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Jimmy Carter

39th President of the United States (1924-)

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America did not invent human rights. In a very real sense... human rights invented America.

– Jimmy Carter

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We should live our lives as though Christ were coming this afternoon.

– Jimmy Carter

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The measure of a society is found in how they treat their weakest and most helpless citizens. As Americans, we are blessed with circumstances that protect our human rights and our religious freedom, but for many people around the world, deprivation and persecution have become a way of life.

– Jimmy Carter

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A strong nation, like a strong person, can afford to be gentle, firm, thoughtful, and restrained. It can afford to extend a helping hand to others. It's a weak nation, like a weak person, that must behave with bluster and boasting and rashness and other signs of insecurity.

– Jimmy Carter

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According to Gandhi, the seven sins are wealth without works, pleasure without conscience, knowledge without character, commerce without morality, science without humanity, worship without sacrifice, and politics without principle. Well, Hubert Humphrey may have sinned in the eyes of God, as we all do, but according to those definitions of Gandhis, it was Hubert Humphrey without sin.

– Jimmy Carter

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I thought a lot about our Nation and what I should do as President. And Sunday night before last, I made a speech about two problems of our countryenergy and malaise.

– Jimmy Carter

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I've looked on a lot of women with lust. I've committed adultery in my heart many times.

– Jimmy Carter

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Our American values are not luxuries but necessities, not the salt in our bread, but the bread itself. Our common vision of a free and just society is our greatest source of cohesion at home and strength abroad, greater than the bounty of our material blessings.

– Jimmy Carter

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Our decision about energy will test the character of the American people and the ability of the President and the Congress to govern this Nation. This difficult effort will be the moral equivalent of war, except that we will be uniting our efforts to build and not to destroy.

– Jimmy Carter

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War may sometimes be a necessary evil. But no matter how necessary, it is always an evil, never a good. We will not learn how to live together in peace by killing each other's children.

– Jimmy Carter

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

– Jimmy Carter

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We live in a time of transition, an uneasy era which is likely to endure for the rest of this century. During the period we may be tempted to abandon some of the time-honored principles and commitments which have been proven during the difficult times of past generations. We must never yield to this temptation. Our American values are not luxuries, but necessities - not the salt in our bread, but the bread itself.

– Jimmy Carter

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We've uncovered some embarrassing ancestors in the not-too-distant past. Some horse thieves, and some people killed on Saturday nights. One of my relatives, unfortunately, was even in the newspaper business.

– Jimmy Carter

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Well, as you know, there are many things in life that are not fair, that wealthy people can afford and poor people cant. But I dont believe that the Federal Government should take action to try to make these opportunities exactly equal, particularly when there is a moral factor involved.

– Jimmy Carter

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You can do what you have to do, and sometimes you can do it even better than you think you can.

– Jimmy Carter

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Quotes from the news wire:

Russia's unprovoked attack on Ukraine using military and cyber weapons violates international law and the fundamental human rights of the Ukrainian people, i condemn this unjust assault on the sovereignty of Ukraine that threatens security in Europe and the entire world, and I call on President Putin to halt all military action and restore peace.

– Jimmy Carter

Found on CNN 4 months ago Top News

It is a crisis of confidence. It is a crisis that strikes at the very heart and soul and spirit of our national will.

– Jimmy Carter

Found on FOX News 5 months ago Latest Headlines

Wouldn't it be nice if the United States of America could be a superpower in maintaining peace ? ... Suppose the United States was a super power in environmental policy. Suppose the United States was a superpower in treating people equally. See, that's the kind of superpower I'd like to have.

– Jimmy Carter

Found on CNN 2 years ago Politics

That's the way to make the United States a superpower, we can help the United States become more peaceful.

– Jimmy Carter

Found on CNN 2 years ago Politics

I assumed, naturally, that I was going to die very quickly, i obviously prayed about it. I didn't ask God to let me live, but I asked God to give me a proper attitude toward death. And I found that I was absolutely and completely at ease with death.

– Jimmy Carter

Found on CNN 2 years ago Politics

I'll stop when I have to. But I won't stop until I have to.

– Jimmy Carter

Found on CNN 2 years ago Top News

Secret Service agents've cut back in the last few months. I'm 92, he's 95, and Secret Service agents thought it was time to stop working steadily all day every day.

– Jimmy Carter

Found on CNN 2 years ago Top News

I fell down and hit my forehead on a sharp edge and had to go to the hospital. And they took 14 stitches in my forehead and my eye is black, as Deanna Congileo've noticed. But I had a number one priority and that was to come to Nashville and build houses.

– Jimmy Carter

Found on CNN 2 years ago Top News

We'll be doing the best we can.

– Jimmy Carter

Found on CNN 2 years ago Top News

I hope there is an age limit, you know, if I were just 80 years old, if I was 15 years younger, I dont believe I could undertake the duties that I experienced when I was president. For one thing, you have to be very flexible with your mind. You have to be able to go from one sector to another and concentrate on each one adequately.

– Jimmy Carter

Found on FOX News 2 years ago Opinion

If I were just 80 years old, if I was 15 years younger, I don't believe I could undertake the duties I experienced when I was President.

– Jimmy Carter

Found on CNN 2 years ago Top News

I saw Donald Trump lose Donald Trump cool.

– Jimmy Carter

Found on CNN 3 years ago Top News

I thought, whether or not he attempted to rape [ Christine Blasey Ford ], whether or not, I thought he was temperamentally unfit to serve on Supreme Court because of his outburst during the hearing.

