“Remember this, my child: The basics: Being able to count to 100.  Knowing LEFT from RIGHT.  Reciting AND understanding the alphabet.  All else follows from this.”  So, quadratic equations, the Pythagorean Theorem, and the Bill of Rights: learned in time.  “Know your basics.”  (“Oh, and know, also, the colors of the rainbow: R-O-Y-G-B-I-V, for that is basic to appreciating BEAUTY.”)