Full Idea
A perfect grasp of any subject depends far more on knowing elements than on knowing complexes.
Gist of Idea
Understanding mainly involves knowing the elements, not their combinations
Source
Plato (Theaetetus [c.364 BCE], 206b)
Book Reference
Plato: 'Theaetetus', ed/tr. Waterfield,Robin [Penguin 1987], p.123