# learn to walk before one can run

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/learn-to-walk-before-one-can-run
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

Before one can perform a complicated task, one has to learn how to perform more simple tasks.

## Examples

- You must learn to walk before you can run.
- Don't try to trade complex stocks yet; you need to learn to walk before you can run.
- The novice programmer insisted on building a complex operating system, ignoring the advice that one must learn to walk before one can run.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.