--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: They succeeded, not because the system…" description: "\"“They succeeded, not because the system worked, but because the family had a relative who was able to help. A community who reached out.”\" — Shelley Noble" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c4/shelley-noble-23466_family_they-succeeded-not-because-the-system-wo_3130727.jpg" --- # They succeeded, not because the system worked, but because… ![“They succeeded, not because the system worked, but because the family had a relative who was able to help. A community who reached out.” quote by Shelley Noble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c4/shelley-noble-23466_family_they-succeeded-not-because-the-system-wo_3130727.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c4/shelley-noble-23466_family_they-succeeded-not-because-the-system-wo_3130727.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c4/shelley-noble-23466_family_they-succeeded-not-because-the-system-wo_3130727.jpg) > ““They succeeded, not because the system worked, but because the family had a relative who was able to help. A community who reached out.”” [Shelley Noble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelley-noble/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Success often depends on personal connections and community support rather than institutional effectiveness. **In simple terms:** Connections and community help more than systems. Key Takeaway Leverage personal networks for assistance. Themes community family support systems networking Mood hopeful realistic Type observational inspirational When to use this quote - job hunting - healthcare access - educational opportunities - legal aid Key Concepts social capital reciprocity nepotism Questions to Reflect On - How can institutions become more equitable? - What role does community play in personal success? A Different Perspective Reliance on personal ties can perpetuate inequality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Community Reached](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community-reached-5536166/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Family Relative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family-relative-3375763/) [Relative Able](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relative-able-5536168/) [Succeeded Worked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/succeeded-worked-5536167/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Worked Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worked-family-384427/) ## Related quotes > [“for my family relative to how much should go to people and causes that are more distant, yet more desperately in”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/for-my-family-relative-to-how-much-should-go-to-people-and-causes/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [All my kids have worked in the family business. I've been successful at that. My family knows how to work. We all started working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-spanos/all-my-kids-have-worked-in-the-family-business-i-ve-been-successful/) [Alex Spanos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-spanos/) > [“Many of the people I’ve worked with in family groups have been that obsessed with people they care about. When I asked them what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melody-beattie/many-of-the-people-i-ve-worked-with-in-family-groups-have-been-that/) [Melody Beattie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melody-beattie/) > [I worked for my family's Polynesian dance troupe for my entire life up until I started wresting full time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samoa-joe/i-worked-for-my-family-s-polynesian-dance-troupe-for-my-entire-life/) [Samoa Joe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samoa-joe/) > [From when we were about seven we worked in our family store during the holidays. My father said it was important that we know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-colin-campbell/from-when-we-were-about-seven-we-worked-in-our-family-store-during/) [Lady Colin Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-colin-campbell/) > [I worked in the family business, which was my father's shoe making company that he had inherited from his father, and that led me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diego-della-valle/i-worked-in-the-family-business-which-was-my-father-s-shoe-making/) [Diego Della Valle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diego-della-valle/) > [When I was a teenager, I worked on a show that was about a family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kellie-martin/when-i-was-a-teenager-i-worked-on-a-show-that-was-about-a-family/) [Kellie Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kellie-martin/) > [I Worked in the family auto body shop, lifted weights, and rode a few Victory Sports Indoors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-jackson/i-worked-in-the-family-auto-body-shop-lifted-weights-and-rode-a-few/) [Ben Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-jackson/) > [I have friends and family that identify as LGBTQ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mace/i-have-friends-and-family-that-identify-as-lgbtq/) [Nancy Mace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mace/) > [“So Jace is my actual family," Kit said. "But I can't go live with him, because him and his hot girlfriend are going off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/so-jace-is-my-actual-family-kit-said-but-i-can-t-go-live-with-him/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [Our concept of a family holiday was going to a guest house in the Lake district or Wales where walking was part of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-bannister/our-concept-of-a-family-holiday-was-going-to-a-guest-house-in-the/) [Roger Bannister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-bannister/) > [“ever day Maureen is Selfish To her friend and Family One she get mad at her friend and family and She need to Grad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-andeson/ever-day-maureen-is-selfish-to-her-friend-and-family-one-she-get-mad/) [Maureen Andeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-andeson/) > [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [One can put some trust in the gratitude of a sovereign, and also in that of his family; under certain conditions, one can even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/one-can-put-some-trust-in-the-gratitude-of-a-sovereign-and-also-in/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) ## More by Shelley Noble > [“Alice meant well. Always attempting to make the glass seem half full but invariably making it practically empty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelley-noble/alice-meant-well-always-attempting-to-make-the-glass-seem-half-full/) [Shelley Noble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelley-noble/) > [“Laughter was too close to tears.