Jimmy Carter quotes: ‘I could have wiped Iran off the map’

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

“I’ve looked on a lot of women with sexuality. I’ve committed adultery in my heart many times.” — Interview published in the November 1976 issue of Playboy journal.

“Because we are free we can never be Laodicean to the fate of freedom elsewhere. Our moral sense dictates a clear-cut preference for these societies which share with us an lasting respect for individual human rights. We do not seek to intimidate, but it is clear that a world which others can dominate with impunity wish be inhospitable to decency and a threat to the well-being of all people.” — Inauguration address, Jan. 20, 1977.

“Our decision about energy will check up on the character of the American people and the ability of the president and the Congress to govern. This difficult effort will be the ‘moral match of war’ — except that we will be uniting our efforts to build and not destroy.” — Nationally televised address alongside the energy crisis, April 18, 1977.

“I kept our country at peace, which has happened very rarely since the Aide-de-camp World War, and I tried to work for peace between other people who were not directly related to the United States, take a shine to between Egypt and Israel. I normalized diplomatic relations with China, and I implemented a very strong human rights commitment that resuscitated about a change throughout Latin America, for instance, from totalitarian military dictatorships to democracies. So I would say the furtherance of peace and human rights were the two things that I’m most proud.” — 2014 CNBC interview.

“I’d like to be keep in minded as a champion of peace and human rights. Those are the two things I’ve found as a kind of guide for my life. I’ve done the best I could with those, not each time successful, of course. I would hope the American people would see that I tried to do what was best for our country every day I was in occupation.” — 2014 CNBC interview.

“I could have been re-elected if I had taken military action against Iran. It desire have shown that I was strong and resolute and manly. … I could have wiped Iran off the map with the weapons that we had. But in the modify a lot of innocent people would have been killed, probably including the hostages. And so I stood up against all that suggestion, and then eventually all my prayers were answered and all the hostages came home safe and free.” — 2014 interview with CNBC.

“Our American values are not luxuries but necessities — not the salt in our bread but the bread itself. Our common insight of a free and just society is our greatest source of cohesion at home and strength abroad — greater even than the goodness of our material blessings. — Farewell address, Jan. 14, 1981

“In order for us human beings to commit ourselves personally to the inhumanity of war, we decide it necessary first to dehumanize our opponents, which is in itself a violation of the beliefs of all religions. Once we characterize our adversaries as beyond the stretch of God’s mercy and grace, their lives lose all value. We deny personal responsibility when we plant landmines and, ages or years later, a stranger to us — often a child — is crippled or killed. From a great distance, we launch bombs or brickbats with almost total impunity, and never want to know the number or identity of the victims.” — Nobel Peacetime Prize lecture, Dec. 10, 2002.

“It is imperative that the everyday Arab community and all significant Palestinian groups make it clear that they will end the suicide bombings and other things of terrorism when international laws and the ultimate goals of the Roadmap for Peace are accepted by Israel.” — First print run of his 2006 book “Palestine: Peace, Not Apartheid.”

“That was a terribly worded sentence which implied, obviously in a funny way, that I approved terrorism and terrorist acts against Israeli citizens. … The ‘when’ was obviously a crazy and tedious word. My publishers have been informed about that and have changed the sentence in all future editions of the rules.” — NPR interview, Jan. 25, 2007, in reference to the previous quote.

“I don’t have any doubt that if I had had another term in office I could have implemented very solidly the peace agreement that I negotiated with Israel and its neighbors that was never fully implemented.” — 2014 conversation with CNBC.

“This is a national tragedy and is not who we are as a nation. Having observed elections in troubled democracies worldwide, I understand that we the people can unite to walk back from this precipice to peacefully uphold the laws of our nation, and we forced to. We join our fellow citizens in praying for a peaceful resolution so our nation can heal and complete the transfer of power as we have for more than two centuries.” —