“The beginning is the most important part of the work.”
— Plato, The Republic, Book II
What this quote means
Plato is discussing the education of the young, arguing that first impressions shape the soul most deeply. The principle generalises across his thought: get the foundations right, because everything built on them inherits their form.
The idea behind it
The Allegory of the Cave — Plato's image of prisoners mistaking shadows on a wall for reality — a picture of how education turns the soul from illusion toward truth.
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