Think of the Chinese bamboo tree. After the seed for this tree is planted, nothing happens for four years, except for a tiny bulb that pops above the ground. All the growth is taking place underground, where a complex root system is taking form. Then, in the fifth year, the tree suddenly shoots up to a height of eighty feet. The question is: Did the bamboo tree grow eighty feet in six weeks, or did it grow eighty feet in five years? The answer is five years, for had it not been nurtured during those four years, there would be no eighty-foot tree. The bamboo tree represents the law of harvest.

Stephen R. Covey, “The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness”