Meaning & Analysis
When individuals, groups, or elements are joined together in harmony and with a common purpose, their collective power and resilience are far greater than the sum of their individual strengths.
Insights
Political and Social Cohesion
The proverb is a foundational principle for political stability and national power. It argues that a state or community that is internally united can withstand external threats and achieve great objectives, whereas internal division leads to weakness and collapse.
The Power of Collaboration
In any endeavor, from business to family life, shared goals and cooperation amplify effectiveness. It suggests that collaborative effort overcomes obstacles that would defeat individual attempts, turning 'weake' things 'mighty and strong'.
A Guideline for Community
The proverb serves as a moral and practical guide for community organizing. It advocates for setting aside personal differences for the sake of the common good, asserting that collective well-being depends on solidarity.
Source of Personal Resilience
On a personal level, the proverb suggests that an individual's sense of purpose and psychological strength are reinforced by being part of a cohesive group. Unity provides a bulwark against personal despair and isolation.
Political Philosophy
This proverb is a cornerstone of political and social philosophy, famously articulated in Hobbes's 'Leviathan' and referenced in the American motto 'E pluribus unum'. It argues for collective action over individual effort as the basis for a secure and prosperous society.
Classical Allusion
The 1633 quotation's reference to 'Aesopps faggott' alludes to the ancient fable of 'The Bundle of Sticks', where a father demonstrates that while single sticks are easily broken, a bundle is unbreakable. This provides a powerful and enduring visual metaphor for the proverb's wisdom.
Psychological Foundation
The proverb speaks to the fundamental human need for social cohesion and belonging. It suggests that psychological resilience and a sense of security are derived not from isolation but from being part of a supportive, unified group.
Universal Principle
The principle applies universally, from the structural integrity of a building to the effectiveness of a military unit. Its truth is observable in engineering, biology (e.g., a swarm of bees), and social dynamics, making it a widely applicable and timeless observation.
Rhetorical Devices
Aphorism
The proverb is an aphorism, a concise and memorable statement of a general truth. Its brevity and declarative structure make it sound authoritative and self-evident.
Implied Metaphor
The text relies on the implied metaphor of physical construction, where individual weak components (like threads or bricks) are combined to create a strong structure (a rope or a wall). The allusion to Aesop's 'faggott' (bundle of sticks) makes this metaphor explicit.
Abstract Personification
The pairing of 'union' and 'concord' with 'strength' uses abstract nouns to convey a powerful, tangible outcome, making a complex social idea feel like a law of physics.
Transcription
Quotations
Concorde maketh those thynges that are weake, mighty and strong.
The concorde of brethren is surer then any stone wale.
For by concord small things increase and growe to great things, but by discord great things soone come to nothing.
By unity the smallest things grow great.
I hope . . you are close, and firme, As Aesopps faggott ere the band was looson'd.
The strength of an Army [consisteth] in the union of their strength under one Command.
Weak Things united become strong.
Cross References
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
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