The Bundle of Sticks

A dying farmer, troubled by how often his sons quarreled and worried they would drift apart entirely once he was gone, called them together for one final lesson. He handed each son a single stick and asked them to break it — which each did easily, with barely any effort at all.

Then he bundled several sticks tightly together and asked them, one by one, to try breaking the whole bundle at once. No matter how hard each son strained, the bundled sticks would not break.

"You see," the father said, "each of you alone, like a single stick, can be broken easily by life's hardships. But bound together as one family, supporting each other, you become as unbreakable as this bundle. Never let your quarrels pull you apart — your strength has always been in staying bound together." His sons, understanding at last, set aside their old grievances and stayed close for the rest of their lives.