“Whatever the human mind conceives and believes, it can achieve.”
– Napoleon Hill
Steve Mcqueen's rejection may have ended Bruce Lee's career. Instead, it led to a one-page manuscript that would sell for $55,000 and accurately predict his rise to Global Stardom.
The secret?
He didn't leave his own way – borrowing from Napoleon Hill from 1937, he really followed it, and became the most famous war artist in history.
Here are the real stories behind Chief Aill's “definitive history” book.
Key acquisition
- Bruce Lee wrote his main objective after being rejected by Steve McQueen in 1969
- He was directly using Napoleon Hill's method from “Think and Grow Rich”
- The book accurately predicted his rise to world fame within 4 years
- First sold for $29,000 in 1993 and about $55,000 in 2019
- Bruce Lee's legacy rarely pays tribute to Napoleon Hill's influence
- Real power: The rejected actor used the method domesticated in the book and changed the history of cinema
A quick summary
Bruce Lee's Historical Offended The purpose of the mission was not the original creation – it was his use of his Napoleon Hill method from “Think and Grow Rich.”
Written in January 1969 after Steve McQueen turned him down, Lee followed Hill's Formula exactly: State your goal, set a deadline, announce that you'll get it back, and read it every day.
Within four years, he gained world fame and predicted.
The book has sold up to $55,000 at auction and has been displayed at Planet Hollywood restaurants around the world, but the Bruce Lee Estate does not acknowledge its connection to Napoleon Hill's work.
A book that predicts everything
In January 1969, Bruce Lee was a struggling actor who had just been turned down by Steve McQueen for help finding Hollywood roles. Depressed and frustrated, he turned to self-help books.
What he wrote next would sell for $55,000 at auction 50 years later.
It's a complete story
The rejection that started it all
Steve McQueen's refusal to help Bruce Lee find acting roles sent Lee into what Matcher writer Matthew called “the funk.” Lee had lost face in front of the fiery slilliphant, a Hollywood power player.
Instead of giving up, Lee immersed himself in three books:
- Napoleon Hill's “Think and Grow Rich”
- Norman Vincent Puele's “The Power of Positive Thinking”
- Dale Carnegie “How to Win Friends & Influence People”
Napoleon Hill “thought and grew GRECH” introduced the exact method EITHy Lee would use. [Get the book on Amazon]
According to Mike Stone (who introduced Lee to Hill's work): “I shared Hill's book with Bruce and the concept of goal setting.”
Letter: January 1969
(Heritage Auctions book, sold September 25, 2019)
Bruce Lee wrote his exact intention on a single piece of paper, with “secret” marked in red at the top and bottom:
“My direct intention
I, Bruce Lee, will be the first highest paid movie star in the United States. In return I will offer the most interesting jobs and offer the best quality of the actor. Starting in 1970 I will have world fame and from then until the end of 1980 I will have it in my earnings of $10,000,000. I will live as I gain and gain harmony in the midst of happiness.
Bruce Lee
Jan. 1969
(Secret) “
Actually what happened
Prediction:
- Global fame begins in 1970
- Orientar's highest paid superstar
- $10,000,000 in 1980
- Inner harmony and happiness
Fact:
- 1970: Returned to Hong Kong, first film made
- 1973: “Enter the Dragon” was released, gaining world fame
- 1973: Died at age 33 from an allergic reaction to medication
- He never reached the $10m goal but became the highest paid actor in Asia
- The estate is worth hundreds upon hundreds of millions today
Matthew Pely comments: “The first part of his prediction was a reaction to McQueen's rejection, while the last line was wishful thinking.”
Auction history
First Sale: August 7, 1993
- Linda Lee (Bruce's widow) auction from the estate
- High quality paintings hold an auction
- A certified copy of the Head of the Head sold for $29,000
- Black Belt magazine called “eyes out”
- The equivalent of $55,000 in 2024 dollars
Planet Hollywood Show
After the 1993 auction, copies appeared in Planet Hollywood Restaurants Live:
- Las Vegas area
- Times Square, New York
- Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (Off Highway 17 Bypass)
As the restaurants have closed over the years, these replicas are sold separately (examples from 2012 and 2015 can be found online).
Second Sale: September 25, 2019
Gem auctions have sold what appear to be genuine:
- Sold for about $55,000
- Listed as “Bruce Lee Exteralrorinary accophled autographiography”
- Guaranteed: “8.5 x 11 in. Lettering with 'Secret' inscribed in red”
- Demonstrations followed in the 1993 Supreme Creation of Demonstrations
Hidden History: No one is responsible for Napoleon Hill
Despite the clear evidence that Bruce Lee used the Napoleon Hill method, the Bruce Lee Estate rarely makes this connection:
The Bruce Lee Podcast:
- August 16, 2016 Episode in “Primary Purpose Directed” – No mention of the hill
- On February 19, the 2019 episode updates the topic – there is no mention of the hill yet
Book by Shannon Lee (2020): “Being with water, my friend,” my friend talks with purpose but never mentions Napoleon Hill or his influence.
You write:
“In 1969, my father created a document titled 'my primary purpose.' It was one part of the paper written in his text … this is set for a great purpose. Yes, he was able to cope with the fame of Hong Kong, and there he got the best job in the few years he had.
Note that he calls it “big goal setting” – don't let Napoleon Hill's direct approach, despite the direct title and format coming straight from “think and grow rich.”
Have water, my friend: the teachings of Bruce Lee. [Get the book on Amazon]
Pattern: The Bruce Lee Estate regularly publishes Lee's philosophical writings without specified sources.
A real lesson
The strength of Bruce Lee's story is not that he invented a different philosophy.
It's that he found a proven method and executed it with complete commitment.
It is encouraging to know that Bruce Lee sought guidance and inspiration from the book
Bruce Lee was not a powerful man who created success out of thin air.
He was an actor who dressed up as:
- You have been rejected
- Read self-help books
- You found a way that worked
- He wrote down his intentions
- Read them every day
- They benefited
The number of books is not in Geuce Lee Genius.
It proves that Napoleon Hill's 1937 method works when you give it your all.
Final thoughts
Bruce Lee's book History Aim has become legendary – displayed in restaurants, sold at auction, quoted in countless articles.
But an important fact is often buried: This was not Bruce Lee's invention.
It was Napoleon Hill's method from 1937, used with renewed commitment by a frustrated actor in 1969.
The book proves two things:
- The method works
- You don't need to be special to use it
Bruce Lee Surhuman's achievement came from using a method available to anyone willing to write one page and read it twice every day. That is the real secret marked in red ink.
You might also like
Napoleon Hill's Envy Tester's Strong Method
Bruce Lee Reset for Adability and Flow
The best Bruce Lee quotes
Bruce Lee's greatest lesson
Great lessons from Bruce Lee
