It sounds like a koan, and perhaps it is, but it's a nature koan. Something that is simply an observation of how nature functions, and inherently profound, because nature is smart.
I was tugging on some raspberries that looked like they might be ripe in the garden at my house, but they weren't coming off, and I knew better than to force them off. If they're not ripe, they are disappointingly sour.
I think this is perhaps a good metaphor for the idea of rushing and forcing things to happen before they are ready. Some things happen in the ripeness of time, and that cannot be rushed. pulling on a sprout will not make it grow faster, it will just damage and perhaps kill it.
Intelligent discrimination must be used in the application of this nature koan. One could misapply the Berry Maxim to excuse procrastination or lack of hard work. But again, nature shows the way: there is a season for everything, and when the berry is ripe, or the acorns are dropping, there is intense activity with laser focus. I guess you could make a more well-rounded maxim by saying: know when it is time to rest, and when it is time to act, and whichever it is, do it with the entirety of your being.
May you carry the wisdom of the seasons with you. Goodbye until next time. (which is apparently in a day? So says my calendar. Must have been really late getting this one out.)
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