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelley-noble/laughter-was-too-close-to-tears/) [Shelley Noble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelley-noble/) > [“Where was her joy?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelley-noble/where-was-her-joy/) [Shelley Noble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelley-noble/) > [“Thousands, millions of stars hung fragilely in space, as if a breath could shake them loose and set them falling toward earth. And she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelley-noble/thousands-millions-of-stars-hung-fragilely-in-space-as-if-a-breath/) [Shelley Noble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelley-noble/) > [“Now I know how Michelangelo felt. Only he ended up with the Sistine Chapel and I got a sooty ceiling in a minor mansion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelley-noble/now-i-know-how-michelangelo-felt-only-he-ended-up-with-the-sistine/) [Shelley Noble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelley-noble/) > [“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/) > [“This was crazy. Celeste had merely said her relatives would love to have her stay with them, they had plenty of room. She hadn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelley-noble/this-was-crazy-celeste-had-merely-said-her-relatives-would-love-to/) [Shelley Noble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelley-noble/) > [“cranky. Sarah took the time to work on an old pocket watch that had been wound so tight that the mainspring had broken. Wyatt’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelley-noble/cranky-sarah-took-the-time-to-work-on-an-old-pocket-watch-that-had/) [Shelley Noble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelley-noble/) > [“Bailey’s eyes rolled upward. “The man ran a merry-go-round in a backwater town. Get over it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelley-noble/bailey-s-eyes-rolled-upward-the-man-ran-a-merry-go-round-in-a/) [Shelley Noble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelley-noble/) > [“Whoever called summer a vacation was bat poop crazy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelley-noble/whoever-called-summer-a-vacation-was-bat-poop-crazy/) [Shelley Noble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelley-noble/) > [“Can't was killed in the battle of tried.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelley-noble/can-t-was-killed-in-the-battle-of-tried/) [Shelley Noble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelley-noble/) > [“She looked at him and he realized how long it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelley-noble/she-looked-at-him-and-he-realized-how-long-it/) [Shelley Noble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelley-noble/) > [“Today she let the steady beat of the clocks calm the beating of her heart. She always found peace among the clocks. Time always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelley-noble/today-she-let-the-steady-beat-of-the-clocks-calm-the-beating-of-her/) [Shelley Noble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelley-noble/) > [“Girl, you so busy lookin’ behind you, you cain’t see what’s up ahead.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelley-noble/girl-you-so-busy-lookin-behind-you-you-cain-t-see-what-s-up-ahead/) [Shelley Noble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelley-noble/) > [“Stargazey Point was majestic but personable, vast yet comforting, formidable but engaging.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelley-noble/stargazey-point-was-majestic-but-personable-vast-yet-comforting/) [Shelley Noble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelley-noble/) [Explore all 26 Shelley Noble quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelley-noble/) ## More Family quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [One can put some trust in the gratitude of a sovereign, and also in that of his family; under certain conditions, one can even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/one-can-put-some-trust-in-the-gratitude-of-a-sovereign-and-also-in/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [“ever day Maureen is Selfish To her friend and Family One she get mad at her friend and family and She need to Grad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-andeson/ever-day-maureen-is-selfish-to-her-friend-and-family-one-she-get-mad/) [Maureen Andeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-andeson/) > [Our concept of a family holiday was going to a guest house in the Lake district or Wales where walking was part of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-bannister/our-concept-of-a-family-holiday-was-going-to-a-guest-house-in-the/) [Roger Bannister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-bannister/) > [“So Jace is my actual family," Kit said. "But I can't go live with him, because him and his hot girlfriend are going off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/so-jace-is-my-actual-family-kit-said-but-i-can-t-go-live-with-him/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [I have friends and family that identify as LGBTQ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mace/i-have-friends-and-family-that-identify-as-lgbtq/) [Nancy Mace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mace/) > [Her dignity consists in being unknown to the world; her glory is in the esteem of her husband; her pleasures in the happiness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/her-dignity-consists-in-being-unknown-to-the-world-her-glory-is-in/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [It's not just that families can't buy a home or start a business without some savings tucked away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/it-s-not-just-that-families-can-t-buy-a-home-or-start-a-business/) [Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/) > [“She knew how to play him so very well. He slipped his hand around hers. "Friends," he repeated roughly. Her smile was bright enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-smith/she-knew-how-to-play-him-so-very-well-he-slipped-his-hand-around-hers/) [Kathryn Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-smith/) > [As a family, we all loved the Flyers. To me, rooting for the Flyers were how I bonded with my dad especially.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-f-goldberg/as-a-family-we-all-loved-the-flyers-to-me-rooting-for-the-flyers-were/) [Adam F. Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-f-goldberg/) > [The people have always been family to me here in Las Vegas. The people have always been very, very kind to me, and it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-cunningham/the-people-have-always-been-family-to-me-here-in-las-vegas-the-people/) [Randall Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-cunningham/) > [“Your relationship with your brother will be, in many ways, the most complex and bewildering of all the interpersonal connections you will form. 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