An exchange quoted by Anthony de Mello:.

“What is it you seek?” asked the Master of a scholar who came to him for guidance.

“Life,” was the reply.

Said the Master, “If you are to live, words must die.”

When asked later what he meant, he said, “You are lost and forlorn because you dwell in a world of words. You feed on words, you are satisfied with words when what you need is substance. A menu will not satisfy your hunger. A formula will not slake your thirst.”

And then, this one from the Indian sage, Sri Ramakrishna …

“So long as the bee is outside the petals of the lily, and has not tasted the sweetness of its honey, it hovers round the flower emitting its buzzing sound; but when it is inside the flower, it noiselessly drinks its nectar. So long as a man quarrels and disputes about doctrines and dogmas, he has not tasted the nectar of true faith; when he has tasted it, he becomes quiet and full of peace.”