Listening takes time. You have to take the time to hear, but it also takes time for the words to penetrate into your heart. Just because you hear words of wisdom doesn't mean that you are instantly transformed. Therefore, those who seek Tao constantly seek words of wisdom and allow them to accumulate deep in themselves. That is why the ancients always said it takes a person of virtue to hear words of virtue. It takes a person of strength to want words of strength. It takes a person of learning to discern words of learning. . . .
[And] that is why, from ancient times to the present, those who follow Tao take care to seek out the best teachers: by learning from the best, they enhance their chances of becoming the best.
— Deng Ming-Dao, Everyday Tao