---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Scilurus on his death-bed, being about to…"
description: "\"Scilurus on his death-bed, being about to leave four-score sons surviving, offered a bundle of darts to each of them, and bade them break them. When al..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55b/plutarch-597_bed_scilurus-on-his-death-bed-being-about-to_2961864.jpg"
---

#  Scilurus on his death-bed, being about to leave four-score…

![“Scilurus on his death-bed, being about to leave four-score sons surviving, offered a bundle of darts to each of them, and bade them break them. When all refused, drawing out one by one, he easily broke them, thus teaching them that if they held together, they would continue strong; but if they…” quote by Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55b/plutarch-597_bed_scilurus-on-his-death-bed-being-about-to_2961864.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55b/plutarch-597_bed_scilurus-on-his-death-bed-being-about-to_2961864.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55b/plutarch-597_bed_scilurus-on-his-death-bed-being-about-to_2961864.jpg)

> “Scilurus on his death-bed, being about to leave four-score sons surviving, offered a bundle of darts to each of them, and bade them break them. When all refused, drawing out one by one, he easily broke them, thus teaching them that if they held together, they would continue strong; but if they fell out and were divided, they would become weak.”

[Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A dying father gives each son a bundle of darts, breaking them to show that unity makes strength, while division weakens.

**In simple terms:** Unity yields strength; division leads to weakness.

Key Takeaway

Foster cohesion to stay strong.

Themes

family strength unity

Mood

inspirational serious

Type

historical advice

When to use this quote

- family inheritance
- military units
- business partnerships
- community projects

Key Concepts

leadership teamwork resilience

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you demonstrate unity in your group?
- What risks arise from division?

A Different Perspective

If the darts are broken, the lesson may be lost.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Death bed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death-bed/) [Son](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/son/) [Surviving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surviving/) [Teaching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teaching/)

## Related quotes

> [I have two teenage sons, and they're both surviving, thriving, and having a great time, and they're always on social media.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bloom/i-have-two-teenage-sons-and-they-re-both-surviving-thriving-and/)

[Paul Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bloom/)

> [“The World is pretty much divided between the weak of mind &amp; the strong- between those who can act &amp; those who cannot, &amp;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/the-world-is-pretty-much-divided-between-the-weak-of-mind-the-strong/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [For, in the language of Heraclitus, the virtuous soul is pure and unmixed light, springing from the body as a flash of lightning darts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/for-in-the-language-of-heraclitus-the-virtuous-soul-is-pure-and/)

[Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/)

> [“Constantly downcast leads to the death bed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-purcell/constantly-downcast-leads-to-the-death-bed/)

[Veronica Purcell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-purcell/)

> [I believe everyone should have a good death. You know, with your grandchildren around you, a bit of sobbing. Because after all, tears are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/i-believe-everyone-should-have-a-good-death-you-know-with-your/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [Sometimes I wish my first word was 'quote,' so that on my death bed, my last words could be 'end quote.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/sometimes-i-wish-my-first-word-was-quote-so-that-on-my-death-bed-my/)

[Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/)

> [Who would condescend to strike down the mere things that he does not fear? Who would debase himself to be merely brave, like any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/who-would-condescend-to-strike-down-the-mere-things-that-he-does-not/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Youth is not rich in time; it may be poor; Part with it as with money, sparing; pay No moment but in purchase of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/youth-is-not-rich-in-time-it-may-be-poor-part-with-it-as-with-money/)

[Edward Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/)

> [A proper autobiography is a death-bed confession.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-antin/a-proper-autobiography-is-a-death-bed-confession/)

[Mary Antin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-antin/)

> [I like the story about Henry David Thoreau, who, when he was on his death bed, his family sent for a minister. The minister…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-udall/i-like-the-story-about-henry-david-thoreau-who-when-he-was-on-his/)

[Stewart Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-udall/)

> [I thank God that I can say on my death bed that I am a virtuous woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/belle-boyd/i-thank-god-that-i-can-say-on-my-death-bed-that-i-am-a-virtuous-woman/)

[Belle Boyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/belle-boyd/)

