Ever come across someone so full of wisdom that you suspect they’ve already lived entire lifetimes? Someone so insightful and wise beyond their years?

I mean, it’s probably why you’re here. You want to confirm if the person (or in the case of this article, a woman) you know is an old soul or you want to be prepared in case you come across one in the future. 

There are a few ways to know, but today we’re focusing on words. What does she say? What wisdom does she casually throw into the conversation?

Here are 12 of them.

1) “It is what it is.”

She’s likely an old soul if she practices acceptance. 

When she says “It is what it is”, she’s practicing and advocating acceptance. It’s not the easiest to do, mind you, but she has learned how to. 

She’s weathered many storms and has come to learn that acceptance is easier. She has learned that you can’t ever truly win against fate and trying could only be exhausting.

This isn’t to say she’s passive or a pushover, she doesn’t completely go with the flow, so to speak. However, she knows when to fight and she has learned when to lay down her weapons.

Other variations: 

• “Let it be.”
• “Everything happens for a reason.”
• “You can’t fight fate. “
• “There are no accidents.”

2) “Give it time.”

She’s likely an old soul if she practices patience, especially in this fast-paced world of quick rewards.

She’s not the type to rush or panic, she’s not the type to obsess over what she cannot change. She lets time do what it needs to and she believes in the “right moment”. 

There are rarely coincidences, she thinks, it’s just fate at work. 

Other variations: 

• “Patience is rewarded.”
• “Hang in there.”

3) “Rejection is redirection.” 

She’s likely an old soul if she understands grit and perseverance.

She understands that failure is not the absence of success, but instead a natural part of its journey. She’s the type to not dwell on rejections, the type to bounce back just as quickly as it is handed. 

Other variation: 

“Rejection is protection.”

4) “Money can’t buy happiness.”

She’s likely an old soul if she’s not materialistic.

This doesn’t mean that she doesn’t understand the value of money, this just means that money is not her driving force. She doesn’t hop on trends nor participate in one-upping others. 

What she has, she cherishes, and life feels bountiful.

5) “Stand your ground.”

She’s likely an old soul if she challenges the status quo. 

She doesn’t back down from a challenge and she doesn’t stay silent when there is a transgression. She is fearless in this regard, her resolve much tougher than diamonds. 

She fights for the underdogs, she wishes the world to be a better place for everyone. 

Other variations: 

• “Stay steady.”
• “Don’t give in.”

6) “Stay true to who you are.”

She’s likely an old soul if she’s genuine. 

I stumbled upon this unattributed quote, “Being an old soul is difficult. Because you are not here for greed, lust, inflations, quantity, comparison, competition nor constant experiences. You are here for solitary, peace, tranquility, soul, wisdom, deepness, love, and empathy.”

If there’s one thing that old souls have learned and understood deeply, it’s being genuine. Staying true to who they are, despite the world telling them otherwise. 

Other variations: 

• “Be your most honest self.”
• “Stay genuine.”
• “Don’t change yourself to appease others.”

7) “You are more than enough.”

“Radical self-love involves accepting yourself, caring for yourself, and knowing you are more than enough, and inherently worthy of love, respect, and compassion. Loving yourself is a radical act in a society that constantly tells us we aren’t good enough, we need to lose weight, have bigger muscles, a smaller waist, and so on.”

– reviewed by Eric Patterson, LPC | What is radical self-love?

She’s likely an old soul if she advocates for self-love and self-acceptance. Self-love shouldn’t be radical, but it is. This society pushes us to constantly fit into standards we cannot fit or do not want to fit into. 

An old soul recognizes these facts and acts accordingly. She is unpretentious about being herself. She knows she is enough and she also wants you to know that about yourself, too. 

8) “Keep your circle small.”

She’s likely an old soul if she practices discernment. 

She’s careful with her connections and understands that not everyone is your friend.  She’s a quality versus quantity type of girl, too, never feeling pressured to keep a relationship that is unhealthy.  

Other variations: 

• “Believe what people show you.”
• “Betrayal never comes from your enemies.”
• “Not everyone is your friend.”

9) “What about the bigger picture?”

She’s likely an old soul if she can see from different perspectives. She’s a big fan of seeing the nitty gritty and also the picture in full. 

She would want you to see the story from both sides and maybe throw in a third angle to boot. She’s not afraid to ask questions, if only for her peace of mind. 

She is not afraid to find out the answers. 

Other variations: 

• “Step away from the situation.”
• “Think it through.”

10) “What’s your instinct telling you?”

She’s likely an old soul if she’s intuitive. Her gut instinct is something that has been honed throughout the years. 

She has learned to listen to it and trust that it won’t steer her wrong. She will encourage you to try and do the same. She believes in the power of intuition.

Other variation: 

“Trust your gut. ”

11) “You’ll never know unless you find out.”

“To be fearless is to trust—to deeply trust the flow and organic movement of life. To be fearless is not something you can achieve but is instead a natural way of being. Fearlessness, [Adyashanti] says, is the equivalent of love.”

– Cara Bradley | Being Fearless

She’s likely an old soul if she practices bravery and courage. 

She encourages you to be fearless, even a little. To trust that on the other side of fear is an answer and to trust that you’re capable of knowing what that is. 

And that you can handle it. 

Other variations: 

“Risk a little.”

12) “What if it works out?”

And finally, “What if it works out?” She’s likely an old soul if she practices positivity. 

A lot of us are often focused on the worst things that could happen—not an old soul though. There’s a certain serenity imbued in their being, a certain trust of things working out. 

This doesn’t mean they’ve never hit rock bottom, this doesn’t mean they’re naive. In fact, it could be the opposite. They might have experienced a trapdoor opening after hitting rock bottom.

Strength is necessary to keep being gentle in a world so determined to wound you. She knows this. She understands this.

She’s passing this wisdom on. 

Final thoughts 

After going through this list, does it sound familiar? Is it ringing true for the person you know? 

If it does, I hope this helped you understand her a bit better. Some of her wisdom may have come naturally to her, but a good portion was born from lived experiences. 

It couldn’t have been easy. She might sound like she has lived lifetimes and that’s maybe because she has, on the daily. 

She has lived lives we could only ever imagine.