--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One of the things that I realized when I…" description: "\"One of the things that I realized when I left office was that in the 1990's citizens across the world applied more power than they had ever had, as com..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/460/william-j-clinton-302_china_one-of-the-things-that-i-realized-when-i_1003036.jpg" --- # One of the things that I realized when I left office was… ![“One of the things that I realized when I left office was that in the 1990's citizens across the world applied more power than they had ever had, as compared with the government, because of more people living under democracies than dictatorships for the first time, the power of the internet, which…” quote by William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/460/william-j-clinton-302_china_one-of-the-things-that-i-realized-when-i_1003036.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/460/william-j-clinton-302_china_one-of-the-things-that-i-realized-when-i_1003036.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/460/william-j-clinton-302_china_one-of-the-things-that-i-realized-when-i_1003036.jpg) > “One of the things that I realized when I left office was that in the 1990's citizens across the world applied more power than they had ever had, as compared with the government, because of more people living under democracies than dictatorships for the first time, the power of the internet, which the young Chinese used to basically change China's policy on the SARS epidemic, and shut it down, and because of the rise in non-governmental organizations like my foundation.” [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The spread of democracy and the internet gave citizens unprecedented influence over governments, exemplified by youth activism in China during SARS. **In simple terms:** People gained more power than before thanks to democracy and the internet. Key Takeaway Leverage digital tools and civic engagement. Themes democracy technology citizen power NGOs policy change Mood optimistic critical Type inspirational analytical When to use this quote - political reform - public health crises - online campaigns Key Concepts digital activism public health response grassroots movements Questions to Reflect On - How can citizens use technology to influence policy? - What barriers prevent effective online activism? A Different Perspective Power can be uneven; digital divides limit participation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [China](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/china/) [Chinese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chinese/) [Democracies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracies/) [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [Dictatorship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dictatorship/) [Epidemics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/epidemics/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Internet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet/) [Office](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/office/) [Organization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/organization/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Sars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sars/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [We have to implant democracies where there are now dictatorships.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tancredo/we-have-to-implant-democracies-where-there-are-now-dictatorships/) [Tom Tancredo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tancredo/) > [I mean, on one hand Rex Tillerson is correct, there are no plans to change the One China policy. But certainly that policy is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reince-priebus/i-mean-on-one-hand-rex-tillerson-is-correct-there-are-no-plans-to/) [Reince Priebus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reince-priebus/) > [I don't think there's any serious discussion inside the Chinese government about liberalising. I don't think anything's going to change in China until enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/i-don-t-think-there-s-any-serious-discussion-inside-the-chinese/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [The situation with Tibet has to change. China is one of the last huge dictatorships, holding on to these colonies, provinces. That has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-yauch/the-situation-with-tibet-has-to-change-china-is-one-of-the-last-huge/) [Adam Yauch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-yauch/) > [Even if it takes changing the law, the president should honor the commitment the federal government made to those people and let them keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/even-if-it-takes-changing-the-law-the-president-should-honor-the/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [Democracies don't go to war against each other, and by and large they don't sponsor terrorism. They're more likely to respect the environment and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/democracies-don-t-go-to-war-against-each-other-and-by-and-large-they/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [Ultimately, the best strategy to ensure our security and to build a durable peace is to support the advance of democracy elsewhere. Democracies don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/ultimately-the-best-strategy-to-ensure-our-security-and-to-build-a/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [We saw in 2003 the beginnings of an outbreak of an illness called SARS. SARS ended up killing 800 people which is a significant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-saw-in-2003-the-beginnings-of-an-outbreak-of-an-illness-called/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [This syndrome, SARS, is now a worldwide health threat... The world needs to work together to find its cause, cure the sick and stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gro-harlem-brundtland/this-syndrome-sars-is-now-a-worldwide-health-threat-the-world-needs/) [Gro Harlem Brundtland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gro-harlem-brundtland/) > [ Behold me waiting—waiting for the knife… The thick, sweet mystery of chloroform, The drunken dark, the little death-in-life… \[F\]ace to face with chance, I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ernest-henley/behold-me-waiting-waiting-for-the-knife-the-thick-sweet-mystery-of/) [William Ernest Henley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ernest-henley/) > [Gore is nature's way of saying, "There are too many human beings on the planet, and I'm trying to rectify this any way I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/gore-is-nature-s-way-of-saying-there-are-too-many-human-beings-on-the/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [I'm the perfect candidate to be affected by SARS. I'm highly susceptible to infections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-santo/i-m-the-perfect-candidate-to-be-affected-by-sars-i-m-highly/) [Ron Santo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-santo/) > [Chashkin Sar was virgin, and we climbed it for the first time, and afterwards, the people renamed it as Samina Baig.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samina-baig/chashkin-sar-was-virgin-and-we-climbed-it-for-the-first-time-and/) [Samina Baig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samina-baig/) > [SARS was a very important event... And many countries have learned from SARS... The SARS event sort of gave them additional impetus and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-chan/sars-was-a-very-important-event-and-many-countries-have-learned-from/) [Margaret Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-chan/) > [SARS is just made up by the Government of the United States!