The Bundle of Sticks
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An old farmer had four sons who argued constantly. One evening he called them together and set a tightly tied bundle of sticks on the table. He asked each son in turn to break it. Each one strained and twisted, and each one handed it back unbroken. Then the farmer untied the cord and spread the sticks across the table. "Now try," he said. One at a time, the sons snapped every stick without effort. "You see," the farmer told them, "while you hold together, no trouble can break you. Quarrel, and you will be broken as easily as these sticks."