United we stand, divided we fall
Meaning: Strength comes from unity.
Origin: The idea is Aesop's, in fables such as the bundle of sticks. John Dickinson's "The Liberty Song" (1768), a rallying song of the American Revolution, has "By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall," and "United we stand, divided we fall" is the state motto of Kentucky.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, and German
- French: L'union fait la force (literally: Unity makes strength)
- Spanish: La unión hace la fuerza (literally: Union makes strength)
- Japanese: 団結すれば立ち、分裂すれば倒れる (Danketsu sureba tachi, bunretsu sureba taoreru) (literally: United we stand, divided we fall)
- German: Einigkeit macht stark (literally: Unity makes strong)
More proverbs about Communication
- A rising tide lifts all boats — General improvements benefit everyone.
- A chain is only as strong as its weakest link — A group's effectiveness is limited by its weakest member.
- Silence speaks volumes — What is not said can be more meaningful than what is.
- There's no such thing as bad publicity — Any attention, even negative, can be beneficial.
- Many hands make light work — Tasks are easier when shared among many people.
- What you see is what you get — There's nothing hidden or disguised.
From our tongue twisters
- От топота копыт пыль по полю летит. (Ot topota kopyt pyl po polyu letit.) — A 'p/t' hammering that imitates the hoofbeats it describes.
- Четыре чёрненьких чумазеньких чертёнка чертили чёрными чернилами чертёж. (Chetyre chyornenkikh chumazenkikh chertyonka chertili chyornymi chernilami chertyozh.) — Seven consecutive words built on 'ch' — Russian's ч in every stressed position with barel…
- 红鲤鱼与绿鲤鱼与驴 (Hóng lǐyú yǔ lǜ lǐyú yǔ lǘ) — lǐ, lǜ and lǘ differ only by vowel rounding and tone — nine syllables that all collapse t…