“In no other land could a boy from a country village, without inheritance or influential friends, look forward with unbounded hope.”

Herbert Hoover

Born into a family of modest means, Herbert Hoover had a life of unlimited potential in the United States. His parents' beliefs and lifestyles influenced their children’s lives and had a lasting impression, even though the time they all lived together was short. It took a community to raise the Hoover children: aunts, uncles, neighbors and friends with like beliefs to guide them to adulthood. In particular, Herbert's mother's belief in her Quaker faith, family, and higher education gave her children a foundation and direction to their lives after her death.