Machinations

An interesting quote about the unexpected effects of actions and the limitations of rationality and the planning fallacy:

A net set up to catch fish may snare a duck; a mantis hunting an insect may itself be set upon by a sparrow.

Machinations are hidden within machinations; changes arise beyond changes. So how can wit and cleverness be relied upon?

– Back to Beginnings, Reflections on the Tao by Huanchu Daoren, translated by Thomas Cleary. They were written around 1600 by a retired Chinese Scholar, Hong Yingming, whose Taoist name, Huanchu Daoren, means “A Wayfarer Back to Beginnings.”