THE FARMER AND HIS SONS
A farmer had quarrelsome sons. Although he had admonished them many times, he could not persuade them with words to change. He then came up with a plan: he ordered them to bring him a bundle of sticks. When they did as they were told, he handed them all the sticks together and ordered them to try to break them. Since they couldn’t do it, even though they strained with all their might, he untied the bundle and handed them the sticks one by one. As they easily broke them, he said to them: “In the same way, my children, you will be unbeatable to enemies if you are united; but if you quarrel, anyone will easily overcome you.”
THE OLD MAN AND DEATH
Once, an old man chopped wood in the mountains and put it on his shoulders. When he had traveled a long way burdened like that, tired, he took off the wood and called out to Death. As Death immediately approached and asked him why he was calling, the old man said: “Please lift and carry this burden for me.”