Jimmy Carter Quotes

Powerful Jimmy Carter for Daily Growth

About Jimmy Carter

James Earl "Jimmy" Carter Jr., born on October 1, 1924, in Plains, Georgia, served as the 39th President of the United States from 1977 to 1981. Before his presidency, he was a naval officer and a peanut farmer, reflecting his humble roots that would later define his political career. Carter's early life was heavily influenced by his devout Christian upbringing and the strong values instilled by his parents, Lillian Gordy and James Earl Carter Sr. He attended the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, where he graduated in 1946. Following active service in the Navy until 1953, Carter returned to Plains to run the family peanut farm. In 1962, Carter entered politics as a Georgia State Senator, and four years later, was elected Governor of Georgia. His progressive policies, including education reform and civil rights advancements, earned him a national reputation. In 1976, he ran for the presidency on a platform of honesty, integrity, and human rights, winning against incumbent Gerald Ford. As president, Carter implemented several domestic policies such as the Camp David Accords, the Panama Canal Treaties, and deregulation of the trucking and airline industries. However, his term was marred by foreign policy crises, including the Iran Hostage Crisis and the Soviet-Afghan War. Post-presidency, Carter has remained active as a humanitarian, founding The Carter Center in 1982 to advance peace and health worldwide. In 2002, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work with The Carter Center. Carter continues to write books, with notable works including "Palaces of Peace: Toward a More Secure World" and "A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence, and Power." His enduring legacy lies in his commitment to human rights, peace, and public service, making him one of the most respected figures in American politics.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Peace never lasts where human rights do not exist."

This quote by Jimmy Carter emphasizes that lasting peace is contingent on the existence of human rights. In essence, he suggests that a society cannot maintain sustainable peace without guaranteeing basic human rights to its citizens. Peace is more than just the absence of conflict; it requires fairness, justice, and respect for all individuals. When human rights are violated or disregarded, resentment and instability can breed, potentially leading to conflict or unrest, thereby undermining peace. Therefore, ensuring human rights is a crucial foundation for enduring peace.


"If you want to be a good president, first you must be a good person."

This quote emphasizes that moral character and personal integrity are essential qualities for effective leadership, especially in the role of a President. A good leader should possess virtues such as honesty, compassion, empathy, and integrity because these qualities enable them to make sound decisions, foster trust among their constituents, and set an example for others to follow. Ultimately, a good president starts by being a good person who embodies these values in all aspects of life.


"There is an almost universal desire to be free, and to live in a free society."

The quote by Jimmy Carter encapsulates the fundamental human desire for liberty and self-determination. It suggests that the majority of people globally seek independence and the opportunity to live without oppressive constraints, forming and nurturing their own societies according to their shared values and beliefs. This desire for freedom is not limited to any specific region or culture but is a universal longing that transcends geographical boundaries. In essence, Carter's quote underscores the inherent human aspiration for autonomy and self-governance in the context of a society that respects its citizens' rights and promotes their wellbeing.


"The measure of a life is not the number of breaths we take but the moments that take our breath away."

This quote by Jimmy Carter suggests that a meaningful and fulfilling life isn't defined by its duration, but rather by the impactful, extraordinary experiences it contains – those moments which leave an indelible mark on us, causing awe or profound emotion. It encourages us to seek out these transformative moments, as they serve as the true measures of our lives.


"Human rights are the source of our dignity as human beings."

This quote by Jimmy Carter underscores the belief that every person, regardless of nationality, race, or gender, possesses inherent worth and respect due to their shared humanity. Human rights serve as the foundation for this dignity, providing a universal framework for treating all individuals with fairness, justice, and compassion, thus reinforcing our common humanity. In essence, human rights empower us to live authentically and strive for a society that values each person equally.


In religious and in secular affairs, the more fervent beliefs attract followers. If you are a moderate in any respect - if you're a moderate on abortion, if you're a moderate on gun control, or if you're a moderate in your religious faith - it doesn't evolve into a crusade where you're either right or wrong, good or bad, with us or against us.

- Jimmy Carter

Gun, Crusade, Religious, Attract

Ever since Israel has been a nation the United States has provided the leadership. Every president down to the ages has done this in a fairly balanced way, including George Bush senior, Gerald Ford, and others including myself and Bill Clinton.

- Jimmy Carter

Nation, United, Been, Ford

We become not a melting pot but a beautiful mosaic. Different people, different beliefs, different yearnings, different hopes, different dreams.

- Jimmy Carter

Different People, Melting, Pot

I am a nuclear physicist by training and a deeply committed Christian. I don't have any doubt in my own mind about God who created the entire universe. But I don't adhere to passages that so and so was created 4,000 years before Christ, and things of that kind.

- Jimmy Carter

Own, Before, About, Physicist

Human rights is the soul of our foreign policy, because human rights is the very soul of our sense of nationhood.

- Jimmy Carter

Soul, Foreign Policy, Very, Foreign

In this outward and physical ceremony we attest once again to the inner and spiritual strength of our Nation. As my high school teacher, Miss Julia Coleman, used to say: 'We must adjust to changing times and still hold to unchanging principles.'

