"As the builders say, the larger stones do not lie well without the lesser"

This quote by Plato is a metaphor for how a society need to be structured. He is saying that in order for a culture to be effective, it needs to be built on a strong structure of smaller, a lot more basic elements. Similar to a structure needs a solid structure of smaller sized rocks in order to support the bigger stones, a society requires a solid foundation of fundamental concepts in order to support the larger, much more intricate aspects of culture. Plato is suggesting that if the smaller aspects of culture are not in place, then the larger components will not be able to work properly. This quote is a reminder that a culture requires to be built on a solid foundation of standard concepts in order to be successful.