--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Twenty years ago, I wrote a book called…" description: "\"Twenty years ago, I wrote a book called 'It Takes a Village.' And a lot of people looked at the title and asked, 'What the heck do you mean by that?' T..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1e/hillary-clinton-51_alone_twenty-years-ago-i-wrote-a-book-called-i_1252774.jpg" --- # Twenty years ago, I wrote a book called 'It Takes a… ![“Twenty years ago, I wrote a book called 'It Takes a Village.' And a lot of people looked at the title and asked, 'What the heck do you mean by that?' This is what I mean. None of us can raise a family, build a business, heal a community or lift a country totally alone.” quote by Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1e/hillary-clinton-51_alone_twenty-years-ago-i-wrote-a-book-called-i_1252774.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1e/hillary-clinton-51_alone_twenty-years-ago-i-wrote-a-book-called-i_1252774.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1e/hillary-clinton-51_alone_twenty-years-ago-i-wrote-a-book-called-i_1252774.jpg) > “Twenty years ago, I wrote a book called 'It Takes a Village.' And a lot of people looked at the title and asked, 'What the heck do you mean by that?' This is what I mean. None of us can raise a family, build a business, heal a community or lift a country totally alone.” [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Collective effort is essential; no one can achieve major life goals entirely alone. **In simple terms:** We need help from others to succeed. Key Takeaway Seek community support. Themes community interdependence family business nation Mood hopeful determined Type inspirational reflective When to use this quote - raising children - starting a business - community health projects - national policy initiatives Key Concepts social capital collective responsibility networking Questions to Reflect On - Who can you ask for help today? - How does collaboration strengthen outcomes? A Different Perspective Individualism can overlook systemic barriers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alone/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Village](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/village/) ## Related quotes > [Hilary Clinton said you know, it takes a village to raise a child and somebody said it takes a village idiot to believe that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/hilary-clinton-said-you-know-it-takes-a-village-to-raise-a-child-and/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a whole agency to make a successful campaign.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-guerrero/if-it-takes-a-village-to-raise-a-child-it-takes-a-whole-agency-to/) David Guerrero > [When I am talking about "It Takes a Village", I'm obviously not talking just about or even primarily about geographical villages any longer, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/when-i-am-talking-about-it-takes-a-village-i-m-obviously-not-talking/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [It takes a village to raise a child; that's how I basically balance it. It's twenty four hours in a day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blac-chyna/it-takes-a-village-to-raise-a-child-that-s-how-i-basically-balance-it/) [Blac Chyna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blac-chyna/) > [As an Elizabeth native, I believe it is my duty to give back to my community. Our youth is our future, and it truly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-civil/as-an-elizabeth-native-i-believe-it-is-my-duty-to-give-back-to-my/) [Karen Civil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-civil/) > [“It takes two to make a child, it takes a village to raise it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/extended-african-families/it-takes-two-to-make-a-child-it-takes-a-village-to-raise-it/) Extended African families > [I'm every woman. It takes a village to make me who I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-perry/i-m-every-woman-it-takes-a-village-to-make-me-who-i-am/) [Katy Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-perry/) > [“The simple message of It Takes a Village is as relevant as ever: We are all in this together.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-rodham-clinton/the-simple-message-of-it-takes-a-village-is-as-relevant-as-ever-we/) [Hillary Rodham Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-rodham-clinton/) > [What is left that only the family can do? According to the new economy - nothing. The leading view today is 'It Takes a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-demille/what-is-left-that-only-the-family-can-do-according-to-the-new-economy/) [Oliver DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-demille/) > [I really believe that it takes a village to raise a child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judi-love/i-really-believe-that-it-takes-a-village-to-raise-a-child/) [Judi Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judi-love/) > [It takes a village to raise a child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-takes-a-village-to-raise-a-child/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We often hear the old adage 'it takes a village'; however we don't often stop to take an inventory of who the members of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phaedra-parks/we-often-hear-the-old-adage-it-takes-a-village-however-we-don-t-often/) [Phaedra Parks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phaedra-parks/) > [It takes a village to raise a judge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ketanji-brown-jackson/it-takes-a-village-to-raise-a-judge/) [Ketanji