- Jimmy Carter

Graduation, Nation, Coleman, Miss

My favourite president, and the one I admired most, was Harry Truman.

- Jimmy Carter

Most, Admired, Harry, Truman

My great-grandfather and his two brothers fought at Gettysburg. They were in artillery, and they survived the war, thank goodness. So I revere what they did. I think their motivations were honorable when they undertook the war and participated in it along with other Southerners.

- Jimmy Carter

Other, I Think, Brothers, Southerners

I think, in many people's minds, the Confederate battle flag is not only a memorial to our ancestors, which is perfectly OK, but also a symbol of white superiority and an inclination for people to believe that even slavery would've been OK.

- Jimmy Carter

Been, I Think, Symbol, Confederate

It's not necessary to fear the prospect of failure but to be determined not to fail.

- Jimmy Carter

Failure, Fail, Necessary, Prospect

Republicans are men of narrow vision, who are afraid of the future.

- Jimmy Carter

Future, Vision, Politics, Narrow

My understanding of racial discrimination as a child was highly distorted because the most prominent man in Archery was an African-American bishop. When he came home from up north, where he was in charge of A.M.E. churches in five states, it was front-page news. He was the most successful man in my life.

- Jimmy Carter

My Life, Prominent, Bishop, African-American

I can't really criticize the Tea Party people, because I came into the White House pretty much on the same basis that they have become popular. That is dissatisfaction with the way things are going in Washington and disillusionment and disencouragement about the government.

- Jimmy Carter

Tea, House, About, Dissatisfaction

All my playmates on the farm were black, and later, when I started school in Plains, it was all white. But I was always eager to get back home to my friends in Archery.

- Jimmy Carter

Black, Always, Eager, Plains

I thought then, and I think now, that the invasion of Iraq was unnecessary and unjust. And I think the premises on which it was launched were false.

- Jimmy Carter

Think, Unjust, Which, Premises

I hate to see complacency prevail in our lives when it's so directly contrary to the teaching of Christ.

- Jimmy Carter

Complacency, Christ, Lives, Directly

I think what's going on in Guantanamo Bay and other places is a disgrace to the U.S.A. I wouldn't say it's the cause of terrorism, but it has given impetus and excuses to potential terrorists to lash out at our country and justify their despicable acts.

- Jimmy Carter

Country, Other, I Think, Bay

We reached a high point in my opinion with the passage of the civil rights legislation and Martin Luther King's success and the crusade of others. I think we kind of breathed a sigh of relief as if we had achieved the end of racial discrimination or white supremacy.

- Jimmy Carter

Crusade, I Think, Sigh, Luther

Sadat was a great and good man, and his most bitter and dangerous enemies were people who were obsessed with hatred for his peaceful goals.

- Jimmy Carter

Enemies, Dangerous, Obsessed, Good Man

Globalization, as defined by rich people like us, is a very nice thing... you are talking about the Internet, you are talking about cell phones, you are talking about computers. This doesn't affect two-thirds of the people of the world.

- Jimmy Carter

Technology, Very, Two-Thirds, Globalization

On balance, my life has been a constant stream of blessings rather than disappointments and failures and tragedies. I wish I had been re-elected. I think I could have kept our country at peace. I think I could have consolidated what we achieved at Camp David with a treaty between Israel and the Palestinians.

- Jimmy Carter

My Life, Country, Been, Consolidated

We must adjust to changing times and still hold to unchanging principles.

- Jimmy Carter

Principles, Still, Times, Adjust

Too many of us now tend to worship self indulgence and consumption.

- Jimmy Carter

Indulgence, Tend, Too, Consumption

It is good to realize that if love and peace can prevail on earth, and if we can teach our children to honor nature's gifts, the joys and beauties of the outdoors will be here forever.

- Jimmy Carter

Love, Nature, Here, Joys

You can not divorce religious belief and public service. I've never detected any conflict between God's will and my political duty. If you violate one, you violate the other.

- Jimmy Carter

Will, Other, Religious, Divorce

When I was in the White House, I was confronted with the challenge of the Cold War. Both the Soviet Union and I had 30,000 nuclear weapons that could destroy the entire earth and I had to maintain the peace.

- Jimmy Carter

Cold, Soviet Union, Maintain, Confronted

It is difficult for the common good to prevail against the intense concentration of those who have a special interest, especially if the decisions are made behind locked doors.

- Jimmy Carter

Behind, Against, Made, Decisions

I've looked on many women with lust. I've committed adultery in my heart many times. God knows I will do this and forgives me.

- Jimmy Carter

Committed, Adultery, Looked, Lust

What has happened at Guantanamo Bay... does not represent the will of the American people. I'm embarrassed about it, I think its wrong. I think it does give terrorists an unwarranted excuse to use the despicable means to hurt innocent people.

- Jimmy Carter

Embarrassed, I Think, Use, Unwarranted

I have been very interested and intrigued and congratulatory toward President Bush and his paintings.

- Jimmy Carter

Been, Very, Toward, Intrigued

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