Some lines of poetry by Abu Hayyaan , rahimahullah, which the shuyookh commonly repeat when advising about the importance of having a teacher:

يَظُنُّ الغَمْرُ أنَّ الكُتْبَ تَهْـدِي* أَخـَا فَـهْمٍ لِإدْراكِ العُلُـــومِ

وَمـا يَدْرِي الجَـهُولُ بِأنَّ فِيـها * غَوامِضَ حَيَّرَتْ عَقْلَ الفَهِيمِ

إِذا رُمْتَ العُلُومَ بِغَيْرِ شَيْــخٍ * ضَلَلْتَ عَنِ الصِّراطِ المُسْتَقِيمِ

وتَلْتَبِسُ العُلُومُ عَلَيْكَ حَتَّـى * تَصِيرَ أَضَلَّ مِن تُومَا الحَــكِيمِ

“An inexperienced individual assumes that books will lead the one of intellect to understanding. But the ignoramus doesn’t know that in these books are ambiguity that will confuse even the most intelligent of people. If you try to learn this knowledge without a teacher, you will go astray and affairs will become so confusing to you that you will be more astray than Toma, the physician [i.e. a infamous character who went astray by merely taking knowledge from the books]”. End quote.

Translated by

AbdulFattaah Bin Uthman
Abu Fajr