“Al que madruga Dios le ayuda”

Ines Elvira Ortiz- Colombia, Bogota

Ortiz’s mother would tell her this in the 70s when she would have trouble leaving her room in the morning.

This reminds of the proverb: early to bed, and early to rise, that I’ve heard in the United States. It places a value in productivity, which overtime has begun to be correlated with rising early to begin the workday. The eight hour work day is obviously a reality in Latin America as well, and the prevalence of Catholicism among Latino populations can account for the added element of religion in the proverb.