WIST

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 (b. 1924) US President (1977-1981), Nobel laureate [James Earl Carter, Jr.]
“Warm Hearts and Cool Hands,” speech (1976)
Quoted in A Government as Good as Its People, J. Carter (1977)

On human rights, civil rights and environmental quality, I consider myself to be very liberal. On the management of government, on openness of government, on strengthening individual liberties and local levels of government, I consider myself a conservative. And I don’t see that the two attitudes are incompatible.

Jimmy Carter (b. 1924) US President (1977-1981), Nobel laureate [James Earl Carter, Jr.]
(Attributed)

Aggression unopposed becomes a contagious disease.

Jimmy Carter (b. 1924) US President (1977-1981), Nobel laureate [James Earl Carter, Jr.]
Address to the Nation (4 Jan 1980)

On Soviet intervention in Afghanistan.

Unless both sides win, no agreement can be permanent.

Jimmy Carter (b. 1924) US President (1977-1981), Nobel laureate [James Earl Carter, Jr.]
Charlie Rose television interview, PBS (17 Jan 1995)

A simple and a proper function of government is just to make it easy for us to do good and difficult for us to do wrong.

Jimmy Carter (b. 1924) US President (1977-1981), Nobel laureate [James Earl Carter, Jr.]
Presidential nomination acceptance speech, New York City (15 Jul 1976)

If you fear making anyone mad, then you ultimately probe for the lowest common denominator of human achievement.

Jimmy Carter (b. 1924) US President (1977-1981), Nobel laureate [James Earl Carter, Jr.]
Speech to Future Farmers of America, Kansas City (9 Nov 1978)

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 (b. 1924) US President (1977-1981), Nobel laureate [James Earl Carter, Jr.]
Speech, Liberty Party dinner, New York City (14 Oct 1976)

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

Jimmy Carter (b. 1924) US President (1977-1981), Nobel laureate [James Earl Carter, Jr.]
White House ceremony on the 30th Anniversary of the UN Declaration of Human Rights (6 Dec 1978)