We must learn to walk before we can run

We must learn to walk before we can run.

Prov. You must master a basic skill before you are able to learn more complex things. Maria wanted to make a tailored jacket as her first sewing project, but her mother convinced her that she should make something much simpler; she would have to learn to walk before she could run.

See also: before, can, learn, must, run, to, walk, we

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.