There is an old rich man. Every day, his three sons fight with each other over their father's fortune. Their father always tells them to work together, but they never listen to him. The old man says "I will leave all of my fortune to the one that can break this bundle of sticks. " The eldest son tries first. Though he presses and pulls with his arms, he cannot bend the sticks. The second son laughs, takes the bundle but he still cannot break it. Finally, the youngest tries, the result is the same.
Then the father unties the bundle of sticks. "Now each of you take a stick and try to break it again," he says. This time, the boys break the sticks easily in their hands.
Father says: "If you stand together, no one can beat you. But if you always fight with each other and insist on going your separate ways, you will be as weak as a stick."