> [On your death bed, you will think about all of those days you didn't check Twitter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/on-your-death-bed-you-will-think-about-all-of-those-days-you-didn-t/)

[Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/)

> [The death-bed of a day, how beautiful!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-death-bed-of-a-day-how-beautiful/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I feel nothing, apart from a certain difficulty in continuing to exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-le-bovier-de-fontenelle/i-feel-nothing-apart-from-a-certain-difficulty-in-continuing-to-exist/)

[Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-le-bovier-de-fontenelle/)

> [It is not the things we do in life that we regret on our death bed. It is the things we do not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-pausch/it-is-not-the-things-we-do-in-life-that-we-regret-on-our-death-bed-it/)

[Randy Pausch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-pausch/)

## More by Plutarch

> [When Eudæmonidas heard a philosopher arguing that only a wise man can be a good general, "This is a wonderful speech," said he; "but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/when-eud-monidas-heard-a-philosopher-arguing-that-only-a-wise-man-can/)

[Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/)

> [The generous mind adds dignity to every act, and nothing misbecomes it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/the-generous-mind-adds-dignity-to-every-act-and-nothing-misbecomes-it/)

[Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/)

> [Painting is silent poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/painting-is-silent-poetry/)

[Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/)

> [King Agis said, "The Lacedæmonians are not wont to ask how many, but where the enemy are."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/king-agis-said-the-laced-monians-are-not-wont-to-ask-how-many-but/)

[Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/)

> [Alexander wept when he heard from Anaxarchus that there was an infinite number of worlds; and his friends asking him if any accident had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/alexander-wept-when-he-heard-from-anaxarchus-that-there-was-an/)

[Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/)

> [Proper listening is the foundation of proper living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/proper-listening-is-the-foundation-of-proper-living/)

[Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/)

> [Painting is silent poetry, and poetry is painting that speaks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/painting-is-silent-poetry-and-poetry-is-painting-that-speaks/)

[Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/)

> [Speech is like cloth of Arras opened and put abroad, whereby the imagery doth appear in figure; whereas in thoughts they lie but as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/speech-is-like-cloth-of-arras-opened-and-put-abroad-whereby-the/)

[Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/)

> [There were two brothers called Both and Either; perceiving Either was a good, understanding, busy fellow, and Both a silly fellow and good for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/there-were-two-brothers-called-both-and-either-perceiving-either-was/)

[Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/)

> [Why does pouring Oil on the Sea make it Clear and Calm? Is it that the winds, slipping the smooth oil, have no force,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/why-does-pouring-oil-on-the-sea-make-it-clear-and-calm-is-it-that-the/)

[Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/)

> [This excerpt is presented as reproduced by Copernicus in the preface to De Revolutionibus: "Some think that the earth remains at rest. But Philolaus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/this-excerpt-is-presented-as-reproduced-by-copernicus-in-the-preface/)

[Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/)

> [It is part of a good man to do great and noble deeds, though he risk everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/it-is-part-of-a-good-man-to-do-great-and-noble-deeds-though-he-risk/)

[Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/)

> [I am whatever was, or is, or will be; and my veil no mortal ever took up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/i-am-whatever-was-or-is-or-will-be-and-my-veil-no-mortal-ever-took-up/)

[Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/)

> [The pilot cannot mitigate the billows or calm the winds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/the-pilot-cannot-mitigate-the-billows-or-calm-the-winds/)

[Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/)

> [“In Springtime, O Dionysos, To thy holy temple come, To Elis with thy Graces, Rushing with thy bull-foot, come, Noble Bull, Noble Bull”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/in-springtime-o-dionysos-to-thy-holy-temple-come-to-elis-with-thy/)

[Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/)

[Explore all 451 Plutarch quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/)

## More Bed quotes

> [When man of slender visits you / Nothing on earth that one can do / In well he’ll hide, or watery hole / And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-goldstein/when-man-of-slender-visits-you-nothing-on-earth-that-one-can-do-in/)

[Jack Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-goldstein/)

> [Your idea of fidelity is not having more than one man in bed at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-raphael/your-idea-of-fidelity-is-not-having-more-than-one-man-in-bed-at-the/)

