‘United We Stand, Divided We Fall’ – Meaning and Explanation

On Jan 12, 2017

Its meaning: ‘United we stand, divided we fall’ is very well-known saying. It highlights the importance of unity.

It means ‘it is better to stick together’. We all know that unity is strength. Unity is of great value in every walk of life. If there is unity among people then their strength increases. On the other hand, their strength decreases if there is disunity or conflict among them.

The words stand and fall here are metaphorical. To stand means to ‘succeed’. To fall means to ‘fail’.

So, the proverb:

Emphasizes the importance of unity.
Uses a metaphor of standing to mean success.
Uses a metaphor of falling to mean failure.
States that success depends on unity.
States that failure comes from divisions.

Explanation: A single man cannot do everything. Many men together can easily perform a difficult job. We know the story of the Farmer and his quarrelling sons. The sons could easily break a single piece of stick. But when several sticks were made into a bundle none of them was able to break it. The sons understood the value of unity and gave up their quarrels. Unity is strength, disunity is weakness.

This proverb is so effective because it relies on a simple yet powerful juxtaposition of two pairs of opposing terms: stand and fall, and united and divided.

Also read: Short Story on Unity is Strength (Pigeons story)

Relevance of the above proverb is discussed below:

Family: If the members of a family take care of each other and stay united, they live happily. When the members of a family quarrel among themselves, the peace of the family is disturbed.

Society: If the different sections of the people in society fall out, there is a social disorder. When the people in a society live together in peace, social progress quickens. This proverb reminds us to be a caring and good neighbor. Good neighbors make up a good society.

Nation: Unity brings wealth and prosperity to a nation. A nation cannot prosper if the people are not united. It should be the duty of all people to sink their petty differences and come together. Disunity should always be discouraged. A country torn by strife becomes weak and cannot resist a foreign enemy. A nation becomes stronger when the citizens of a nation stand together. On the other hand, it becomes weak when the citizens fight over trival issues.

Emotional relevance. When other people support us, we can surmount all of life’s challenges.

In the workplace. Working as a group means we get our work done more effectively. Teamwork is of immense importance for success, both at the individual level and at the organizational level.

Group activity. From environmental protests to charity fundraising, we achieve our goals better when we work together.

Union is strength. Division weakens and ruins a country. Hence, we should all try our best to stay together and develop the feelings of unity and harmony.