Jimmy Carter is as much known as a former resident of the White House as he is a humanitarian. He has been actively involved in Habitat for Humanity’s work for three decades now, and his eponymous nonprofit has been instrumental in virtually wiping out the devastating Guinea worm disease.
On Wednesday, Oct. 1, Carter celebrated his 90th birthday. Many, including global and aid leaders, expressed their appreciation of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize winner on Twitter.
From his presidency through his days as an Elder statesman, Carter has given insightful messages on human rights and development. Here are nine of his most memorable quotes:
● “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.”
● “If you're totally illiterate and living on one dollar a day, the benefits of globalization never come to you.”
● “I think all Americans believe in human rights. And health is an often overlooked aspect of basic human rights. And it's one that's easily corrected. The reason I say that is that many of the diseases that we treat around the world, I knew when I was a child. My mother was a registered nurse. And they no longer exist in our country.”
● “We cannot be both the world's leading champion of peace and the world's leading supplier of the weapons of war.”
● “It's very difficult for the American people to believe that our government, one of the richest on Earth, is also one of the stingiest on Earth.”
● “I've used the prestige and influence of having been a president of the United States as effectively as possible. And secondly, I've still been able to carry out my commitments to peace and human rights and environmental quality and freedom and democracy and so forth.”
● “Government is a contrivance of human wisdom to provide for human wants. People have the right to expect that these wants will be provided for by this wisdom.”
● “We will not learn how to live together in peace by killing each other's children.”
● “The best way to enhance freedom in other lands is to demonstrate here that our democratic system is worthy of emulation.”
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About the author
Ma. Eliza VillarinoDevexElizaJV
Eliza is a veteran journalist focused on covering the most pressing issues and latest innovations in global health, humanitarian aid, sustainability, and development. A member of Mensa, Eliza has earned a master's degree in public affairs and bachelor's degree in political science from the University of the Philippines.