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bif-naked/sars-is-just-made-up-by-the-government-of-the-united-states/) [Bif Naked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bif-naked/) ## More by William J. Clinton > [When personal freedom's being abused, you have to move to limit it. That's what we did in the announcement I made last weekend on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/when-personal-freedom-s-being-abused-you-have-to-move-to-limit-it/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [Almost makes you want to go to jail out here, doesn't it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/almost-makes-you-want-to-go-to-jail-out-here-doesn-t-it/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [I take full responsability...for what we did. It was the right thing to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/i-take-full-responsability-for-what-we-did-it-was-the-right-thing-to/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [Undeniably, character does count for our citizens, out communities, and our Nation, and this week we celebrate the importance of character in our individual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/undeniably-character-does-count-for-our-citizens-out-communities-and/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [Even as people take pride in their national independence, we know we are becoming more and more interdependent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/even-as-people-take-pride-in-their-national-independence-we-know-we/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [To build a twenty-first-century economy, America must revive a nineteenth-century habit--investing in the common, national economic resources that enable every person and every firm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/to-build-a-twenty-first-century-economy-america-must-revive-a/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [One of the things that I think we have learned is that we should all be very careful about making predictions about the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/one-of-the-things-that-i-think-we-have-learned-is-that-we-should-all/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [Only astrophysicists new about the Internet 20 years ago. Today my cat has a website.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/only-astrophysicists-new-about-the-internet-20-years-ago-today-my-cat/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [Our military superiority is so great - it's far greater than it was in the Gulf War, and the Gulf War was over in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/our-military-superiority-is-so-great-it-s-far-greater-than-it-was-in/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [You know, I've always been really interested in this stuff, and I'm going to read this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/you-know-i-ve-always-been-really-interested-in-this-stuff-and-i-m/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [If you believe in making change from the bottom up, if you believe the measure of change is how many people's lives are better,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/if-you-believe-in-making-change-from-the-bottom-up-if-you-believe-the/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [ We \[Democrats\] have got to be strong. When we look weak in a time where people feel insecure, we lose. when people feel uncertain,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/we-democrats-have-got-to-be-strong-when-we-look-weak-in-a-time-where/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [It's the economy, stupid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/it-s-the-economy-stupid/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [The Republicans could mess up a two car parade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/the-republicans-could-mess-up-a-two-car-parade/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [We're all in this together is a far better philosophy than you're on your own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/we-re-all-in-this-together-is-a-far-better-philosophy-than-you-re-on/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) [Explore all 712 William J. Clinton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) ## More China quotes > [I don't want to go into space because of war. I think we would if it was triggered. If China said they want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/i-don-t-want-to-go-into-space-because-of-war-i-think-we-would-if-it/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [ \[The Dalai Lama\] told me some years ago, "I've made every concession to China, and I've been as open and tolerant as I could,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/the-dalai-lama-told-me-some-years-ago-i-ve-made-every-concession-to/) [Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/) > [One of the things the United States does well is building coalitions. What the U.S. knows is that if you don't have a coalition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/one-of-the-things-the-united-states-does-well-is-building-coalitions/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [Personally, I prefer contemporary films, but the market calls for more period choices, especially since China opened up a cinema market in Hong Kong.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-yen/personally-i-prefer-contemporary-films-but-the-market-calls-for-more/) [Donnie Yen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-yen/) > [There is no precedent of an advanced economy withdrawing from a trade agreement as deep and as complex as the European Union.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-johnson/there-is-no-precedent-of-an-advanced-economy-withdrawing-from-a-trade/) [Jo Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-johnson/) > [In China, people are moving from bigger cars to small hatches, and interestingly, the Indian market is graduating to bigger cars and sedans. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winfried-vahland/in-china-people-are-moving-from-bigger-cars-to-small-hatches-and/) [Winfried Vahland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winfried-vahland/) > [Broken china lasts longer than unbroken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-renard/broken-china-lasts-longer-than-unbroken/) [Jules Renard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-renard/) > [Language is so specific to art, all the way to the past in China. Previously, people were not allowed to include various regional dialects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jia-zhangke/language-is-so-specific-to-art-all-the-way-to-the-past-in-china/) [Jia Zhangke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jia-zhangke/) > [I don't see why we and the Chinese should have to be enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/i-don-t-see-why-we-and-the-chinese-should-have-to-be-enemies/) [Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/) > [India may be overtaking China as the world's most polluted country. Even now, which country is worse depends on the day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-inskeep/india-may-be-overtaking-china-as-the-world-s-most-polluted-country/) [Steve Inskeep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-inskeep/) > [If China someday gains a more fair, just, and accountable system of government, it will be due to the hard work and efforts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/if-china-someday-gains-a-more-fair-just-and-accountable-system-of/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [We're always willing to look at ways NAFTA can work better. But it's a fine line between looking at ways to make it work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/we-re-always-willing-to-look-at-ways-nafta-can-work-better-but-it-s-a/) [Stephen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/) > [The situation with Tibet has to change. China is one of the last huge dictatorships, holding on to these colonies, provinces. That has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-yauch/the-situation-with-tibet-has-to-change-china-is-one-of-the-last-huge/) [Adam Yauch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-yauch/) > [Put plainly, China seems determined to steal its way up the economic ladder, at our expense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-a-wray/put-plainly-china-seems-determined-to-steal-its-way-up-the-economic/) [Christopher A. Wray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-a-wray/) > [The remarkable thing about the Chinese is that they've operated differently than the Russians, the Iranians, and the North Koreans. By and large, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-e-sanger/the-remarkable-thing-about-the-chinese-is-that-they-ve-operated/) [David E. Sanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-e-sanger/) [Browse all 3,827 China quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/china/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "One of the things that I realized when I left office was that in the 1990's citizens across the world applied more power than they had ever had, as compared with the government, because of more people living under democracies than dictatorships for the first time, the power of the internet, which the young Chinese used to basically change China's policy on the SARS epidemic, and shut it down, and because of the rise in non-governmental organizations like my foundation.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William J. 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