This quote emphasizes the importance of understanding the essence or nature of things, rather than just knowing their names or labels. It essentially suggests that superficial knowledge or understanding of something, represented by its name, is insignificant compared to understanding its inherent characteristics, behaviors, or qualities, represented by its nature.
In other words, it’s the difference between knowing the word ‘apple’ and understanding what an apple is, what it tastes like, how it grows, and its nutritional value. The name is just a label, while the nature provides a deep, comprehensive understanding.
Applying this idea to today’s world, it could be seen in the context of our digital information age. With the internet, we’re flooded with information and names of things, but how much do we truly understand? For instance, we may know the names of various political theories, but do we understand their implications, their history, their pros and cons?
In terms of personal development, this quote emphasizes the importance of depth over breadth. It’s better to have a deep, comprehensive understanding of a few topics than a shallow understanding of many. This could mean focusing on mastering a few skills in depth rather than trying to be a jack of all trades. It could also mean striving to understand people on a deeper level, beyond just their names or labels.
This idea could also be applied to self-awareness. Many of us know our names, our occupations, our roles in society, but do we truly understand our own natures? Do we understand our strengths, weaknesses, passions, fears? This quote could be a call to delve deeper into self-understanding and self-discovery.
In conclusion, the quote suggests that true knowledge and understanding goes beyond mere labels or names. It requires a deep understanding of the nature of things, which is more valuable and meaningful.