ProverbHuman NatureInternational origin

It takes a village to raise a child

Meaning: Community support is essential for child development.

Origin: Usually called an African proverb, but the proverb scholar Wolfgang Mieder found no matching saying in any African language, and NPR could not pin down a source when it investigated in 2016. Scholars do point to similar ideas in Igbo and Yoruba sayings. The wording became famous through Hillary Clinton's 1996 book It Takes a Village.

Equivalents in French, Spanish, and German

  • French: Il faut tout un village pour élever un enfant (literally: It takes a whole village to raise a child)
  • Spanish: Se necesita un pueblo entero para criar a un niño (literally: It takes a whole town to raise a child)
  • German: Um ein Kind zu erziehen, braucht es ein ganzes Dorf (literally: To raise a child, a whole village is needed)

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