We are students of words: we are shut up in schools, and colleges, and recitation -rooms, for ten or fifteen years, and come out at last with a bag of wind, a memory of words, and do not know a thing.

Summary

This quote highlights the paradox of traditional education systems. It suggests that students can spend years memorizing and regurgitating words without truly understanding or gaining practical knowledge. The phrase "a bag of wind" implies that their education lacks substance and real-world applicability. It criticizes the confinement of students in formal institutions where the focus is on rote learning rather than deep comprehension and practical experience.