When I make a fist, it's strong, and you can't tear it apart. As

Hearken to the words of Ara Parseghian, a leader of men and a master of the field, who declared: “When I make a fist, it’s strong, and you can’t tear it apart. As long as there’s unity, there’s strength.” This is no idle metaphor, but the distilled wisdom of one who knew the power of togetherness. For the open hand, with fingers scattered, is weak; but when those same fingers curl inward, bound to one another, they form a weapon no enemy can easily shatter.

The meaning is clear: unity transforms weakness into might. Alone, each man or woman may falter. Alone, each is vulnerable to defeat. But when bound together in loyalty and common cause, they become as the fist—compact, immovable, and unbreakable. This is the essence of teamwork, of brotherhood, of family, and of nations that endure. Strength lies not in numbers alone, but in the closeness of bonds, in the will to stand as one.

History bears countless proofs of this truth. Recall the Spartan warriors at Thermopylae, three hundred standing against legions without fear. Their power was not in individual prowess but in their unity, shields locked in phalanx, each man’s life tied to the man beside him. Though they fell, their example endured through the ages, showing how a small band, made one in purpose, can challenge the mightiest foe. Such is the lesson of Parseghian’s fist—when the many bind themselves into one, they are unconquerable.

Even beyond the battlefield, this wisdom shines. Consider the American labor movements of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Alone, each worker was powerless before vast corporations, their voices ignored, their bodies used up. But when they joined together, when they struck and marched as one, they forced kings of industry to reckon with them. Unity gave them strength, and from that strength arose safer conditions, fairer wages, and dignity for generations to come.

Parseghian, as a coach, lived this truth in sport. His teams were not built upon one man’s glory but upon the unity of the whole. When each player acted not for himself but for the fist of the team, victory was theirs. And this mirrors life itself: for families, for communities, for nations—when they act as scattered fingers, they fall; when they clench together, they endure.

The lesson for us, O listener, is both simple and eternal: guard your unity. Do not let pride, envy, or selfishness scatter your bonds. Whether in family, friendship, or labor, bind yourselves together in trust. Support those beside you, for their strength is yours, and your strength is theirs. Remember: a single reed breaks in the storm, but a bundle of reeds bends and rises again.

Practical steps are these: cherish relationships; nurture trust; resolve disputes before they tear apart the hand. Wherever you stand—in your home, your work, your nation—ask yourself: am I acting as a finger apart, or am I closing into the fist of unity? Lend your strength to the common good, for in that gift you gain far more than you lose.

Thus, Parseghian’s words become not merely a teaching for athletes, but a law for life. “As long as there’s unity, there’s strength.” Let this be a banner over your days. Stand not alone, but together, and you will find that no force can easily divide you, no burden is too heavy, and no enemy too great. For the hand that is open is fragile, but the fist that is closed in unity is unbreakable.