--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You need a whole community to raise a…" description: "\"You need a whole community to raise a child. I have raised two children, alone.\" — Toni Morrison" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/173/toni-morrison-271_children_you-need-a-whole-community-to-raise-a-ch_1539095.jpg" --- # You need a whole community to raise a child. I have raised… ![“You need a whole community to raise a child. I have raised two children, alone.” quote by Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/173/toni-morrison-271_children_you-need-a-whole-community-to-raise-a-ch_1539095.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/173/toni-morrison-271_children_you-need-a-whole-community-to-raise-a-ch_1539095.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/173/toni-morrison-271_children_you-need-a-whole-community-to-raise-a-ch_1539095.jpg) > “You need a whole community to raise a child. I have raised two children, alone.” [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Raising a child requires collective support; a single parent cannot provide all needed resources and guidance. **In simple terms:** Children need community support. Key Takeaway Seek help from family and community. Themes family support parenting community responsibility Mood hopeful determined Type advice reflective When to use this quote - single parenthood - neighborhood programs - school involvement - extended family - peer groups Key Concepts social support collective responsibility child development Questions to Reflect On - How can you build a supportive network? - What resources are most needed? A Different Perspective Even with community, personal involvement remains essential. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) ## Related quotes > [It takes a caring community to raise a child that will be a whole person and a contributing citizen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessye-norman/it-takes-a-caring-community-to-raise-a-child-that-will-be-a-whole/) [Jessye Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessye-norman/) > [It really takes a community to raise children, no matter how much money one has. Nobody can do it well alone. And it's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/it-really-takes-a-community-to-raise-children-no-matter-how-much/) [Marian Wright Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-wright-edelman/) > [“No accomplishment has taken place without trial, and no growth could have occurred without unwavering love. This is the story of how it took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/regina-calcaterra/no-accomplishment-has-taken-place-without-trial-and-no-growth-could/) [Regina Calcaterra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/regina-calcaterra/) > [I should have been thinking more about my family, how I raised my children, how I maintained life's work, so to speak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-namath/i-should-have-been-thinking-more-about-my-family-how-i-raised-my/) [Joe Namath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-namath/) > [Two parents can't raise a child any more than one. You need a whole community - everybody - to raise a child. And the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/two-parents-can-t-raise-a-child-any-more-than-one-you-need-a-whole/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [I don't think one parent can raise a child. I don't think two parents can raise a child. You really need the whole village.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/i-don-t-think-one-parent-can-raise-a-child-i-don-t-think-two-parents/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [To me, I'm the epitome of what a ghetto child is: I was raised by a single parent; I stayed in apartments my whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-me-i-m-the-epitome-of-what-a-ghetto-child-is-i-was-raised-by-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The child who is being raised strictly by the book is probably a first edition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/the-child-who-is-being-raised-strictly-by-the-book-is-probably-a/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [I was very much an only child who was raised by the television and movies, and I grew up in New York. We weren't,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-eichner/i-was-very-much-an-only-child-who-was-raised-by-the-television-and/) [Billy Eichner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-eichner/) > [If you think about a child that is born and how it's born, if it has racism in his genes, every child that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-assaraf/if-you-think-about-a-child-that-is-born-and-how-it-s-born-if-it-has/) [John Assaraf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-assaraf/) > [“Her boy—this child she raised on her own, in whom she placed her purest faith, to whom she read on countless evenings books he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-dupal/her-boy-this-child-she-raised-on-her-own-in-whom-she-placed-her/) Stephanie Dupal > [I'm an only child. Mostly raised by my father outside of Saratoga, doing martial arts and snowmobiling. I wore sweaters, jeans and sneakers. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jwoww/i-m-an-only-child-mostly-raised-by-my-father-outside-of-saratoga/) JWoww > [“A Child raised in the Mud should never point an accusing finger at a Pig.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olaotan-fawehinmi/a-child-raised-in-the-mud-should-never-point-an-accusing-finger-at-a/) [Olaotan Fawehinmi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olaotan-fawehinmi/) > [I'm 23 years old. I might just be my mother's child, but in all reality, I'm everybody's child. Nobody raised me; I was raised…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tupac-shakur/i-m-23-years-old-i-might-just-be-my-mother-s-child-but-in-all-reality/) [Tupac Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tupac-shakur/) > [No child should be raised in a system. A system isn't a parent. Even the system knows this, which is why the Children and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhea-perlman/no-child-should-be-raised-in-a-system-a-system-isn-t-a-parent-even/) [Rhea Perlman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhea-perlman/) ## More by Toni Morrison > [Perhaps that's what all human relationships boiled down to: Would you save my life? or would you take it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/perhaps-that-s-what-all-human-relationships-boiled-down-to-would-you/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [There, in the center of that silence was not eternity but the death of time and a loneliness so profound the word itself had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/there-in-the-center-of-that-silence-was-not-eternity-but-the-death-of/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [In times of dread, artists must never choose to remain silent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/in-times-of-dread-artists-must-never-choose-to-remain-silent/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [“Not know it was hard;knowing it was harder”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/not-know-it-was-hard-knowing-it-was-harder/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [“Didn’t everything on God’s earth have or acquire defense?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/didn-t-everything-on-god-s-earth-have-or-acquire-defense/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [If you can't count, they can cheat you. If you can't read, they can beat you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/if-you-can-t-count-they-can-cheat-you-if-you-can-t-read-they-can-beat/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [“You looked at them and wondered why the were so ugly; you looked closely and could not find the source. Then you realized that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/you-looked-at-them-and-wondered-why-the-were-so-ugly-you-looked/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [All she saw, down in the cellar well beneath the stoop, was a light yellow feather with a tip of green. And she had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/all-she-saw-down-in-the-cellar-well-beneath-the-stoop-was-a-light/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [For me, Art is the restoration of order. It may discuss all sort of terrible things, but there must be satisfaction at the end.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/for-me-art-is-the-restoration-of-order-it-may-discuss-all-sort-of/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [“To Sethe, the future was a matter of keeping the past at bay”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/to-sethe-the-future-was-a-matter-of-keeping-the-past-at-bay/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [“Hate does that. Burns off everything but itself, so whatever your grievance is, your face looks just like your enemy's.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/hate-does-that-burns-off-everything-but-itself-so-whatever-your/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [“You know how a star is supposed to twinkle? We say twinkle because that is how it looks, but when a star feels itself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/you-know-how-a-star-is-supposed-to-twinkle-we-say-twinkle-because/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [“There is no bad luck in the world but whitefolks”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/there-is-no-bad-luck-in-the-world-but-whitefolks/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [My father saw two black men lynched on his street in Cartersville, as a child. And I think seeing two black businessmen - not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/my-father-saw-two-black-men-lynched-on-his-street-in-cartersville-as/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [“She was fierce in the presence of death, heroic even, as she was at no other time. Its threat gave her direction, clarity, audacity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/she-was-fierce-in-the-presence-of-death-heroic-even-as-she-was-at-no/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) [Explore all 774 Toni Morrison quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) ## More Children quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/) [Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/) [Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/) [Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/) > [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? Your childhood is always ending and your adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-espach/children-s-lives-are-always-beginning-and-adults-lives-are-always/) [Alison Espach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-espach/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) [Browse all 62,396 Children quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You need a whole community to raise a child. 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