For the first time in the history of our country the majority of our people believe that the next five years will be worse than the past five years.
Interpretation
This quote reflects a growing pessimism about the future compared to the past.
Jimmy Carter expresses a sense of collective concern among the American populace regarding the future. The acknowledgment that for the first time a majority feels that upcoming years may be more challenging than the previous ones indicates a significant shift in public sentiment, highlighting societal anxieties and mounting challenges faced by the country at that time.
In practice
This quote can be used in a discussion about current events or societal challenges.
Acknowledging the physical realities of our planet does not mean a dismal future of endless sacrifice. In fact, acknowledging these realities is the first step in dealing with them. We can meet the resource problems of the world - water, food, minerals, farmlands, forests, overpopulation, pollution - if we tackle them with courage and foresight.
The preeminent obstacle to peace is Israel's colonization of Palestine.
I would say the biggest handicap we have right now is some nutcases in our country that don't believe in global warming. I think they are going to change their position because of pressure from individuals, because the evidence of the ravages of global warming is already there.
If I were president, I'd be very glad to see the Palestinians have a nation recognized by the United Nations. There's no downside to it.
My understanding of racial discrimination as a child was highly distorted because the most prominent man in Archery was an African-American bishop. When he came home from up north, where he was in charge of A.M.E. churches in five states, it was front-page news. He was the most successful man in my life.
Our American values are not luxuries but necessities, not the salt in our bread, but the bread itself. Our common vision of a free and just society is our greatest source of cohesion at home and strength abroad, greater than the bounty of our material blessings.
What's dangerous is not to evolve.
Before a new chapter is begun, the old one has to be finished: tell yourself that what has passed will never come back. _x000D_ Remember that there was a time when you could live without that thing or that person - nothing is irreplaceable, a habit is not a need.
The Paris climate agreement may be a harbinger of the spirit and mindset needed to sustain genuine global cooperation.
Emigration is no longer a solution; it's a defeat. People are risking death, drowning every day, but they're knocking on doors that are not open.
A refugee in the traditional vision is someone who flees from country to another because of persecution or conflict. But what we're witnessing now more and more is a certain number of mega-trends interacting with one another: population growth, urbanization, food insecurity, water scarcity, climate change, and conflict.
The whole fabric of southern society must be changed, and never can it be done if this opportunity is lost. Without this, this government can never be, as it never has been, a true republic.
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