In his inaugural address as Governor of Georgia on January 12, 1971, James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. (1924 - ) proclaimed:

The test of a government is not how popular it is with the powerful and privileged few,
but how honestly and fairly it deals with the many who must depend on it.

During his term as the 39th President of the United States, Carter most notably helped negotiate peace between Israel and Egypt and helped facilitate an arms treaty with the Soviet Union.

We cannot be both the world's leading champion of peace and the world's leading supplier of the weapons of war

It is his achievements and efforts following his term as President, however, which truly illustrate his commitment to human rights and world peace.

We know that a peaceful world cannot long exist, one-third rich and two-thirds hungry.

In 1982 Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalyn founded the Carter Center in Atlanta to promote global health, democracy and fair elections around the world, among many other objectives. He of course is also known for his work with Habitat for America, helping build homes for people who would otherwise be unable to afford homes of their own.

Whether the borders that divide us are picket fences or national boundaries, we are all neighbors in a global community.

Carter was awarded The Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism, The United Nations Human Rights Award, The Presidential Medal of Freedom, and, in 2002, Nobel Peace Prize, for his efforts on behalf of the world’s underprivileged.

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.