Buddhism
The founder of Buddhism is Prince Gautama. He had a lot of money of and servants. He had lived in the palace his whole entire life. Until one day he decided to explore beyond he castle walls. After he saw the suffering in the world, he decided to leave his life as a prince and search for the meaning of life. That is when he became the "Budda" (Awakened One). In Buddhism they believed that to stop suffering you need to stop wanting. This lead the Budda to make the 4 Noble Truths. The 4 Noble truths are: Life is filled with suffering; Suffering is caused by peoples wants; Suffering can be ended if people stop wanting things (power, pleasure, fame, possession, etc.); and to stop wanting you must follow the 8 Fold Path. The 8 Fold Path is: Know the truth; Intend to resist evil; Do not say anything to hurt others; Respect life property and morality; Work at a job that doesn't hurt others, Try to free your mind from evil; Be in control of your feelings and thoughts; Practice appropriate concentration; and the goal in life is to reach Nirvana, the condition of desiring nothing. If you follow these steps you can reach Nirvana. Buddhist believe in reincarnation when it comes to after-life. The only time you can break the is if you reach Nirvana. They also think Karma will effect your chance of reaching Nirvana. If Buddhism was a motto it would be: "To not want is to not suffer".
Taoism
The leader/founder of Taoism is Laozi. He was born 606 B.C. Taoist always lived a simple life. They believed people should not strive for fame,power,knowledge, or possession. They were very close to nature and believed governments would not be needed if people were in tune with nature. They do not judge at all and see things for what they are. More rules or laws make people act worse and harmony comes when yin and yang are balanced. Yin and Yang represents opposites in the universe. Taoist believe to not concern after death and focus on just being. If Taoism was a motto it would be:"Keep it simple"
The founder of Confucianism is Kong Fu Zi. He was born in 551 B.C. He was first called Confucius by Europeans. They believed in proper conduct, respect, morality, hard work, and lots of education. If we followed these rules society would be stable. We would all live in harmony if we all had good morals in our relationship. Not only that but rulers should also have good morals in order to earn their subjects loyalty. They worshipped their ancestors and focused on respect for their elders. They did believe in a heaven, but not the same one as Christians believed in. They do not focus on this. They focus on being a moral person while here on earth. If Confucianism was a motto it would be the Golden Rule:"Do unto others as you would want others to do unto you"