In the story, an old man is dying and calls his people to his side.
He gives a short, sturdy stick to each of his many offspring,
wives, and relatives. “Break the stick,” he instructs them. With
some effort, they all snap their sticks in half. “This is how it is
when a soul is alone without anyone. They can be easily
broken.” The old man next gives each of his kin another stick
and says, “…put your sticks together in bundles of twos and
threes. Now, break these bundles in half.” No one can break the
sticks when there are two or more in a bundle. The old man
smiles. “We are strong when we stand with another soul. When
we are with another, we cannot be broken. – Clarissa Pinkola
Estes
Edge of Atlantic 