Everybody's business is nobody's business.

Understand the thought

Meaning in plain English

When a task is vaguely assigned to everyone, each person may assume someone else will do it. Shared responsibility works better when the next action and its owner are clear.

What the words are saying

The apparent contradiction is that a task belonging to everybody can end up attended to by nobody. The proverb describes a coordination problem: without a clear arrangement, people may wait, duplicate effort or assume that another person has already acted. It does not mean collective work is impossible or that one person must carry the entire burden. A group can share responsibility while naming who will handle a particular step and when others will help. The useful distinction is between a common interest in the outcome and a workable agreement about the actions needed to reach it.

Everyday example

A community group names one person to confirm the room booking and another to collect equipment instead of leaving both jobs to everyone generally.

When to use it

Use it when an important shared task lacks a clear next action or responsible person.

Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.