"As we've grown older, the results have been surprisingly good," writes former president Jimmy Carter in this wise, deeply personal meditation on the new experiences that come to us with age. Now in his seventies, President Carter has never enjoyed more prestige or influence on the world stage, nor has he ever felt more profound happiness with himself, with his accomplishments, and with his beloved wife, Rosalynn.
In The Virtues of Aging, Jimmy Carter shares the knowledge and the pleasures that age have brought him. Blending memoir, anecdote, political savvy, and practical advice, this book truly illuminates the rich promises of growing older.
The approach to old age was not an easy one for President Carter. At fifty-six, having lost a presidential election, he found himself involuntarily retired from a job he loved and facing a large debt on his farm and warehouse business. President Carter writes movingly here of how he and Rosalynn overcame their despair and disappointment as together they met the challenges ahead.
Here too are fascinating sketches of world leaders, Nobel laureates, and great thinkers President Carter has been privileged to know - and the valuable lessons on aging he learned from them.
James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924 – December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981, and also a Nobel Peace Prize laureate in 2002 for his yearlong efforts for peace and human rights.