---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I remember the last three days that I was…"
description: "\"I remember the last three days that I was president, I never went to bed at all. I never went to bed until we had negotiated the final release of the h..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ef/jimmy-carter-479_bed_i-remember-the-last-three-days-that-i-wa_2139418.jpg"
---

#  I remember the last three days that I was president, I…

![“I remember the last three days that I was president, I never went to bed at all. I never went to bed until we had negotiated the final release of the hostages.” quote by Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ef/jimmy-carter-479_bed_i-remember-the-last-three-days-that-i-wa_2139418.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ef/jimmy-carter-479_bed_i-remember-the-last-three-days-that-i-wa_2139418.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ef/jimmy-carter-479_bed_i-remember-the-last-three-days-that-i-wa_2139418.jpg)

> “I remember the last three days that I was president, I never went to bed at all. I never went to bed until we had negotiated the final release of the hostages.”

[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.

Carter recounts staying awake through his final days as president, negotiating hostage releases without sleep.

**In simple terms:** He worked nonstop to secure hostage releases.

Key Takeaway

Prioritize critical negotiations despite personal cost.

Themes

leadership crisis dedication

Mood

reflective determined

Type

historical motivational

When to use this quote

- presidential transition
- hostage crisis
- high‑stakes diplomacy

Key Concepts

sleep deprivation negotiation tactics

Questions to Reflect On

- How to balance health and duty?
- What limits should be set?

A Different Perspective

Exhaustion can impair decision‑making.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bed/) [Bed Went](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bed-went-2211665/) [Finals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finals/) [Hostage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hostage/) [Hostages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hostages/) [Lasts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lasts/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [President Went](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president-went-4075491/) [Release](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/release/) [Release Hostages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/release-hostages-4447640/) [Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember/) [Three](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/three/) [Went Bed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/went-bed/)

## Related quotes

> [The issue of terrorism must be dealt with firmly. We must work very hard to avoid loss of life. We must work very hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-chalabi/the-issue-of-terrorism-must-be-dealt-with-firmly-we-must-work-very/)

[Ahmed Chalabi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-chalabi/)

> [Then the children went to bed, or at least went upstairs, and the men joined the women for a cigarette on the porch, absently…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-hempel/then-the-children-went-to-bed-or-at-least-went-upstairs-and-the-men/)

[Amy Hempel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-hempel/)

> [Every President that went to China, I would meet them and have dinner and talk about the past and the future. That was in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jet-li/every-president-that-went-to-china-i-would-meet-them-and-have-dinner/)

[Jet Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jet-li/)

> [I always figured the American public wanted a solemn ass for president, so I went along with them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-coolidge/i-always-figured-the-american-public-wanted-a-solemn-ass-for/)

[Calvin Coolidge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-coolidge/)

> [“He that hath wife and children hath given hostages to fortune.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/he-that-hath-wife-and-children-hath-given-hostages-to-fortune/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Because when you kill 300 people, 400 people, who have nothing to do with the provocations Hezbollah staged, but you do it in effect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zbigniew-brzezinski/because-when-you-kill-300-people-400-people-who-have-nothing-to-do/)

[Zbigniew Brzezinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zbigniew-brzezinski/)

> [We're all time's captives, hostages to eternity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-pasternak/we-re-all-time-s-captives-hostages-to-eternity/)

[Boris Pasternak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-pasternak/)

> [Perhaps one of the more noteworthy trends of our time is the occupation of buildings accompanied by the taking of hostages. The perpetrators of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/perhaps-one-of-the-more-noteworthy-trends-of-our-time-is-the/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [Terrorists don't take black hostages. That's the truth. I have yet to see one of us on the news reading a hostage letter. Like,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-chappelle/terrorists-don-t-take-black-hostages-that-s-the-truth-i-have-yet-to/)

[Dave Chappelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-chappelle/)

> [I would have promised those terrorists a trip to Disneyland if it would have gotten the hostages released. I thank God they were satisfied…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-north/i-would-have-promised-those-terrorists-a-trip-to-disneyland-if-it/)

[Oliver North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-north/)

> [No commandment surpasses the one concerning the liberation of hostages, for they are among the starving, the thirsting, the stripped, always in danger of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/no-commandment-surpasses-the-one-concerning-the-liberation-of/)

[Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/)

> [“The goal with hostages is to gradually lower expectations; in nonhostage crises, it's to lower emotions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-cullen/the-goal-with-hostages-is-to-gradually-lower-expectations-in/)

[Dave Cullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-cullen/)

> [President Carter famously said the hostages were the first thing he thought about in the morning and the last thing he thought about at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-koppel/president-carter-famously-said-the-hostages-were-the-first-thing-he/)

[Ted Koppel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-koppel/)

> [I have a wife, I have sons; all these hostages have I given to fortune.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-l-lucas/i-have-a-wife-i-have-sons-all-these-hostages-have-i-given-to-fortune/)

[F. L. Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-l-lucas/)

> [When death gives us a long lease of life, it takes as hostages all those whom we have loved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-curchod/when-death-gives-us-a-long-lease-of-life-it-takes-as-hostages-all/)

[Suzanne Curchod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-curchod/)

## 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. In all of his teachings about multiple things - he never said that gay people should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/jesus-never-said-a-word-about-homosexuality-in-all-of-his-teachings/)

[Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/)

> [Penalties against possession of a drug should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself, and where they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/penalties-against-possession-of-a-drug-should-not-be-more-damaging-to/)

[Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/)

> [No poor, rural, weak, or black person should ever again have to bear the additional burden of being deprived of the opportunity for an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/no-poor-rural-weak-or-black-person-should-ever-again-have-to-bear-the/)

[Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/)

> [Our individual fates are linked our futures intertwined](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/our-individual-fates-are-linked-our-futures-intertwined/)

[Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/)

> [Southerners, whose ancestors a hundred years ago knew the horrors of a homeland devastated by war, are particularly determined that war shall never come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/southerners-whose-ancestors-a-hundred-years-ago-knew-the-horrors-of-a/)

[Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/)

> [I think the most challenging thing for me in my life and in the Bible is that we worship Jesus as the Prince of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/i-think-the-most-challenging-thing-for-me-in-my-life-and-in-the-bible/)

[Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/)

> [Faith implies a continuing search, not necessarily a final answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/faith-implies-a-continuing-search-not-necessarily-a-final-answer/)

[Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/)

> [I don't want to tell President Obama how to make a speech. 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 Bed quotes

> [When man of slender visits you / Nothing on earth that one can do / In well he’ll hide, or watery hole / And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-goldstein/when-man-of-slender-visits-you-nothing-on-earth-that-one-can-do-in/)

[Jack Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-goldstein/)

> [Your idea of fidelity is not having more than one man in bed at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-raphael/your-idea-of-fidelity-is-not-having-more-than-one-man-in-bed-at-the/)

[Frederic Raphael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-raphael/)

> [The beginning of love is all about the butterflies, but the end of it is when you can't get out of bed in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/the-beginning-of-love-is-all-about-the-butterflies-but-the-end-of-it/)

[Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/)

> [Home is behind, the world ahead, And there are many paths to tread Through shadows to the edge of night, Until the stars are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/home-is-behind-the-world-ahead-and-there-are-many-paths-to-tread/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I wish I had as much in bed as I get in the newspapers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-ronstadt/i-wish-i-had-as-much-in-bed-as-i-get-in-the-newspapers/)

[Linda Ronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-ronstadt/)

> [ Leave a cavity behind the \[wall\] facings, and on the inside build walls two feet thick, made of red dimension stone or burnt brick… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-vitruvius-pollio/leave-a-cavity-behind-the-wall-facings-and-on-the-inside-build-walls/)

[Marcus Vitruvius Pollio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-vitruvius-pollio/)

> [Why couldn't Jesus command us to obsess over everything, to try to control and manipulate people, to try not to breathe at all, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/why-couldn-t-jesus-command-us-to-obsess-over-everything-to-try-to/)

[Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/)

> [“To all the secret writers, late-night painters, would-be singers, lapsed and scared artists of every stripe, dig out your paintbrush, or your flute, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/to-all-the-secret-writers-late-night-painters-would-be-singers-lapsed/)

[Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/)

> [“In the parking lot, she drove and parked in a dark area with no other cars around. She reclined her seat, and listened to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tao-lin/in-the-parking-lot-she-drove-and-parked-in-a-dark-area-with-no-other/)

[Tao Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tao-lin/)

> [It wasn't really touching to be young; it was touching not to be young, because you had less of life left. Touching to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/it-wasn-t-really-touching-to-be-young-it-was-touching-not-to-be-young/)

[Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/)

> [I have to meditate before I go to bed, always. I have to let the day go and let the eternal in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bellamy-young/i-have-to-meditate-before-i-go-to-bed-always-i-have-to-let-the-day-go/)

[Bellamy Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bellamy-young/)

> [Sometimes by a woodland stream he watched the water rush over the pebbled bed, its tiny modulations of bounce and flow. A woman's body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/sometimes-by-a-woodland-stream-he-watched-the-water-rush-over-the/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [I think life is full of challenges and problems. I don't believe that anyone is perfect. We all make mistakes. It's not a bed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-mansell/i-think-life-is-full-of-challenges-and-problems-i-don-t-believe-that/)

[Nigel Mansell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-mansell/)

> [When I saw him I thought I could curl up inside him and go to sleep and never wake up." "Men are no good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/when-i-saw-him-i-thought-i-could-curl-up-inside-him-and-go-to-sleep/)

[Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/)

> [I always wanted to be a movie star. I thought it meant being famous and having breakfast in bed. I didn't know you had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/june-allyson/i-always-wanted-to-be-a-movie-star-i-thought-it-meant-being-famous/)

[June Allyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/june-allyson/)

[Browse all 4,159 Bed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bed/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I remember the last three days that I was president, I never went to bed at all. I never went to bed until we had negotiated the final release of the hostages.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jimmy Carter"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/i-remember-the-last-three-days-that-i-was-president-i-never-went-to/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bed"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/i-remember-the-last-three-days-that-i-was-president-i-never-went-to/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ef/jimmy-carter-479_bed_i-remember-the-last-three-days-that-i-wa_2139418.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ef/jimmy-carter-479_bed_i-remember-the-last-three-days-that-i-wa_2139418.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ef/jimmy-carter-479_bed_i-remember-the-last-three-days-that-i-wa_2139418.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I remember the last three days that I was president, I never went to bed at all. I never went to bed until…” — Jimmy Carter",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Jimmy Carter",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I remember the last three days...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/i-remember-the-last-three-days-that-i-was-president-i-never-went-to/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/i-remember-the-last-three-days-that-i-was-president-i-never-went-to/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
