Reading about nature is fine, but if a person walks in the woods and listens carefully, he can learn more than what is in books, for they speak with the voice of God.

The saying contrasts secondhand knowledge (books) with direct, attentive experience of the natural world. It reflects a view of nature as a primary teacher: careful observation yields insights that texts can miss, especially about living processes and interdependence. The final clause—“they speak with the voice of God”—frames this experiential learning as spiritual as well as empirical, suggesting that creation communicates moral or divine truths to the receptive listener. In this reading, the quote champions humility and patience in inquiry: wisdom comes not only from study but from sustained, reverent attention to what is actually there.