a house divided against itself cannot stand


a house divided against itself cannot stand

If a group's members are in perpetual disagreement, the group will eventually cease to exist. The phrase is derived from a verse in the Bible (Mark 3:25) and was popularized in an 1858 speech by Abraham Lincoln. The candidate urged the members of his political party to unite because he understood that a house divided against itself cannot stand.See also: cannot, divided, house, itself, stand

A house divided against itself cannot stand.

Prov. If the members of a group fight each other, the group will disintegrate. (Often the group under discussion is a family.) The leader of the newly formed union tried hard to reconcile the different factions within his organization, because he knew that a house divided against itself cannot stand.See also: cannot, divided, house, itself, stand

a house divided

a group or organization weakened by internal dissensions. This phrase alludes to Matthew 12:25: ‘Every city or house divided against itself shall not stand’, that is, will be unable to withstand external pressures.See also: divided, house