--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Great American power and responsibility…" description: "\"Great American power and responsibility are not unprecedented, and have been used with restraint and great benefit in the past. We have not assumed tha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f22/jimmy-carter-479_american-power_great-american-power-and-responsibility_650189.jpg" --- # Great American power and responsibility are not… ![“Great American power and responsibility are not unprecedented, and have been used with restraint and great benefit in the past. We have not assumed that super strength guarantees super wisdom, and we have consistently reached out to the international community to ensure that our own power and…” quote by Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f22/jimmy-carter-479_american-power_great-american-power-and-responsibility_650189.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f22/jimmy-carter-479_american-power_great-american-power-and-responsibility_650189.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f22/jimmy-carter-479_american-power_great-american-power-and-responsibility_650189.jpg) > “Great American power and responsibility are not unprecedented, and have been used with restraint and great benefit in the past. We have not assumed that super strength guarantees super wisdom, and we have consistently reached out to the international community to ensure that our own power and influence are tempered by the best common judgment.” [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Power must be paired with responsibility and humility; history shows restraint leads to benefit. **In simple terms:** Power needs responsibility and humility. Key Takeaway Exercise power responsibly. Themes power responsibility humility Mood thoughtful inspirational Type political ethical When to use this quote - government policy - global cooperation - military action Key Concepts ethics leadership international relations Questions to Reflect On - How can societies ensure power is checked? - What mechanisms promote responsible leadership? A Different Perspective Power can be misused despite good intentions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-power/) [Benefits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/benefits/) [Common](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common/) [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consistently/) [Great american](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-american/) [Guarantees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guarantees/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Influence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influence/) [International](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/international/) [International community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/international-community/) [Judgment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judgment/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Power and responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power-and-responsibility/) [Power Influence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power-influence-700204/) [Power Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power-responsibility-250399/) [Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility/) [Responsibility Unprecedented](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility-unprecedented-5201341/) [Restraint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/restraint/) [Unprecedented](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unprecedented/) [Used](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/used/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) ## Related quotes > [Each of us has the power and responsibility to become a rainbow in the clouds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/each-of-us-has-the-power-and-responsibility-to-become-a-rainbow-in/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“A man of power and responsibility nevertheless needs somebody to tell him when he is being a bloody fool.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/a-man-of-power-and-responsibility-nevertheless-needs-somebody-to-tell/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [The tendency everywhere in America to concentrate power and responsibility in one man is unmistakable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bryce/the-tendency-everywhere-in-america-to-concentrate-power-and/) [James Bryce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bryce/) > [The naked pursuit of power without responsibility often leads to the loss of power and responsibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatalo-alamu/the-naked-pursuit-of-power-without-responsibility-often-leads-to-the/) [Tatalo Alamu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatalo-alamu/) > [There's a lot of power and responsibility that comes with owning who you are as a woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mia-goth/there-s-a-lot-of-power-and-responsibility-that-comes-with-owning-who/) [Mia Goth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mia-goth/) > [“When do we stop turning over our personal power and responsibility to liars?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-ericsson/when-do-we-stop-turning-over-our-personal-power-and-responsibility-to/) [Stephanie Ericsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-ericsson/) > [“In truth, a State whose society is not sovereign is no sovereign State at all. Such is the case when a society has no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-paul-ii/in-truth-a-state-whose-society-is-not-sovereign-is-no-sovereign-state/) [Pope John Paul II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-paul-ii/) > [In private matters everyone is equal before the law. In public matters, when it is a question of putting power and responsibility into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/in-private-matters-everyone-is-equal-before-the-law-in-public-matters/) [Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/) > [Man is not intended to see through the eyes of another, hear through another's ears nor comprehend with another's brain. Each human creature has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abdu-l-bah/man-is-not-intended-to-see-through-the-eyes-of-another-hear-through/) [Abdu'l-Bahá](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abdu-l-bah/) > [“Those who work hard and constantly seek to be visible to their superiors, those who showcase their hard work, are the ones who advance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-ratna/those-who-work-hard-and-constantly-seek-to-be-visible-to-their/) [Abhishek Ratna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-ratna/) > [The first of our senses which we should take care never to let rust through disuse is that sixth sense, the imagination. I mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-fry/the-first-of-our-senses-which-we-should-take-care-never-to-let-rust/) [Christopher Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-fry/) > [Literature for me… tries to heal the harm done by stories. (How much harm? Most of the atrocities of history have been created by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-ryman/literature-for-me-tries-to-heal-the-harm-done-by-stories-how-much/) [Geoff Ryman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-ryman/) > [Each of us has the power and responsibility to heal ourselves, to be our own medicine man or woman. Awakening our innate powers of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-roth/each-of-us-has-the-power-and-responsibility-to-heal-ourselves-to-be/) [Gabrielle Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-roth/) > [We in this country, in this generation, areby destiny rather than choicethe watchmen on the walls of world freedom. We ask, therefore, that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-in-this-country-in-this-generation-areby-destiny-rather-than/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [This position is untenable, and there can be no pause in the agitation for full political power and responsibility until these are granted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-kelley/this-position-is-untenable-and-there-can-be-no-pause-in-the-agitation/) [Florence Kelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-kelley/) ## More by Jimmy Carter > [One of the most basic principles for making and keeping peace within and between nations. . . is that in political, military, moral, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/one-of-the-most-basic-principles-for-making-and-keeping-peace-within/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [I think politicians really go with the tide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/i-think-politicians-really-go-with-the-tide/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [There's no way to have a peace agreement unless the mediator or negotiator looks at both sides from an equal basis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/there-s-no-way-to-have-a-peace-agreement-unless-the-mediator-or/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [Jesus never said a word about homosexuality. 