The last three days I (Dan) did the first course in the ReganAg series.  The topic was holistic management and the facilitator was Kirk Gadzia.  It was a very worthwhile three days, and during the course of the workshop I wrote down a few insights (all paraphrased not direct quoted) which made me recall others from other teachers.  Here they are:

General

All the tools available to us in managing biological systems (e.g., a garden or farm) are like stones we throw into a pond.  Each makes ripples that overlap and resonate throughout the system Kirk Gadzia

We don't break ecosystem rules.  We break ourselves against them Kirk Gadzia

Good patriots build soil (Bumper Sticker seen by Darren Doherty)

The best fertiliser is the footsteps of the gardener Chinese saying

Our true wealth is the fertility and health of our soil.  It's like capital sitting in a bank.  If we're foolish we'll squander our capital.  If we're wise, we'll live off the interest and reinvest it to further build our asset (harvest a yield and build soil and the same time) Geoff Lawton

The golden rule of water flow: Making water travel the longest distance over the most time is the most fertile Geoff Lawton

More appropriate on farm-scale

First we make our properties blue (get our water sorted), then green (produce biomass), then black (build carbon-rich soils) Darren Doherty

Water & wire are the two most important minerals to get right on your farm Gwyn Jones