60 It Takes A Village Quotes For Increasing Unity

By Clifton Sankofa

School Leader, Language Arts Expert & Master Quote Curator

Updated November 14, 2023

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Who said the quote, “It takes a village to raise a child?”

The concept that it takes a village to raise a child originates in West Africa.

The phrase is one of the most influential and widespread across the globe.

Check out the benefits of living in a village:

People in villages experience less tension and stress
Villages offer less pollution
Village life is safer and provides community

If you live in the West, you may come from a culture that encourages independence.

People in the US are encouraged to make their way, become independent from their families and forge an individual path.

Other cultures take a more collective approach to life.

The idea that it takes a village to raise a child allows everyone to have a part in providing the highest quality of life for our youth.

Families on every continent face multiple roadblocks.

These adversities include drug addiction, domestic violence, poverty, lack of housing, war, and mental illness.

These problems are interrelated, and most are preventable.

The village process is as old as humanity and is one of the most successful forms of communal living.

Village life and village culture provide people with a sense of community.

Science supports the idea that people who feel connected to others are less likely to abuse drugs or engage in domestic violence.

It takes a village to raise a child

Check out our insightful “it takes a village” quotes below.

Short “it takes a village” quotes

These quotes get right to the point.

1. “It takes a village to raise a child.” ― African Proverb

2. “A village can’t withstand only one-sided opinions.” — Courtney Byrne

3. “I’m every woman. It takes a village to make me who I am.” ― Katy Perry

4. “Make your children know they’re reliant on the village.” — Courtney Byrne

5. “It takes a village to raise a child, but it also takes a village to support a mother.” ― Unknown

6. “If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a whole agency to make a successful campaign.” ― David Guerrero

7. “It takes a village to raise a child, and I choose to be an actively participating member of my village.” ― Megan Davis

8. “There are, however, times when parents in western cultures draw on different members of the village.” — Bente Weimand

9. “They say, “it takes a village to raise a child,” and I just want to say thank you to my “village.” If you have watched, loved, or prayed for my child, thank you.” ― Unknown

10. “People say it takes a village to raise a child. People ask me how my daughter is doing. She’s only doing good if your daughter’s doing good. We’re all one family.” ― Kanye West

Insightful “it takes a village” quotes

Here are some of the coolest it takes a village quotes on the web.

11. “Involve your kids more in things you do to help your village.” — Courtney Byrne

12. “It does take a village to raise good children, so give them more time in their village.” — Courtney Byrne

13. “Because with phones, we’ve gotten further than ever from letting the village raise the child.” — Courtney Byrne

14. “The child grows up and “is raised” around the values and morals of the entire village, not just what’s going on at home.” — Courtney Byrne

15. “Social connectedness is one way of describing the members of the village and the need for families to have multiple supports.” — Bente Weimand

16. “But how do we go back to relying on our village to help truly raise our children from a values and reliability standpoint for the child?” — Courtney Byrne

17. “The need to move past traditional practice silos and how the village might work with families is then discussed using two brief case studies.” — Andrea Rupert

18. “While the phrase “it takes a village” is being used at an all-time high, a sense of communal society and shared values amongst raising our children may be at an all-time low.” — Courtney Byrne

19. “However, no one sector or organization is in a position to address all the issues that these families may face. Hence, it is proposed that a “village approach” is needed when bringing up children.” — Darryl Mayberry

20. “The truth is that it does take a village, a community, but a community of families working, playing, cooperating and facing obstacles together, not a community of government institutions.” ― Oliver DeMille

“It takes a village” quotes to inspire and teach

Our children deserve the best.

21. “Find your village, let them help you, and most important: let them help in raising your children.” — Courtney Byrne

22. “We propose a village that has the capacity to provide support and guidance to families living with adversity.” — Andrea Rupert

23. “We explore the notion of the village further, provide case studies of when it is occurring and provide principles of a village approach.” — Andrea Rupert

24. “Defining problems by the systems families engage with, and the need to look at underlying forces underscores the need for a village approach.” — Darryl Mayberry

25. “Supportive connections with village members are valuable for both children and parents. In her seminal longitudinal study of high-risk children.” — Bente Weimand

26. “You cared and respected everyone because, with a reliance on everyone in the village, you couldn’t risk harming or disrespecting anyone on a regular basis.” — Courtney Byrne

27. “Next time you need an ingredient for a recipe? Don’t run to Amazon Fresh or Instacart right away. Borrow it from a neighbor and send your child over to get it. This is one of the simplest yet impactful ways for a child to rely on a village.” — Courtney Byrne

28. “Ahh! Lady Pillows. So much fluffier than mine.” He took a giant whiff. “Why does everything girlie smell so delightful?” “Because we acknowledge the importance of basic hygiene. And periodically clean our bathrooms.” “Brilliant. I should write that down. After all, it takes a village.” — Kathy Reichs

29. “All these ‘villagers’ may provide direct care to the children and/or support the parent in looking after their children. However, the village, in many countries today, is dissipated and fragmented, and individuals are increasingly isolated and are not eager to ask for, or provide help to, others.” — Darryl Mayberry

30. “The village concept implies a need to identify the magnitude of exclusion (that is, who is being excluded and from what), specify why they are excluded, and, on that basis, promote access to essential services for individuals and their families and challenge societal attitudes and media misrepresentations.” — Darryl Mayberry

“It takes a village” quotes about community

Hard work becomes more manageable when we all pitch in.

