My car and my adding machine understand nothing: they are not in that line of business.
I will argue that in the literal sense the programmed computer understands...
I wanted to end my life so bad and was in my car ready to go down that ramp...
Parents it seems have an almost Olympian persistence when it comes to suggesting more secure and lucrative lines of work for their children who have the notion that writing is an actual profession. I say this from experience.