The foundational brick

    بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ 

چون گذارد خشت اول بر زمین معمار کج

گر رساند بر فلک، باشد همان دیوار کج

Meaning: 

If an architect/builder sets the brick of the foundation incorrectly in a crooked manner

Even if he manages to make the wall reach up to the sky, it will still be a crooked wall

Language:

Persian/Farsi

Transliteration:

Choon Guzarad Khishte Awal Bar Zameen Ma'imar Kaj

Gar Rasanad Bar Falak, Bashad Haman Deewar Kaj

 

 Video/Audio:

Brief Explanation:

The verses means that in anything, our fundamentals must be right from the beginning. No "ends justify the means", but rather the intention of doing something must be correct, and the steps and the means to achieve the same must be righteous, otherwise whatever we do will be tainted no matter how successful it seems.

Background:
These verses are from one of the famous poems of Mīrzā Muḥammad ʿAlī Ṣāʾib , also known as Saib Tibrizi. The verses have inspired a well known proverb as well:

خشت اول گر نهد معمار کج 

   تا ثریا می رود دیوار کج

If an architect lays the first brick crooked

Even if the wall reaches the highest galaxies, it is still crooked