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Jimmy Carter

Jimmy Carter Quotes

39th U.S. President

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Famous Jimmy Carter Quotes

“The energy crisis has not yet overwhelmed us, but it will if we do not act quickly. It's a problem that we will not be able to solve in the next few years, and it's likely to get progressively worse through the rest of this century. We must not be selfish or timid if we hope to have a decent world for our children and grandchildren. We simply must balance our demand for energy with our rapidly shrinking resources. By acting now we can control our future instead of letting the future control us.”

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Author:Jimmy Carter
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“Americans long thought that nature could take care of itself-or that if it did not, the consequences were someone else's problem. As we know now, that assumption was wrong; none of us is a stranger to environmental problems.”

IfsKnowsLongProblemCareConsequenceEnvironmentalStrangerTake CareAssumptionEnvironmental Problems
Book:Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Jimmy Carter, 1977
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“It would be almost politically suicidal for members of Congress to espouse a balanced position between Israel and Palestine, to suggest that Israel comply with international law or to speak in defense of justice or human rights for Palestinians. If they did so, they couldn't be reelected.”

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Author:Jimmy Carter
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“Rosalynn said, "Jimmy, if we could only get Prime Minister Begin and President Sadat up here on this mountain for a few days, I believe they might consider how they could prevent another war between their countries." That gave me the idea, and a few weeks later, I invited both men to join me for a series of private talks. In September 1978, they both came to Camp David.”

IfsMenBelieveSaidIdeasWarCountryMightI BelievePeacePresidentWeekMountainSeriesMinistersPrimeCampsMiddle EastSeptemberPrime MinisterInvitedJimmySadat
Book:Talking Peace: A Vision for the Next Generation
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“One of the surprising things that Brezhnev said when we were in our talks, was - when I proposed that we make these changes in nuclear weaponry, he said, "God will never forgive us if we don't succeed." And, you know, coming from the leader of an atheistic communist country, this surprised everyone.”

IfsKnowsSaidCountryLeaderSucceedForgivingNuclearGods WillCommunistSurprisingNuclear WeaponsAtheisticNever ForgiveWeaponrySurprising ThingsBrezhnev
Author:Jimmy Carter
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“I have a great respect for the flag, (but) if the government passed a law saying that I had to pledge allegiance to the flag, I don't think I would do it. I've always felt that I lived in a country...where if I wanted to worship God as a Baptist, I could do so. If I were an atheist, I could be one. If I wanted to be a Catholic but was born a Jew, there's no condemnation...from a government authority.”

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Author:Jimmy Carter
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“In an all-out nuclear war, more destructive power than in all of World War II would be unleashed every second during the long afternoon it would take for all the missiles and bombs to fall. A World War II every second-more people killed in the first few hours than all the wars of history put together. The survivors, if any, would live in despair amid the poisoned ruins of a civilization that had committed suicide.”

PeopleIfsWorldFirstsLongWarWould BeTogetherFallHoursCivilizationDespairSuicideCommittedNuclearRuinsWar Of The WorldsBombsDestructiveSurvivorAfternoonWorld War IiWorld War IMissilesNuclear WarEvery SecondUnleashedDestructive Power
Book:Jimmy Carter
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“I think that the best approach would be if the American people ever insist that we cut down on the massive amounts of money that moves into the campaigns from special interest groups, and if we resist publicly by saying "No more negative advertisements that destroy the reputations of one's opponents." In the meantime, just don't pay any attention to negative ads, if you can avoid them, and try to focus on the issues.”

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Author:Jimmy Carter
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“With overwhelming military strength now deployed against him and with intense monitoring from space surveillance and the U.N. inspection team on the ground, any belligerent move by Saddam against a neighbor would be suicidal....If Iraq does possess such concealed weapons, as is quite likely, Saddam would use them only in the most extreme circumstances, in the face of an invasion of Iraq, when all hope of avoiding the destruction of his regime is lost.”

IfsDoeUseWould BeFacesMovingLostSpaceTeamMilitaryCircumstancesWeaponsDestructionIraqExtremesNeighborIntenseOverwhelmingRegimesAvoidingSaddamSuicidalInvasionSurveillanceConcealedInspectionMonitoringConcealed Weapons
Author:Jimmy Carter
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“In general, in the matters that relate to theology or behavior, people to one another, Paul was obviously biblically correct. But when he said that women should always cover their hair or that women should not teach men, women should not have leadership positions in the church, women should not speak in the church, I don't' think that those writings of Paul can be extracted by themselves to stand alone. Also, Paul said that women should be subservient to their husbands but if you read a couple of verses down it says husbands should treat their wives as equals.”

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Author:Jimmy Carter
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“I don't have any complaints about homosexuals being married in a civil ceremony. But I don't think that the government ought to require religious organizations, churches, should perform marriages between homosexuals if a local congregation decides otherwise. I believe in the autonomy of individual churches.”

IfsThinkingShouldBelieveGovernmentIndividualI BelieveChurchReligiousOughtMarriedOrganizationI Believe InLocalsComplaintsHomosexualAutonomyCeremonyBeing MarriedCongregation
Author:Jimmy Carter
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“I think it's alright if the government wants to say, in the state of Massachusetts, in the state of New York, in the state of California, that civil ceremonies should be accepted, I think that should be fine. I don't think that even those states that believe in civil marriages between homosexuals or ordained in a church should perform civil ceremonies.”

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Author:Jimmy Carter
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“I think there ought to be a strict separation or wall built between our religious faith and our practice of political authority in office. I don't think the President of the United States should extoll Christianity if he happens to be a Christian at the expense of Judaism, Islam or other faiths.”

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Author:Jimmy Carter
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“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.”

IfsBeliefReligiousGunAffairEvolveAbortionFollowersSecularGun ControlModeratesReligious FaithCrusadesFervent
Author:Jimmy Carter
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“If we do not learn to eliminate waste and to be more productive and more efficient in the ways we use energy, then we will fall short of this goal [for the Nation to derive 20 percent of all the energy we use from the Sun, by 2000]. But if we use our technological imagination, if we can work together to harness the light of the Sun, the power of the wind, and the strength of rushing streams, then we will succeed.”

IfsWayUseLightTogetherScienceFallEnergyNationsGoalImaginationSunImagineWindHard WorkSucceedWastePercentStreamsProductiveWorking TogetherEfficientTechnologicalRushingHarness
Author:Jimmy Carter
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“Acknowledging the physical realities of our planet does not mean a dismal future of endless sacrifice. In fact, acknowledging these realities is the first step in dealing with them. We can meet the resource problems of the world - water, food, minerals, farmlands, forests, overpopulation, pollution - if we tackle them with courage and foresight.”

IfsWorldFirstsMeanDoeFactsProblemRealityWaterStepsEnvironmentSacrificePlanetsFutureResourcesEndlessForestsFirst StepsPollutionEcologyOur PlanetForesightMineralsOverpopulationFarmland
Book:Jimmy Carter
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