An oak and a reed were arguing about their strength. When a strong wind came up, the reed avoided being uprooted by bending and leaning with the gusts of wind. But the oak stood firm and was torn up by the roots.
Aesop, Lloyd W. Daly (1961). “Aesop without morals: the famous fables, and a life of Aesop, newly translated and edited by Lloyd W. Daly. Illustrated by Grace Muscarella”