Book learning and the capacity to repeat the scriptures by rote are of absolutely no use. To know the truth, you need not undergo this torture of learning. Not by reading do you arrive at the truth. Be quiet – that is the truth. Be still – that is God. You use the mirror for shaving, don’t you? You look into the mirror and then shave your face. You do not shave the image in the mirror, do you? Similarly, all the scriptures are meant only to show you the path to realization. They are meant for practice and attainment. Mere book knowledge and discussions can be compared to a man shaving the image in the mirror.
(Source: http://sri-ramana-maharshi.blogspot.in/2008/06/narayana-iyer.html)
Know Thyself 