United we stand, divided we fall

"United we stand, divided we fall" is a phrase used in many different kinds of mottos, most often to inspire unity and collaboration.

Its core concept lies in the collectivist notion that if individual members of a certain group with binding ideals – such as a union, coalition, confederation or alliance – work on their own instead of as a team, they are each doomed to fail and will all be defeated.

The phrase has been attributed to the ancient Greek storyteller Aesop, both directly in his fable "The Four Oxen and the Lion"[1] and indirectly in "The Bundle of Sticks".

The 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica quotes Robert Grosseteste (d. 1253) saying "It is written that united we stand and divided we fall.

During his unsuccessful campaign against Stephen Douglas in 1858, Abraham Lincoln gave a speech centered on the House divided analogy to illustrate the need for a universal decision on slavery across all states.