This quote by Heraclitus suggests that what we see is more reliable than what we hear. He is suggesting that our eyes are more reliable sources of details than our ears. This is since our eyes can provide us with a more accurate representation of what is occurring in the world around us. Our eyes can identify subtle changes in the environment that our ears might not be able to detect. In addition, our eyes can provide us with a more in-depth image of the world than our ears can. For instance, if we are taking a look at a painting, our eyes can take in the entire image, whereas our ears may just have the ability to pick up on particular noises. For that reason, Heraclitus is suggesting that we should rely more on our eyes than our ears when it concerns gathering details about the world.
"When the missionaries came to Africa they had the Bible and we had the land. They said "Let us pray." We closed our eyes. When we opened them we had the Bible and they had the land"