31. “Your village was just as important as those living in your house.” — Courtney Byrne

32. “We even saw Hillary Clinton say – remember her phrase – ‘It takes a village to raise a child.’ In other words, your children are not your children – they belong to the community.” — Rafael Cruz

33. “This is where we take the “it takes a village” part of the phrase with parents helping parents to the “raise a child” part of the phrase where children are aware others are helping raise them.” — Courtney Byrne

34. “We’re in a tough place in this world. There are a lot of kids giving up very early. Scripture says it takes a village to raise one child, and that’s what these coaches are going to have to go back and understand.” ― Ray Lewis

35. “Teach kids to have an open mind with various people correcting and reprimanding to avoid behavior problems in the near future. It’s critical for how they are as adults and the next generation of the village.” — Courtney Byrne

36. “What is left that only the family can do? According to the new economy – nothing. The leading view today is ‘It Takes a Village,’ that even love can be outsourced to teachers, coaches, clubs, and mentors.” ― Oliver DeMille

37. “The feeling that a village must help in raising a child is more about the values, responsibilities and life lessons that the village must share and not only about helicopter parents getting help from the village.” — Courtney Byrne

38. “Spend more time in the village, less in the car. If you want the village to help raise your child, spend more time in it. Sounds simple but sit down and think about the area you consider “your village” and how much time your kids spend in it.” — Courtney Byrne

39. “Hillary Clinton said you know, it takes a village to raise a child, and somebody said it takes a village idiot to believe that … it is part of the whole thing of third parties wanting to make decisions for which they pay no price for when they’re wrong.” ― Thomas Sowell

40. “Mothers really were not built to raise babies not only by themselves but with only a partner. For millions of years, a woman had much more than just her husband to help rear her young. This whole idea of ‘it takes a village to raise a child is exactly how we’re supposed to live.” ― Helen Fisher

“It takes a village” quotes about unity

These quotes remind us of the power of unity.

41. “I know, but the more the child relies on the village, the more respect they have for it.” — Courtney Byrne

42. “Inherent in the concept of the village is the notion that caring for children is a shared responsibility amongst many.” — Darryl Mayberry

43. “Back in the day, you relied on the village for everything: one family was the butcher, one was the doctor, one the baker, etc.” — Courtney Byrne

44. “Kids in the village need to rely on other kids too. Encouraging kids to practice this can have so many benefits in the long run.” — Courtney Byrne

45. “Without genuine spiritual community, life becomes a struggle so lonely and grim that even Hillary Clinton has admitted ‘it takes a ‘village’” — David James Duncan

46. “They don’t have time for other people’s thoughts, never mind time to help raise another person’s kids. But we’ve brought back half the saying; it takes a village.” — Courtney Byrne

47. “This requires an environment where children’s voices are taken seriously and where multiple people (the “villagers”), including parents, siblings, extended family members, neighbors, teachers, professionals, community members, and policymakers, care for a child.” — Andrea Rupert

48. “The quoting of an aphorism, such as “It takes a village to raise a child,” “No news is good news,” and “Love conquers all,” rarely indicates that something helpful is about to happen, which is why we provide our volunteers with a disguise kit in addition to helpful phrases of advice.” — Daniel Handler

49. “In part, I’m just mystified. Here’s a woman, Hillary [Clinton], who wrote a book about it takes a “village” to raise children. It wasn’t about a book about “it takes a pill.” There’s a “doublethink” that the modern person often has. Anything that’s called “science” is accepted as an absolute and sweeps reason away.” — Peter Breggin

50. “The phrase “it takes a village to raise a child” originates from an African proverb and conveys the message that it takes many people (“the village”) to provide a safe, healthy environment for children, where children are given the security they need to develop and flourish, and to be able to realize their hopes and dreams.” — Andrea Rupert

51. “Making the decision to have a child—it’s wondrous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.” ― Hillary Rodham Clinton

52. “First, we parents have to back up school authority and quit making excuses for our kids when they misbehave.” ― Hillary Rodham Clinton

53. “…standards are for: they establish what children should know, not how they are taught or measured.” ― Hillary Rodham Clinton

54. “The simple message of It Takes a Village is as relevant as ever: We are all in this together.” ― Hillary Clinton

55. “As mom, we are in it together – raising the future. We are a tribe of future makers. So let’s support each other. ” ―Marissa Hermer

56. “Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.” ― Helen Keller

57. “We cannot live for ourselves alone. Our lives are connected by a thousand invisible threads, and along these sympathetic fibers, our actions run as causes and return to us as results.” ― Herman Melville

58. “It takes a man of genius to travel in his own country, in his native village; to make any progress between his door and his gate.” — Henry David Thoreau

59. “It takes only one child to raze a village.” — Florence King

60. “Our job is to show how it is possible to take an illiterate woman and make her into an engineer in six months and show that she can solar-electrify a village.” — Bunker Roy

Villages work together

Villages create unity.

There are a million and one things that separate people, including politics, religion, and the economy.

The integrity and wellness of all are foundational to the village lifestyle.

Researcher Darryl Mayberry notes, “Inherent in the concept of the village is the notion that caring for children is a shared responsibility amongst many.”

Sometimes people associate living a village lifestyle with living without technology or the benefits of modern convenience.

On the contrary, village life simplifies things so we can focus on what makes us happy.

People living in a village lifestyle spend fewer hours working and more time pursuing their interests.

It is a myth to believe that a village lifestyle has to mean a more complicated life.