[Frederic Raphael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-raphael/)

> [The beginning of love is all about the butterflies, but the end of it is when you can't get out of bed in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/the-beginning-of-love-is-all-about-the-butterflies-but-the-end-of-it/)

[Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/)

> [Home is behind, the world ahead, And there are many paths to tread Through shadows to the edge of night, Until the stars are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/home-is-behind-the-world-ahead-and-there-are-many-paths-to-tread/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I wish I had as much in bed as I get in the newspapers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-ronstadt/i-wish-i-had-as-much-in-bed-as-i-get-in-the-newspapers/)

[Linda Ronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-ronstadt/)

> [ Leave a cavity behind the \[wall\] facings, and on the inside build walls two feet thick, made of red dimension stone or burnt brick… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-vitruvius-pollio/leave-a-cavity-behind-the-wall-facings-and-on-the-inside-build-walls/)

[Marcus Vitruvius Pollio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-vitruvius-pollio/)

> [Why couldn't Jesus command us to obsess over everything, to try to control and manipulate people, to try not to breathe at all, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/why-couldn-t-jesus-command-us-to-obsess-over-everything-to-try-to/)

[Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/)

> [“To all the secret writers, late-night painters, would-be singers, lapsed and scared artists of every stripe, dig out your paintbrush, or your flute, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/to-all-the-secret-writers-late-night-painters-would-be-singers-lapsed/)

[Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/)

> [“In the parking lot, she drove and parked in a dark area with no other cars around. She reclined her seat, and listened to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tao-lin/in-the-parking-lot-she-drove-and-parked-in-a-dark-area-with-no-other/)

[Tao Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tao-lin/)

> [It wasn't really touching to be young; it was touching not to be young, because you had less of life left. Touching to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/it-wasn-t-really-touching-to-be-young-it-was-touching-not-to-be-young/)

[Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/)

> [I have to meditate before I go to bed, always. I have to let the day go and let the eternal in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bellamy-young/i-have-to-meditate-before-i-go-to-bed-always-i-have-to-let-the-day-go/)

[Bellamy Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bellamy-young/)

> [Sometimes by a woodland stream he watched the water rush over the pebbled bed, its tiny modulations of bounce and flow. A woman's body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/sometimes-by-a-woodland-stream-he-watched-the-water-rush-over-the/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [I think life is full of challenges and problems. I don't believe that anyone is perfect. We all make mistakes. It's not a bed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-mansell/i-think-life-is-full-of-challenges-and-problems-i-don-t-believe-that/)

[Nigel Mansell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-mansell/)

> [When I saw him I thought I could curl up inside him and go to sleep and never wake up." "Men are no good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/when-i-saw-him-i-thought-i-could-curl-up-inside-him-and-go-to-sleep/)

[Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/)

> [I always wanted to be a movie star. I thought it meant being famous and having breakfast in bed. I didn't know you had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/june-allyson/i-always-wanted-to-be-a-movie-star-i-thought-it-meant-being-famous/)

[June Allyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/june-allyson/)

Browse all 4,159 Bed quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Scilurus on his death-bed, being about to leave four-score sons surviving, offered a bundle of darts to each of them, and bade them break them. When all refused, drawing out one by one, he easily broke them, thus teaching them that if they held together, they would continue strong; but if they fell out and were divided, they would become weak.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Plutarch"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/scilurus-on-his-death-bed-being-about-to-leave-four-score-sons/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bed"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/scilurus-on-his-death-bed-being-about-to-leave-four-score-sons/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55b/plutarch-597_bed_scilurus-on-his-death-bed-being-about-to_2961864.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55b/plutarch-597_bed_scilurus-on-his-death-bed-being-about-to_2961864.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55b/plutarch-597_bed_scilurus-on-his-death-bed-being-about-to_2961864.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Scilurus on his death-bed, being about to leave four-score sons surviving, offered a bundle of darts to each…” — Plutarch",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Plutarch",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Scilurus on his death-bed, being about...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/scilurus-on-his-death-bed-being-about-to-leave-four-score-sons/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/scilurus-on-his-death-bed-being-about-to-leave-four-score-sons/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
