Linda, he "should have paused, calm down and relax to restore the balance. But Bruce convinced himself that he can relax in work and achieve the feeling of peace during the dizzying rate of change, in which he completely immersed himself... He tried to reconcile the two opposing flows of human aspirations with all his life and work - the hustle and bustle of Hollywood and internal discipline, which can be found only in a Zen monastery!"
