the whole is in the parts

She looked me studiously in the eyes and asked, "Is the sum greater than the whole?" Caught off guard by the sudden turn in our conversation, I replied with a question. "What flies, the feathers or the bird?" She mused for a second, faintly laughed, then leaned forward and said with a smile, "The feathers are only one portion of all that makes a bird." Smiling back, I asked, "What flies, all that makes a bird or the bird?"
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