Mastering Yourself

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

~ Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

Lao Tzu's teaching aligns with Socrates' "know thyself" tagline. They both advocate self-knowledge which is essential to success.

In addition to self-knowledge, Lao Tzu also emphasize on the importance of mastering oneself. The true power comes from self-control and self-discipline. Lao Tzu taught a lot about the self, - self-mastery and self-empowerment. It is the self that makes the difference by transcending from intelligence to wisdom and from strength to power.

Let's take President Trump as an example. Trump is trying to make the nuclear deal with North Korea's Kim Jong-un. It is for sure he knows a lot of the "others" including Kim Jong-un, Xi Jingping, Moon Jae-in, and more. CIA does the job for him, that's all about the intelligence. But how well does President Trump know himself? - his position, his strength and weakness, his temperament and determination, and what cards he has in hand. More importantly, is he able to master himself? And how is the counter-part doing in term of knowing and mastering? It is interesting to find out who has better self-knowledge and self-discipline between Trump and the rocket boy.