The Bundle of Sticks

Once there was an old father who had a group of sons. The brothers were strong and quick, and they could work hard. But they argued every day. They pushed and shouted. They would not listen to each other.

Their father watched and worried. He loved his sons very much. He wanted them to be safe and kind. One quiet morning he called them together. “My sons,” he said softly, “come and sit with me. I have a small task for you.”

He brought out a bundle of sticks tied with a simple rope. The bundle was thick. The sticks were close together, pressed tight side by side. The father set the bundle on the table.

“Who can break this bundle?” he asked. “Try your best.”

The oldest son picked up the bundle. He held it in both hands. He pushed and bent and tried to snap it. The sticks creaked, but they did not break.

The next brother tried. He pulled and twisted. He frowned and huffed. The bundle stayed whole.

One by one, each brother tried. They all grunted and strained. They could not break the bundle of sticks. Not one.

The father nodded. He did not laugh. He did not scold. He took the bundle back and pulled at the knot. The rope fell away. The sticks rolled loose across the table—one stick, then another, and another.

The father handed a single stick to each son. “Now,” he said, “try to break your stick.”

Snap! went the first stick.

Snap! went the next one.

Snap! Snap! Snap! Every single son could break his one little stick with ease.

The father looked at their faces. He spoke gently. “My sons, when these sticks were tied together, none of you could break them. But when I gave you one at a time, every stick broke. Do you see?”

He pointed to the pile of broken pieces and the empty rope. “When you stand apart, when you quarrel and push away from each other, troubles can snap you like these single sticks. But when you stay together—when you help, listen, and hold on to one another—you are strong. Like the bundle, you cannot be broken so easily.”

The brothers were quiet. They looked at the broken sticks. They looked at each other. Slowly, they nodded.

“I understand,” said the oldest. “Together we are strong.”

“I understand,” said another. “We will try to work as one.”

From that day, the brothers tried to change. When they built a fence, they shared the work. When one brother felt tired, another lifted the heavy end. When someone spoke, the others listened. They still had small quarrels—because families are real and people are different—but they remembered the bundle of sticks. They tied their hearts together with care, like a safe, gentle rope.

And whenever a big problem came, they stood side by side. They were not easy to break.