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 limitations of traditional schooling and emphasizes the importance of gaining practical knowledge and real understanding rather than simply memorizing words and regurgitating information. It suggests that students are often confined within the walls of educational institutions, spending years acquiring a superficial knowledge that lacks substance. Despite the accumulation of words and information, the quote suggests that true wisdom and understanding are not obtained through this process, indicating a need to go beyond the confines of academia to gain genuine knowledge.