The Holbytlan haven't been around long enough for a mature wisdom tradition to describe them. But Gandalf's axiomatic language leaps into the void. Since we usually see Middle Earth through the hobbits' eyes, we forget how anomalous they are to everyone else. These descriptions help.
Hobbits really are amazing creatures.
You can learn all that there is to know about their ways in a month,
and yet after a hundred years they can still surprise you.
GANDALF
Soft as butter [hobbits] can be, and yet sometimes as tough as old tree roots.
GANDALF
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