Has anyone read "Striking Thoughts" by Bruce Lee?
I just saw this book mentioned somewhere and looked it up. It was published in 2000.
Amazon reviews range from "omg awesome" to "another attempt to make Bruce Lee look like something he wasn't; a philosopher."
I'm sure some people here have read it. What did you think?
It's one of the John Little books for Tuttle
Striking Thoughts
Actually, Bruce Lee was quite the philosopher. He studied philosophy at U of W. That's my contention with a lot of Little's work. Little's books were based on Bruce Lee's notes, including notes from his philosophy classes. This is presented as original works of Lee. I'd hate it if someone published my notes posthumously. Many of the philosophies attributed to Lee are actually things he was studying. Through no fault of his own, many believe Lee originated a lot of the ideas - like the 'finger pointing to the moon' - when actually he was paying homage to classic philosophy.
That being said, Striking Thoughts is a great bathroom book. It's not a linear read - just lots of fortune-cookie quotes and such, loosely organized by topic, so you can pick it up at anytime and start reading anywhere. If you've never engaged any of Lee's writing, or any philosophy for that matter, you might find it enlightening. If you're already familiar, it's a light reminder that might result in some synchronicity.
A lot of people are critical of Lee for plagiarism
In truth, Lee brought a lot of Asian philosophy to light in the West. He introduced a lot of concepts, not only in his writings, but in his films, particularly Enter the Dragon. You just don't see that many action films with philosophical underpinnings, even today. Of course, these weren't college courses on the topic, mostly offhand references, but they inspired many fans to pursue it further. That was one of Lee's great gifts. He opened the door for so many things.
What's more, with those posthumously published notes, I'm sure Lee would have never published a lot of that. Some of those books read exactly like college or book research notes. He can't be blamed for plagiarism there.