“You can know the name of a bird in all the languages of the world, but when you're finished, you'll know absolutely nothing whatever about the bird... So let's look at the bird and see what it's doing-- that's what counts”

Simplified Meaning:

Understanding a bird’s name in many languages doesn't tell you anything about the bird itself. Imagine you know all the names for a sparrow in French, Spanish, German, and Chinese. Even after learning all these names, you still wouldn’t know how a sparrow behaves, how it builds its nest, or what it eats. The important thing is to observe the bird directly and learn from its actions. In life, this means that real knowledge comes from experience and observation, not just from learning terminology or labels. If you want to truly understand something, spend time with it and pay attention to what it does, rather than just what it’s called. Think about how this applies when learning about a culture. Simply memorizing the names of cultural artifacts or traditions in another language won't make you understand that culture. You need to see how people celebrate, interact, and live their daily lives to gain genuine insight. Similarly, if you’re learning about a new hobby, such as gardening, reading all the books won’t help as much as actually planting seeds and watching them grow. In essence, action and observation are key to true understanding.