“We could have wiped Iran off the map.”

“My name is Jimmy Carter, and I’m running for president.” — begins his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention, July 15, 1976.

“I have looked upon many women with lust. Many times I have committed adultery in my heart.” — Interview published in Playboy magazine, November 1976.

“Because we are free, we cannot remain indifferent to the fate of freedom elsewhere. Our moral values ​​dictate a clear preference for those societies that permanently respect the human rights of the individual.” We are not trying to intimidate, but it is clear that a world in which others can rule with impunity is unacceptable to common sense and a threat to the well-being of all people.” — Inaugural Address, January 20, 1977.

“Our energy decisions will test the character of the American people and the ability of the president and Congress to govern. This difficult undertaking will be the ‘moral equivalent of war.’ Destroy, except to unite efforts to build and those that do not.” ” — Nationally Televised Address on the Energy Crisis, April 18, 1977.

“I maintained peace in our country, something that rarely happened after World War II, and I maintained peace between other peoples not directly connected to the United States, such as between Egypt and Israel. China and I have implemented very strong human rights initiatives that have led to changes from totalitarian military dictatorships to democracy, for example, throughout Latin America. I can say that promotion is the most important thing to me. ” — CNBC interview in 2014.

“I want to be remembered as a champion of peace and human rights. These are two things that I have found as kind of guiding principles in life. Of course, I hope the American people understand that every day I was in office, I tried to do what was best for the country.” — 2014 ‘s CNBC interview.

“If I had taken military action against Iran, I could have been re-elected. It would have shown me to be strong, resolute, and manly. … Use the weapons we had. We could have wiped Iran off the map. No. But in the process, many innocent people would have been killed, probably including the hostages. So I went against all that advice and in the end all prayers were answered. All hostages returned safely.” — 2014 interview with CNBC.

“Our American values ​​are about necessities, not luxuries. We are about the bread, not the salt in it. Our shared vision of a free and just society is about unity at home and strength abroad. the greatest source of strength and greater than our material blessings.” Blessings — Farewell, January 14, 1981

“We see that in order for us humans to be personally involved in the inhumanity of war, we must first dehumanize our adversaries, which in itself violates the beliefs of all religions. Once we characterize our adversaries as beyond the scope of religion, God’s mercy and grace, their lives , we plant mines and a few days or years later, a missile attack loses all value when a stranger, often a child, is maimed or killed from a distance. The number of victims and their identities are never known.” — Nobel Peace Prize LectureDecember 10, 2002.

“Once international law and the final goals of the Roadmap to Peace are accepted by Israel, it is imperative that the entire Arab community and all important Palestinian organizations make it clear that suicide bombings and other acts of terrorism will cease. ” — first edition of his 2006 book “Palestine: Peace, Not Apartheid.”

“It was a badly worded sentence that implied, in a patently ridiculous way, that I approved of terrorism and acts of terrorism against the Israeli people.…‘When’ is a patently insane and stupid word. My publisher has been informed of this and the text has been changed in all future editions of this book.” NPR interviewJanuary 25, 2007, see previous citation.

“I have no doubt that if I had had another term, I would have been able to very well implement the peace agreement that we negotiated with Israel and its neighbors that was never fully implemented. ” — 2014 interview with CNBC.

“This is a national tragedy and not who we are as a nation. Having watched elections in chaotic democracies around the world, I know that we, the people, can come together to bounce back from this cliff and get this country back on track. We know that we can peacefully uphold the laws of the United States, and we must do so.” I pray that the transfer can be completed. ” — Statement of January 6, 2021Following the riot at the U.S. Capitol by supporters of then-President Donald Trump.

“I’ll be teaching Sunday school next week,” he told an Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter at church on Aug. 16, 2015, four days after announcing his cancer had spread.

“I have lived a wonderful life, had thousands of friends, and lived an exciting, adventurous, and fulfilling life.” — Addressing reporters at the Carter Center, August 20, 2015.

“I found myself completely and completely at ease with death. It didn’t really matter to me whether I died or lived. … Since then, I have felt more at ease with my Christian faith. I am absolutely convinced that this includes complete confidence in life after death.” — Speech at Maranatha Baptist Church, November 3, 2019.