The beginning is the most important part of any work.
Plato The Republic, Book II (375 BCE) Translated by Benjamin Jowett
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When and why it was written
- When
- From the Republic, written around 375 BCE, in Benjamin Jowett's translation.
- Why
- Socrates is discussing the education of the young, which shapes them most at the start.
What it means
Socrates means that early impressions shape everything after. Beginnings set the direction.
That is also why small beginnings matter: a first page sets the habit.
Our reading of the passage cited above, not a quotation from a commentary.
Read the source
The Republic, 375 BCE
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