Q0380
“The beginning is the most important part of any work.” — Plato (Republic II (education); popular form of…)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Republic II (education); popular form of beginning maxim. Theme: education.
English
The beginning is the most important part of any work.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Republic II (education); popular form of beginning maxim and files it under Platonism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
About Plato
Plato (c. 428/427–348/347 BCE) was an Athenian of high birth, a devoted associate of Socrates, and the founder of the Academy.
Interpretation
In the Republic this belongs to the argument about education: what is learned first is hardest to unlearn, so the stories and habits a child meets set the direction of everything after. The claim is not that beginnings are the largest part by volume but that they are determinative. Plato's conclusion — that the material of early education must be supervised — follows from this rather than from prudishness. The popular form drops the argument and keeps the maxim.
Why it matters
It is a claim about leverage: effort spent at the start governs what later effort has to overcome.
Concepts in this quote
- Education
- Education appears in this archive as a live philosophical concern—not a slogan. These verified English passages show how thinkers treat education as a problem of judgment, practice, or explanation.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Plato. (n.d.). The beginning is the most important part of any work. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0380
MLA: Plato. “The beginning is the most important part of….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0380.
Chicago: Plato. “The beginning is the most important part of….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0380.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “The beginning is the most important part of…”?
The passage is attributed to Plato, Republic II (education); popular form of beginning maxim. The archive attributes this English wording to Republic II (education); popular form of beginning maxim and files it under Platonism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
What does Plato mean by education?
Across 4 recurring voices here (notably Mary Wollstonecraft and Plato), education is framed through Platonism and Renaissance Humanism. Some passages define education; others warn how it fails; still others relocate it inside habit, community, or language. This passage enters that discussion through education.