A Farmer And His Son

Once a farmer had three grown-up sons. They always quarreled among themselves. Their father advised them to live in peace but it had no effect on them. He was worried about their future. One day the farmer fell seriously ill. He sent for his sons. He asked them to collect a handful of sticks which they did at once. He tied the sticks into a bundle.

Now, he asked them to break the bundle one by one. They tried hard to break it but none could. At last, the farmer untied the bundle and asked each of them to break each stick. They did so quite easily. Their father said, "My dear sons, you could not break the sticks as long as they remained tied together but you broke every single stick quite easily. They were strong in the bundle but became weak when separated from one another. Never forget that united we stand and divided we fall."

This had a deep effect on the farmer's sons. They gave up quarreling and began to live in peace.