proverb · Source-linked selection
Let every one mind his own business, and the cows will be well tended.
Let every one mind his own business, and the cows will be well tended.
In print by 1857 AD · industrial
Recorded in a printed collection by this date; the original date of these words is still unknown.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Shared work benefits when people attend to their own responsibilities. Clear roles can prevent essential tasks being neglected while everyone interferes with someone else’s job.
What the words are saying
The cows are well tended when the people responsible for them do their work. The proverb makes a practical case for attention and role clarity. In a group, constant interference can leave both the original task and the interrupted task unfinished. It can help to agree who handles what and how assistance will be requested. This is a coordination principle, not a ban on speaking up. Problems crossing roles still need discussion, and a person noticing harm should not be silenced by an appeal to minding their business.
Everyday example
At an event, one volunteer manages registration and another prepares seating. They agree when to ask for help instead of repeatedly abandoning their tasks to supervise each other.
When to use it
Use it when role confusion is leaving agreed work undone.
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What it does not mean
Roles must not prevent useful cooperation or reporting a serious problem. Responsibilities can be revised when needs change.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional (French-language collection)
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- In print by 1857 AD · industrial
In print by 1857: recorded in A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (1857). Collection publication is an upper bound for this wording, not its earliest origin, composition date or the author's lifetime.
An author lifetime, approximate period or collection date is not necessarily the date when these words were first written or spoken. - Recorded source
- A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (1857) (1857 AD)
Printed page 12; French section, paragraph 244; source wording: Chacun son métier, et les vaches seront bien gardées.
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.