“Care about what other people think and you will always be their prisoner.”

He believed our happiness was tied to acceptance - following the natural order of things and not trying to fight or push back.

Ancient Chinese Philosopher Lao Tzu is said to have been the creator of the Tao philosophy (meaning "the way" or "the path”) - based on simple, humble living. While his writings date back 2,500 years, these 6 quotes have special meaning today in our chaos-ridden world of distraction.

 “Time is a created thing. To say 'I don't have time,' is like saying, 'I don't want to.”

We all have exactly the same amount of time, down to the second. Why then do some of us accomplish so much more than others? The secret is in "making" time. It's not that we have so little time. It's that we waste so much of it.

 “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

Here is Lao's business plan: start (period). Today, so many of us cannot start things because we are so easily distracted - by other people, technology, even our own wandering minds. Pick the easiest entry point. That's your start.

“Care about what other people think and you will always be their prisoner.”

Your opinion is the one that counts. Why do we seek approval from others more than from ourselves? Don't be a prisoner.

“Stop thinking and end your problems.”

Lao believed in just being quiet in our minds. Mind pollution in which we relentlessly think and re-think our problems, is a threat to our well-being. Most startling is that it doesn't create solutions, it prevents them. Only when we are relaxed, of clear mind, do solutions make themselves known.

“By letting go it all gets done.”

While we cannot ignore our problems, we must also not give them more attention than they deserve. So many things I have worried about in my life never materialized.

“Accomplish but do not boast.”

A confident person does not need or seek the validation of others. They provide their own validation.

Lao Tzu wrote his beliefs in an ancient manuscript called "Tao Te Ching" generally regarded by historians as one of the most profound philosophical texts ever written.

Let go of the fight. And peace will be yours.

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