"Let me say this, hypothetically speaking, I really do hope that we have a woman president in my lifetime," Mrs Clinton told a private audience in Toronto.
"And whether it's next time or the next time after that, it really depends on women stepping up andsubjecting themselves to the political process, which is very difficult."
Mrs Clinton, a Democrat who was secretary of state under President Barack Obama, a former senator from New York and is the wife of former President Bill Clinton, is said to be undecided whether to seek the presidency in 2016.
Many Democrats and Republicans in the United States are expecting her to run, although the 65-year-old Mrs Clinton has said she needed to rest after four years as a globe-trotting secretary of state.
Polls have indicated she is far and away the most popular potential Democratic candidate for 2016, and that most Americans would prefer her to several possible Republican contenders.
Mrs Clinton picked up an endorsement on Tuesday from Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill, who announced she is supporting a group encouraging Mrs Clinton to run for the White House.
Last week Clinton started her official Twitter account, describing herself as, among other things, a "wife, mom, lawyer, women &kids advocate."
She alluded to her future as "TBD" - to be determined.
希拉里·克林頓在加拿大說:她希望在自己的有生之年內(nèi)能看到一位美國女總統(tǒng)上任,引發(fā)她可能會在2016年沖刺白宮的猜測。
“我的確真希望在自己的有生之年內(nèi)能看到一位美國女總統(tǒng)上任。”克林頓夫人在多倫多說。
“無論是下一次或下下次,能否有女總統(tǒng)的出現(xiàn)都取決于女性能否抓緊投身政治事業(yè)的進程,但這個過程是非常困難的。”
克林頓夫人是民主黨人,作為前參議員,在以巴拉克·奧巴馬總統(tǒng)為首的美國政府中曾擔(dān)任國務(wù)卿一職。作為前總統(tǒng)比爾·克林頓的妻子,據(jù)說她尚未決定是否在2016年競選總統(tǒng)職位。
美國許多民主黨人和共和黨人都在期待著她競選總統(tǒng),雖然65歲的克林頓夫人說,她在擔(dān)任周游列國的國務(wù)卿后需要好好休息。
民意調(diào)查顯示她是競選2016年總統(tǒng)最受歡迎的潛在民主黨候選人。與其他幾個可能的共和黨競爭者相比,大多數(shù)美國人都更傾向于選舉她。
在星期二時,密蘇里參議員克萊爾McCaskill充分認可了克林頓夫人,并表示愿意支持克林頓夫人入主白宮。
上周,希拉里公布了她的官方Twitter帳戶,拋開其他事情,僅將自己描述為一個妻子,一位母親,一位律師,一個提倡保護婦女和孩子的人。”
她還提到她的未來動向仍處于“待定”中。