8 Life changing lessons everyone can learn from Lao Tzu

Lao Tzu is one of the most famous Chinese philosophers and is the mind behind many important lessons our souls have to learn.

He's the author of the Tao Te Ching and the founder of Taosim. He's been a central figure in China for centuries, and you're about to find out why.

1. You already hold the answer to life's questions.

“At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want."

“Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power."

“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be."

2. You're freed when you let go.

“By letting it go it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go. But when you try and try. The world is beyond the winning."

“Therefore the Master acts without doing anything and teaches without saying anything. Things arise and she lets them come; things disappear and she lets them go. She has but doesn't possess, acts but doesn't expect. When her work is done, she forgets it. That is why it lasts forever."

“If you want to become whole, let yourself be partial. If you want to become straight, let yourself be crooked. If you want to become full, let yourself be empty. If you want to be reborn, let yourself die. If you want to be given everything, give everything up."

“Do you have the patience to wait till your mud settles and the water is clear? Can you remain unmoving till the right action arises by itself?"

3. Your ego will never give you true pleasure.

“He who defines himself can't know who he really is."

“He who has power over others can't empower himself."

“He who tries to shine dims his own light."

4. Evil dies when ignored.

“Give evil nothing to oppose and it will disappear by itself."

5. Kindness always wins. Evil always loses.

“Treat those who are good with goodness, and also treat those who are not good with goodness. Thus goodness is attained. Be honest to those who are honest, and be also honest to those who are not honest. Thus honesty is attained."

“Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love."

“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage."

6. Be yourself.

“Care about people's approval and you will be their prisoner."

“When you are content to be simply yourself and don't compare or compete, everybody will respect you."

7. Be humble and you shall be wise.

“The wise man is one who, knows, what he does not know."

“All streams flow to the sea because it is lower than they are. Humility gives it its power."

8. Change is inevitable, so embrace it.

“If you realize that all things change, there is nothing you will try to hold on to. If you are not afraid of dying, there is nothing you cannot achieve."

“New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings."