Virtue is harder to be got than a knowledge of the world; and, if lost in a young man, is seldom recovered.

This remark comes from Locke’s writings on education, where he advises a friend on the upbringing of a young gentleman. In that setting Locke repeatedly ranks moral formation above the acquisition of polish, learning, or “knowledge of the world.” The line reflects his concern that early habits and character are especially malleable in youth, and that once a young man’s moral sense is damaged by vice, bad company, or indulgence, it is difficult to restore. The emphasis is practical and parental: cultivate virtue first, because social cleverness and worldly experience are easier to acquire later than a stable moral disposition.

Locke contrasts two kinds of attainment: worldly savvy (social experience, tact, the ability to navigate society) and virtue (stable moral habits and self-government). He argues that virtue is not only more valuable but more difficult to secure, because it requires disciplined habits formed early and reinforced consistently. The warning—“if lost in a young man, is seldom recovered”—underscores the idea that moral corruption can become habitual, making later reform rare and arduous. The quote thus functions as an educational principle: prioritize character over mere sophistication, since the latter can coexist with, or even enable, moral failure.