Brown Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ketanji-brown-jackson/) > [“I’ve been around for a long time, seen lots of places, and the one thing I learned was that it sometimes takes a village,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelley-noble/i-ve-been-around-for-a-long-time-seen-lots-of-places-and-the-one/) [Shelley Noble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelley-noble/) > [It's gorillas here, takes a village to raise a villain here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lupe-fiasco/it-s-gorillas-here-takes-a-village-to-raise-a-villain-here/) [Lupe Fiasco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lupe-fiasco/) ## More by Hillary Clinton > [When it comes to bullying small businesses, Donald Trump is the poster boy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/when-it-comes-to-bullying-small-businesses-donald-trump-is-the-poster/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [I'm going to do everything I can to get myself elected, but that's not enough. I'm going to try to help move the Senate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-m-going-to-do-everything-i-can-to-get-myself-elected-but-that-s-not/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [I think we have to take a look at corporate law. We have to take a look at the incentives that we can perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-think-we-have-to-take-a-look-at-corporate-law-we-have-to-take-a/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [I am somewhat influenced by the years that I've spent trying to actually get things done, whether it was reforming education in Arkansas or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-am-somewhat-influenced-by-the-years-that-i-ve-spent-trying-to/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [We know in New York we have several million at any one time who are in New York illegally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/we-know-in-new-york-we-have-several-million-at-any-one-time-who-are/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [I have always believed that women are not victims, we are agents of change, we are drivers of progress, we are makers of peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-have-always-believed-that-women-are-not-victims-we-are-agents-of/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [I have clearly said we faced terrorist enemies who use Islam to justify slaughtering innocent people and we have to stop them and we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-have-clearly-said-we-faced-terrorist-enemies-who-use-islam-to/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [If I had lost the popular vote but won the electoral college and in my first day as president the intelligence community came to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/if-i-had-lost-the-popular-vote-but-won-the-electoral-college-and-in/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [We now have power under the Dodd-Frank legislation to break up banks. And I've said I will use that power if they pose a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/we-now-have-power-under-the-dodd-frank-legislation-to-break-up-banks/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [I am not going to make promises I can't keep. I am not going to talk about big ideas like single-payer and then not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-am-not-going-to-make-promises-i-can-t-keep-i-am-not-going-to-talk/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [It's important to recognize that expanding the circle of opportunity and increasing the democratic potential of our own society, as well as those across…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/it-s-important-to-recognize-that-expanding-the-circle-of-opportunity/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [We're living in a technological world. You cannot tell me we can't do a better job getting that information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/we-re-living-in-a-technological-world-you-cannot-tell-me-we-can-t-do/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [I do not think homosexuality is immoral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-do-not-think-homosexuality-is-immoral/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [We need to have more second chance programs. I'm glad that we're ending private prisons in the federal system; I want to see them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/we-need-to-have-more-second-chance-programs-i-m-glad-that-we-re/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [A nuclear-weapons armed Iran is not in anyone's human-rights interests. That is a direct threat to the lives and the livelihoods and the stability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/a-nuclear-weapons-armed-iran-is-not-in-anyone-s-human-rights/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) [Explore all 1,911 Hillary Clinton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) ## More Alone quotes > [I can be taken away from myself quite easily, I kind of start betraying myself and compromising my integrity, to keep someone else happy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aimee-lou-wood/i-can-be-taken-away-from-myself-quite-easily-i-kind-of-start/) [Aimee Lou Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aimee-lou-wood/) > [Perhaps our own opposition to even the level of European integration we have now, let alone any more, is well known.