The Man from Plains
The hammer rose and fell in steady measure.
Jimmy Carter, well into his nineties, drove another nail into what would become someone's home. The former president had lost count of how many houses he'd helped build with Habitat for Humanity, though the organization puts the number above 4,000. The work continued despite the heat, despite his age, despite cancer. In these simple movements— measuring twice, cutting once, ensuring each nail sat true — lay the story of a man who found his greatest purpose not in the White House, but in the quiet work that followed.
(Source)
A few miles from Plains, Georgia, in 1976, Carter told his neighbors he would run for president. It seemed improbable — a peanut farmer and one-term governor challenging the political establishment. Yet he won, riding a wave of post-Watergate desire for honesty in government. His presidency would prove more complex than his campaign promised, marked by both significant achievements and profound challenges.
The Camp David Accords stand as his administration's crowning achievement, brokered through thirteen days of intense negotiation between Egypt's Anwar Sadat and Israel's Menachem Begin. Carter's patient diplomacy — moving between cabins, suggesting compromises, finding common ground — demonstrated his gift for peace-building. The treaty signed in 1978 remains intact today, a testament to careful work that prioritized lasting impact over dramatic gestures.
Yet his single term also saw the Iranian hostage crisis, stagflation, and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The American people, facing long gas lines and rising prices, grew increasingly frustrated. Carter's famous "malaise" speech, though never using that word, accurately diagnosed America's crisis of confidence but failed to inspire hope. He left office in 1981 with low approval ratings, his presidency often labeled a failure.
(Source)
In the quiet of Plains, Georgia, Carter faced a choice familiar to many who leave high office — how to spend the decades that remained. He was only 56, too young to simply retire, too restless to join the corporate boards that often welcome former presidents. Instead, he chose a different path, one that would transform both his legacy and the very notion of what a post-presidency could become.
"I could go around the world and help promote peace and human rights," he wrote in his diary. "I could help resolve conflicts. I could work on environmental issues. I could build houses for poor people. I could do all these things."
The Carter Center, established in 1982, emerged from this period of reflection. Unlike traditional presidential libraries focused primarily on legacy-building, the Center became an action-oriented institution dedicated to advancing human rights, alleviating suffering, and promoting democracy. Carter approached these grand goals with the same attention to detail he once brought to his peanut farm — understanding that meaningful change requires patient, methodical work.
(Louise Gubb/Carter Center)
His work on Guinea worm disease, a painful parasitic infection that affected millions in Africa and Asia, exemplified this approach. The Carter Center's eradication program didn't make headlines, but it transformed lives through careful, persistent effort. When the program began in 1986, there were 3.5 million cases worldwide. By 2022, that number had dropped to just 13 cases, marking one of the most successful disease eradication campaigns in history.
"You have to know the microscopic details," Carter explained to a group of public health workers in Sudan, "but never lose sight of the larger purpose." This philosophy — combining careful attention to detail with unwavering commitment to larger goals — defined his post-presidential work.
His dedication to election monitoring revealed similar patience. The Carter Center has observed over 113 elections in 39 countries, often in nascent democracies where the process remains fragile. This work required both diplomatic skill and willingness to spend long hours in remote polling stations, checking procedures, documenting irregularities, ensuring that democracy's mechanics function as intended.
Perhaps his most visible service came through Habitat for Humanity. Starting in 1984, Carter and his wife Rosalynn began spending one week each year building homes alongside volunteers. The annual Carter Work Project became legendary not for its scale, but for the former president's hands-on involvement — cutting lumber, laying bricks, teaching others the proper angle for a hammer strike.
"Every nail matters," he often told volunteers. "Every house matters. Every family matters." This attention to individual impact while maintaining broader vision characterized all his humanitarian work. Whether negotiating peace between warring factions or ensuring proper mosquito net distribution in malaria-prone regions, Carter brought the same careful attention to detail.
His diplomatic efforts continued long after leaving office, often focusing on conflicts others deemed intractable. In 1994, he helped negotiate a nuclear freeze with North Korea. In 2002, he became the first U.S. president to visit Cuba since 1928, working to build bridges despite ongoing tensions. His willingness to engage with difficult partners sometimes drew criticism, but it produced results — demonstrating how patient diplomacy can succeed where confrontation fails.
(John Bazemore/Associated Press)
Into his nineties, Carter continued teaching Sunday school at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, drawing visitors from around the world. His lessons often focused on service, on the obligation to help others, on finding purpose beyond personal achievement. In these simple wooden pews, far from the marble halls of Washington, he seemed most at home.
In 2015, when Carter announced he had cancer that had spread to his brain, he approached the diagnosis with characteristic grace and honesty. "I'm perfectly at ease with whatever comes," he said in a press conference that August. Even then, he continued building houses, teaching Sunday school, working for others. When the cancer retreated following treatment, he simply returned to his regular schedule of service.
Carter's relationship with later presidents proved complex but ultimately respectful. Though often critical of subsequent administrations' policies, particularly regarding military intervention and human rights, he maintained the dignity of his former office while continuing his humanitarian work. His example helped reshape how former presidents engage with public life, encouraging more active post-presidential service.
In February 2023, the Carter Center announced that the former president had entered hospice care at his home in Plains. He passed away on December 29, 2024, at the age of 100, the longest-lived American president in history.
His legacy lives on in the countless lives he touched. The Guinea worm nears extinction. Houses he helped build shelter families across the globe. Elections he monitored have helped democracies take root. Peace agreements he brokered continue to hold. Each achievement began with a single act of service.
(The Carter Center)
Author's Note: This creative nonfiction piece about Jimmy Carter's post-presidential work uses verified historical sources, including press releases, interviews, and official statements. All quotes are directly sourced. Key references include:
News articles from reputable sources (including The New York Times, USA Today, and GBH)
Carter's own statements about his work with the organization
"White House Diary" (2010) by Jimmy Carter
"An Hour Before Daylight: Memories of a Rural Boyhood" by Jimmy Carter
"Keeping Faith: Memoirs of a President" by Jimmy Carter
"A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety" by Jimmy Carter
"President Carter: The White House Years" by Stuart Eizenstat
"Author in Chief" by Craig Fehrman
