Key points The principle of wei wu wei refers to action through inaction. Some valuable things in life cannot be achieved by simply trying harder, such as happiness and love.

In this conceptual review paper, the ancient Chinese wisdom of wu-wei and non-striving is explored as an approach for enhancing athletes’ practice of mindfulness and their overall performance.

In the 21st century, says Mullinax, wu-wei can be applied to everything from responding with appropriate public safety and health precautions to the COVID-19 pandemic to social justice efforts.

And Taoism is a method for reducing resistance. You could characterize this as “prudence” or “practical reason” or “wisdom,” but I think that the concept is more specific than that.