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-farage/perhaps-our-own-opposition-to-even-the-level-of-european-integration/) [Nigel Farage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-farage/) > [If your goal is to look different, you'll see results faster with strength training than with cardio alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-kaiser/if-your-goal-is-to-look-different-you-ll-see-results-faster-with/) [Anna Kaiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-kaiser/) > [With my songs, the question is always, 'Can you pull it off live, alone on just an acoustic guitar?' That's the litmus test. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-colvin/with-my-songs-the-question-is-always-can-you-pull-it-off-live-alone/) [Shawn Colvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-colvin/) > [I should have liked to get married, but over many decades I have lived essentially alone. I go to sleep when I'm tired, get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-dennis/i-should-have-liked-to-get-married-but-over-many-decades-i-have-lived/) [Felix Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-dennis/) > [I am not alone in that I've had times of unemployment - unemployment is huge amongst disabled people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosie-jones/i-am-not-alone-in-that-i-ve-had-times-of-unemployment-unemployment-is/) [Rosie Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosie-jones/) > [I never knew a heart could feel so cold so empty so broken until now , I don't know what to say I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-never-knew-a-heart-could-feel-so-cold-so-empty-so-broken-until-now/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you're disabled or different from what general society deems normal, it's fine. There will always be people who won't accept you, but there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/millicent-simmonds/if-you-re-disabled-or-different-from-what-general-society-deems/) [Millicent Simmonds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/millicent-simmonds/) > [Real love is a permanently self-enlarging experience…A Journey With My Girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luckybannu/real-love-is-a-permanently-self-enlarging-experience-a-journey-with/) Luckybannu > [“What I'm trying to say is that I spent the last four months learning to be alone, avoiding the world, hating pretty much anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-cremer/what-i-m-trying-to-say-is-that-i-spent-the-last-four-months-learning/) [Andrea Cremer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-cremer/) > [I'm used to being alone in a quiet, isolated environment - I'm kind of a low-energy, low-vibration, low-stamina person to begin with - so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-cain/i-m-used-to-being-alone-in-a-quiet-isolated-environment-i-m-kind-of-a/) [Ethel Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-cain/) > [“When I look back at myself at age twenty, what I remember most is being alone and lonely. I had no girlfriend to warm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-i-look-back-at-myself-at-age-twenty-what-i-remember-most-is/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [I have developed a nasty habit of losing to the guy who wins the tournament, and that alone makes you think what you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-robertson/i-have-developed-a-nasty-habit-of-losing-to-the-guy-who-wins-the/) [Neil Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-robertson/) > [As a child, I was this record collector/listener that would sit in a room and listen to the entire Beatles catalog alone, over and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cornell/as-a-child-i-was-this-record-collector-listener-that-would-sit-in-a/) [Chris Cornell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cornell/) > [How one hates to think of oneself as alone. How one avoids it. It seems to imply rejection or unpopularity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-morrow-lindbergh/how-one-hates-to-think-of-oneself-as-alone-how-one-avoids-it-it-seems/) [Anne Morrow Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-morrow-lindbergh/) [Browse all 3,082 Alone quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alone/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Twenty years ago, I wrote a book called 'It Takes a Village.' And a lot of people looked at the title and asked, 'What the heck do you mean by that?' This is what I mean. None of us can raise a family, build a business, heal a community or lift a country totally alone.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Hillary Clinton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/twenty-years-ago-i-wrote-a-book-called-it-takes-a-village-and-a-lot/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Alone" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/twenty-years-ago-i-wrote-a-book-called-it-takes-a-village-and-a-lot/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1e/hillary-clinton-51_alone_twenty-years-ago-i-wrote-a-book-called-i_1252774.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1e/hillary-clinton-51_alone_twenty-years-ago-i-wrote-a-book-called-i_1252774.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1e/hillary-clinton-51_alone_twenty-years-ago-i-wrote-a-book-called-i_1252774.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Twenty years ago, I wrote a book called 'It Takes a Village.' And a lot of people looked at the title and…” — Hillary Clinton", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Hillary Clinton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Twenty years ago, I wrote a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/twenty-years-ago-i-wrote-a-book-called-it-takes-a-village-and-a-lot/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/twenty-years-ago-i-wrote-a-book-called-it-takes-a-village-and-a-lot/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```