Patience is not the same as ambivalence. Action comes into play after patience has been exhausted. So in a sense, patience is a threat. When someone is being patient with you, action is in the making if you don’t improve.
Action has repercussions. People will retaliate against your own action; patient people will act against your inaction. But the longer you act patiently, the stronger your position. So when you act, act with patience. Then, your position will keep growing stronger. Patience tells when to act: when the road stretches on with patience both behind and in front of you.