A quantity growing exponentially toward a limit reaches that limit in a surprisingly short time. - Donella Meadows

If I could, I would add an Eleventh Commandment: Thou shalt not distort, delay, or sequester information.

The least obvious part of a system, its function or purpose, is often the most crucial determinant of the system's behavior.

Before you disturb the system in any way, watch how it behaves. If it's a piece of music or a whitewater rapid or a fluctuation in a commodity price, study its beat. If it's a social system, watch it work. Learn its history.