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He's a much better speech maker than I am. But I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/i-don-t-want-to-tell-president-obama-how-to-make-a-speech-he-s-a-much/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [We must make it clear that a platform of 'I hate gay men and women' is not a way to become president of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/we-must-make-it-clear-that-a-platform-of-i-hate-gay-men-and-women-is/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [I have a very real political awareness that at least on a transient basis the more drastic action taken by the president, the more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/i-have-a-very-real-political-awareness-that-at-least-on-a-transient/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [Everyone has a right to peaceful coexistence, the basic personal freedoms, the alleviation of suffering, and the opportunity to lead a productive life...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/everyone-has-a-right-to-peaceful-coexistence-the-basic-personal/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [Energy will be the immediate test of our ability to unite this Nation, and it can also be the standard around which we rally.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/energy-will-be-the-immediate-test-of-our-ability-to-unite-this-nation/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) [Explore all 532 Jimmy Carter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) ## More American power quotes > [“The biggest threat to American power in the long run is the persistent decline in its middle class standard of living today.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziad-k-abdelnour/the-biggest-threat-to-american-power-in-the-long-run-is-the/) [Ziad K. Abdelnour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziad-k-abdelnour/) > [If I were doing the Security Council today, I'd have one permanent member, the United States, because that's the real reflection of the distribution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bolton/if-i-were-doing-the-security-council-today-i-d-have-one-permanent/) [John Bolton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bolton/) > [American power in the Middle East is collapsing. It doesn't need much more than a shove, and it will - and that's not going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fisk/american-power-in-the-middle-east-is-collapsing-it-doesn-t-need-much/) [Robert Fisk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fisk/) > [We will continue to deepen our engagement using every element of American power - diplomacy, military, economic development, the power of our values and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/we-will-continue-to-deepen-our-engagement-using-every-element-of/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The American people are extraordinarily comfortable, affluent, and secure. It's easy for us to make the argument that God's purpose is being fulfilled through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-russell-mead/the-american-people-are-extraordinarily-comfortable-affluent-and/) [Walter Russell Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-russell-mead/) > [The attitude of the American public toward the external projection of American power has been much more ambivalent. The public supported America's engagement in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zbigniew-brzezinski/the-attitude-of-the-american-public-toward-the-external-projection-of/) [Zbigniew Brzezinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zbigniew-brzezinski/) > [“The Internet has long been heralded as an unprecedented instrument of democratization and liberalization, even emancipation. But in the eyes of the US government,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/the-internet-has-long-been-heralded-as-an-unprecedented-instrument-of/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [American power should be used not just in the defense of American interests but for the promotion of American principles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kristol/american-power-should-be-used-not-just-in-the-defense-of-american/) [William Kristol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kristol/) > [I think that Hillary Clinton has an appreciation that American power needs to be put in the service of American values, which is an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-fried/i-think-that-hillary-clinton-has-an-appreciation-that-american-power/) [Daniel Fried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-fried/) > [The two world wars boosted American power and devastated potential rivals to an extent that could not have lasted more than a few decades.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-bremmer/the-two-world-wars-boosted-american-power-and-devastated-potential/) [Ian Bremmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-bremmer/) > [Ordinary Americans, and especially the small minority active in Democrat and Republican primaries, must learn more of what people across the globe are thinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-garton-ash/ordinary-americans-and-especially-the-small-minority-active-in/) [Timothy Garton Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-garton-ash/) > [What some people argue is that Vietnam stands for the proposition that there's no role for American power anywhere on earth. I don't believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-f-mondale/what-some-people-argue-is-that-vietnam-stands-for-the-proposition/) [Walter F. Mondale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-f-mondale/) > [The main problem with American power is not that it is American... No, the main problem with American power is the power itself. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-garton-ash/the-main-problem-with-american-power-is-not-that-it-is-american-no/) [Timothy Garton Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-garton-ash/) > [American power in the world relies on these ideals of openness and critical debate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-nye/american-power-in-the-world-relies-on-these-ideals-of-openness-and/) [Joseph Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-nye/) > [My heart trembles when I reflect that God is just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/my-heart-trembles-when-i-reflect-that-god-is-just/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) [Browse all 38 American power quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-power/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Great American power and responsibility are not unprecedented, and have been used with restraint and great benefit in the past. 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