Bruce Lee: Words From a Master [Paperback]

Bruce Lee (Author), John R. Little (Editor), Robert Wolff (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1999

The modern era can claim few heroes as powerful and enduring as Bruce Lee. His philosophy transcended the world of martial arts he dominated, and his thoughts and beliefs have inspired and influenced individuals from all walks of life for more than half a century. To some, Lee was the outsider who crashed Hollywood's gates and introduced Americans to action films. To others, he was the bold and capable pioneer who successfully challenged centuries of martial arts tradition. Still others revered him as a contemporary philosopher and visionary. Today, a new generation has discovered Lee as a model of discipline, strength, and wisdom. Within these pages, the reader will find insight and inspiration in Bruce Lee's own words, in rare interviews never before published in book form, with all-new commentary by the original interviewers. More than twenty-five years after his death, Lee's words still resonate, speaking truths that are as essential today as ever before.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

In his lifetime, Bruce Lee transformed worlds: the world of martial arts, the world of American cinema, and the personal worlds of countless students and fans. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Chuck Norris, Muhammad Ali, Daniel Inosanto, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – all of whom studied with Lee – have spoken of him as a Master in the fullest sense of the word. Now, twenty-five years after Bruce Lee's death, readers can gain new insight into his thoughts and philosophy. In this collection of rare interviews, Lee's voice can once again be heard on compelling issues such as racism, personal excellence, success, and the challenges and triumphs of his own personal and professional life. In this essential volume, longtime devotees and new followers alike will find wisdom, eloquence, and a compelling honesty that informs and enlightens our world today as profoundly as it did a generation ago. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 103 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Companies (September 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0809225018
• ISBN-13: 978-0809225019
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,296,027 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE PROTOTYPE OF ALL FUTURE BRUCE LEE BOOKS!, October 31, 1999

By 

Grant Reynolds (Warrensburg, MO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bruce Lee (Hardcover)

I purchased the hardcover edition of "Bruce Lee: Words From A Master" several months ago and enjoyed it thoroughly. The fact that this book is the ONLY book in existence that is based upon actual and verifiable transcripts of Bruce Lee speaking about his life, art and philosophy make it the only unimpeachable source of information from Bruce Lee. I was at an airport the other day and spotted the new paperback edition of this book. I wasn't going to buy it, since I already had the hardcover edition, but I couldn't help myself! I like the paperback edition that much better as it is less awkward than the hardcover (particularly for such a comparatively small book). I think that this book will serve as the template or prototype of all future Bruce Lee books as it isn't a photo book -- it's a serious presentation of the thought and opinions of one of this century's greatest philosophers and martial artists, Bruce Lee, and is presented in a serious and engaging format. The book is chock full of valuable and practical information on life, combat, racism, yin-yang, dealing with challenges in life, and so on -- but all of it comes DIRECTLY from Bruce Lee himself. It's such a great and powerful little book that I will probably end up buying another copy for myself, along with additional copies for friends this Christmas. Thank you John Little and Contemporary Books for this masterpiece! I also bought John Little's "The Warrior Within" (perhaps the greatest Bruce Lee book ever written) and hope that Contemporary and Mr. Little will be bringing us more Bruce Lee philosophy books in the near future! It's the perfect tonic for our troubled times.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT!, September 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Bruce Lee (Hardcover)

"Bruce Lee: Words From A Master" is the most insightful and revealing book on Bruce Lee, his martial art and his personal philosophy that I have ever read. The beauty of it is that these incredible interviews provide unquestionable authority as they are the only three interviews that can be verified through audio and video tape as being legitimately Bruce Lee and expressing his honest views and beliefs. Every other book contains quotes from Bruce Lee (I exclude the Tuttle series of books which are based upon his original writings)but never the context from which they are taken. The format of this book is also very agreeable; John Little (the editor and world's foremost authority on Bruce Lee) has actually tracked down the three individuals who recorded these interviews with Lee and obtained their insights and recollections on their dialogues with Bruce Lee. Absolutely brilliant! I have never -- ever -- seen this done in a book before. I hope that Mr. Little (who's other book "The Warrior Within" is without question the best presentation of Bruce Lee's philosophy I have ever read)is planning on continuing to write more books on Lee's thought as these books have only whetted my appetite for more authentic teachings of Bruce Lee. I highly recommend that you buy this book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An insight into the personality of Bruce Lee, September 2, 2001

By 

"mazaffar" (United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bruce Lee (Hardcover)

This book gave me a further insight into the kind of person Bruce Lee was. This is due to my reading a couple of others about him. The impression that was most re-inforced was that he was a positive minded person. The other thing I picked up here was that he was the kind of person who always evaluated himself on a regular basis to see how he could improve etc.
The bad thing about thing about this book is the interviews with the interviewers; these are nothing more than opinions about Bruce by men who, in my book, didn't know Bruce long enough to warrant their opinions to be worth printing in a book. I think these were included to give volume to the book. Because I was only interested in Bruce's own words, I learned nothing from these bits. (It is because of these wasteful bits I only given 3 stars)