---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You have to have a positive strategy to…"
description: "\"You have to have a positive strategy to make more partners and fewer terrorists. Harry Truman and George Marshall took a little bit of our money to bui..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c1/bill-clinton-11499_generosity_you-have-to-have-a-positive-strategy-to_2764846.jpg"
---

#  You have to have a positive strategy to make more partners…

![“You have to have a positive strategy to make more partners and fewer terrorists. Harry Truman and George Marshall took a little bit of our money to build a world that had more friends and better enemies. Foreign assistance is national security -- not charity. The Marshall Plan saw it that way and…” quote by Bill Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c1/bill-clinton-11499_generosity_you-have-to-have-a-positive-strategy-to_2764846.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c1/bill-clinton-11499_generosity_you-have-to-have-a-positive-strategy-to_2764846.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c1/bill-clinton-11499_generosity_you-have-to-have-a-positive-strategy-to_2764846.jpg)

> “You have to have a positive strategy to make more partners and fewer terrorists. Harry Truman and George Marshall took a little bit of our money to build a world that had more friends and better enemies. Foreign assistance is national security -- not charity. The Marshall Plan saw it that way and we have to do the same today.”

[Bill Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-clinton/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

He argues for a proactive, strategic foreign aid policy, likening it to the Marshall Plan, to create allies and reduce terrorism.

**In simple terms:** He promotes strategic aid to build friends, not enemies.

Key Takeaway

Use aid as a security tool.

Themes

foreign policy strategy security

Mood

strategic serious

Type

political policy

When to use this quote

- development programs
- diplomacy
- budget planning

Key Concepts

aid effectiveness geopolitics

Questions to Reflect On

- What metrics ensure aid builds true partnerships?
- How to prevent aid dependency?

A Different Perspective

Aid can be misused or ineffective.

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[Generosity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generosity/) [Marshall plan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marshall-plan/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [National security](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/national-security/) [Strategy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strategy/)

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