The Importance of Gear in Photography

The gear is often a topic that's discussed with photography because like everything people think that the... What do you think on that actually? Do you feel that your gear defines you or vice versa or... I mean, obviously you couldn't take photos without the camera so it's relevant, but at what point do you go on? "I think initially when you're just starting to learn, it really doesn't matter. Like you need to figure out the basics"