– Jimmy Carter

Found on CNN 3 years ago Top News

America is inherently committed to human rights, and I think in the future we will let that prevail.

– Jimmy Carter

Found on FOX News 3 years ago Politics

I don’t think any Democrat is going to vote against a Democratic nominee.

– Jimmy Carter

Found on FOX News 3 years ago Politics

I have his email address.

– Jimmy Carter

Found on FOX News 3 years ago Politics

Let them be part of the community of nations, i think that would be enough in itself to bring an end to the nuclear program in North Korea.

– Jimmy Carter

Found on FOX News 3 years ago Politics

We citizens have tended to lose faith in ourselves and in each other.

– Jimmy Carter

Found on CNN 4 years ago Politics

There are attributes of a superpower that go beyond military strength, our nation should be known as a champion of peace. Our nation should be known as a champion of equality. Our nation should be known as a champion of human rights. We should also be admired for our generosity to other people in need and other moral values.

– Jimmy Carter

Found on CNN 4 years ago Politics

So far, we Americans down through history have had a hard time adjusting to this concept of equality... even now, some of us are still struggling to accept the fact that all people are equal in the eyes of God.

– Jimmy Carter

Found on CNN 4 years ago Politics

Rosalynn and I are deeply saddened to learn of the death of The Reverend Billy Graham.

– Jimmy Carter

Found on FOX News 4 years ago Politics

Billy Graham's ministry for the gospel of Jesus Christ and Billy Graham matchless voice changed the lives of millions, Vice President Pence said. We mourn Billy Graham passing but I know with absolute certainty that today Billy Graham heard those words,' well done good and faithful servant.' Thank you Billy Graham.

– Jimmy Carter

Found on FOX News 4 years ago Latest Headlines

Rosalynn and I are deeply saddened to learn of the death of Billy Graham.

– Jimmy Carter

Found on FOX News 4 years ago Latest Headlines

Now it's just an oligarchy with unlimited political bribery.

– Jimmy Carter

Found on CNN 5 years ago Politics

Can y'all see why I voted for him?

– Jimmy Carter

Found on CNN 5 years ago Politics

I had a discussion with my daughter, Amy, the other day, before I came here, to ask her what the most important issue was, she said she thought nuclear weaponry – and the control of nuclear arms.

– Jimmy Carter

Found on FOX News 5 years ago Opinion

Rosalynn and I are saddened by the passing of former First Lady Nancy Reagan. She will always be admired for her strength of conviction and her lifelong devotion to her husband, her 'just say no' campaign prevented many young people from falling prey to the allure of drug use; and her advocacy for stem cell research raised public awareness and influenced decision makers about vital research for Alzheimer's disease. We extend our condolences to her family at this difficult time.

– Jimmy Carter

Found on CNN 6 years ago Politics

My most recent MRI brain scan did not reveal any signs of the original cancer spots nor any new ones. I will continue to receive regular three-week immunotherapy treatments of pembrolizumab.

– Jimmy Carter

Found on CNN 6 years ago Top News

While I am disappointed that we are unable to build in Nepal due to such uncertain circumstances, Rosalynn and I understand and support Habitat's decision, we will keep the people of Nepal in our prayers and ask everyone to do the same.

– Jimmy Carter

Found on CNN 6 years ago World

The doctors have been nice enough to cut me back to 64 ounces a day. Instead of getting productive work done, I spent a lot of time in the restroom.

– Jimmy Carter

Found on FOX News 6 years ago Health

And we’ll know what the positive effects are later on.

– Jimmy Carter

Found on FOX News 6 years ago Health

There’s not an easy answer to it, we now have more refugees from war zones on Earth than we’ve ever had in history, even after the Second World War.

– Jimmy Carter

Found on FOX News 6 years ago Health

The best thing is to deal with Syria, there's not an easy answer. We now have more refugees from war zones than we have ever had.

– Jimmy Carter

Found on CNN 6 years ago Top News

I'm getting treated for it very well, there's a new medicine that's been developed for my disease. It's called pembrolizumab. It took me three weeks to learn how to say it.

– Jimmy Carter

Found on CNN 6 years ago Top News

Instead of getting productive work done, I spend a lot of time in the rest room.

– Jimmy Carter

Found on CNN 6 years ago Top News

And we have hundreds of visitors who come to see the curiosity of a politician teaching the Bible.

– Jimmy Carter

Found on CNN 6 years ago World

I plan to teach Sunday school this Sunday and every Sunday, as long as I'm -- you know -- physically and mentally able, in my little church, and we have hundreds of visitors who come to see the curiosity of a politician teaching the Bible.

– Jimmy Carter

Found on CNN 6 years ago World

My life since the White House has been personally more gratifying, although the presidency was obviously the pinnacle of political success, if I had to choose between four more years and the Carter Center, I think I would choose the Carter Center.

– Jimmy Carter

Found on CNN 6 years ago Politics

We deal with individual people in the smallest and most obscure and suffering villages in the desert and in the jungles of Africa, and we've had programs in 80 different countries on the Earth for the poorest and most destitute people in the world, and that has been, I'd say, far more gratifying personally because we actually interact with families and with people.

– Jimmy Carter

Found on CNN 6 years ago Politics

But still, there is a very great reluctance among some Protestants, like Southern Baptists, among others, (to) treat women equally in the eyes of God, and that sends a signal that it is OK to discriminate against girls and women.

– Jimmy Carter