What does it mean?
A home, or any group, struggles without its key person. “Yiannis” works as the archetypal, very common Greek man’s name, not as a reference to a particular person.
Closest English saying: No direct English equivalent.
What does it literally say?
Σπίτι χωρίς Γιάννη, προκοπή δεν κάνει
Spíti horís Yiánni, prokopí den káni
“A house without a Yiannis never prospers.”
One of the best-known modern Greek proverbs with a personal name. Because Ioannis/Yiannis is so common, the saying also has a humorous side: few families did not have “a Yiannis”.
How is it used?
“The family business was missing the only person who knew the customers. A house without a Yiannis never prospers.”
Other ways Greeks say it
- Σπίτι δίχως Γιάννη προκοπή δεν κάνει
- Σπίτι που δεν έχει Γιάννη, προκοπή ποτέ δεν κάνει
Where does it come from?
Established Greek proverb, recorded in the Greek Wiktionary and/or in the tradition of Nikolaos G. Politis’ «Παροιμίαι» (1899–1902). Traditional usage; not attributed to a specific author.
This is an English edition of the Greek entry, which remains the reference version. The English text was written from the Greek entry with the help of AI tools and checked against it. Suggest a correction ↗