Question

what is the meaning of "to the inhabitants of the pond, the pond is the world, to the inhabitants of the world, the world was but a muddy pond"?

Answer 1

Answer:

It means that those who have never seen the world and stayed in one place never know what lies beyond that one place. So, that place means the whole world to them. Whereas those who have traveled the world and seen places feel that there's nothing more to see than what they've already seen. Hence, the world feels small to them and they don't value it as much as someone who has never traveled would. For example, a villager will be elated if he gest to travel out of his village whereas an actor will be unaffected whether he stays in India or goes to Australia. It'll be all the same to him/her.

Hope this helps you understand the meaning.