--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It took Jimmy Carter to give us Ronald…" description: "\"It took Jimmy Carter to give us Ronald Reagan.\" — Ted Cruz" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b3/ted-cruz-487_carter_it-took-jimmy-carter-to-give-us-ronald-r_2973456.png" --- # It took Jimmy Carter to give us Ronald Reagan. ![“It took Jimmy Carter to give us Ronald Reagan.” quote by Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b3/ted-cruz-487_carter_it-took-jimmy-carter-to-give-us-ronald-r_2973456.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b3/ted-cruz-487_carter_it-took-jimmy-carter-to-give-us-ronald-r_2973456.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b3/ted-cruz-487_carter_it-took-jimmy-carter-to-give-us-ronald-r_2973456.png) > “It took Jimmy Carter to give us Ronald Reagan.” [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker suggests that Jimmy Carter’s policies paved the way for Ronald Reagan’s rise. **In simple terms:** Carter led to Reagan. Key Takeaway Understand political cause and effect. Themes politics leadership history Mood analytical critical Type historical political When to use this quote - campaign strategy - policy analysis - historical study Key Concepts policy impact election cycles Questions to Reflect On - What policies linked Carter to Reagan? - How do leaders influence successors? A Different Perspective Causal links are often oversimplified. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/carter/) [Carter Ronald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/carter-ronald-4589250/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Jimmy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jimmy/) [Jimmy carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jimmy-carter/) [Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reagan/) [Ronald reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ronald-reagan/) ## Related quotes > [I'm looking for a president that'll be like a Ronald Reagan to a Jimmy Carter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-giuliani/i-m-looking-for-a-president-that-ll-be-like-a-ronald-reagan-to-a/) [Rudy Giuliani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-giuliani/) > [President Ronald Reagan on his 1980 opponent: "I had a dream the other night. I dreamed that Jimmy Carter came to me and asked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dole/president-ronald-reagan-on-his-1980-opponent-i-had-a-dream-the-other/) [Bob Dole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dole/) > [Don't worry, America. We survived Jimmy Carter, and we will survive Barack Obama. Only one questions remains... who is the next Ronald Reagan?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-troia-mcfarland/don-t-worry-america-we-survived-jimmy-carter-and-we-will-survive/) [Kathleen Troia McFarland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-troia-mcfarland/) > [There is no question that, in 1980, Ronald Reagan had been portrayed as a war-monger, somebody who couldn't do anything off a script. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-shields/there-is-no-question-that-in-1980-ronald-reagan-had-been-portrayed-as/) [Mark Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-shields/) > [Without Jimmy Carter we might not have gotten Ronald Reagan, without Ronald Reagan there would probably still be a Soviet Union.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/newt-gingrich/without-jimmy-carter-we-might-not-have-gotten-ronald-reagan-without/) [Newt Gingrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/newt-gingrich/) > [Reagan won because he ran against Jimmy Carter. If he ran unopposed he would have lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mort-sahl/reagan-won-because-he-ran-against-jimmy-carter-if-he-ran-unopposed-he/) [Mort Sahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mort-sahl/) > [The reason inflation was brought down to manageable levels, by the time of Ronald Reagan's re-election, was directly attributable to Jimmy Carter's very courageous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perlstein/the-reason-inflation-was-brought-down-to-manageable-levels-by-the/) [Rick Perlstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perlstein/) > [ I saw \[Ronald\] Reagan. I've watched Jimmy Carter and his selflessness, getting involved in things like votes in African countries, but also putting his… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mandel/i-saw-ronald-reagan-i-ve-watched-jimmy-carter-and-his-selflessness/) [David Mandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mandel/) > [A troubled economy is always the sitting president's fault. It was when Ronald Reagan defeated Jimmy Carter, when Bill Clinton defeated George H.W. Bush,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mckinnon/a-troubled-economy-is-always-the-sitting-president-s-fault-it-was/) [Mark McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mckinnon/) > [White House cultures inevitably reflect the president's character. Jimmy Carter is a thoroughly honest, good person. So was his White House.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-drayton/white-house-cultures-inevitably-reflect-the-president-s-character/) [Bill Drayton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-drayton/) > [Pundits are saying that President Obama is starting to lose support among his own party. To give you an idea of how bad it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/pundits-are-saying-that-president-obama-is-starting-to-lose-support/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [It was not malaise we suffered from; it was Jimmy Carter - and Walter Mondale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeane-kirkpatrick/it-was-not-malaise-we-suffered-from-it-was-jimmy-carter-and-walter/) [Jeane Kirkpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeane-kirkpatrick/) > [I only remember a few things about Jimmy Carter. He had big lips and liked peanuts. I now know that Jimmy Carter was and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-cobain/i-only-remember-a-few-things-about-jimmy-carter-he-had-big-lips-and/) [Kurt Cobain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-cobain/) > [Look at what Jimmy Carter did. Look at the risks he took for a country that wasn't his. Israel has benefited unbelievably from that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/look-at-what-jimmy-carter-did-look-at-the-risks-he-took-for-a-country/) [Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/) > [No doubt the ridiculous politicians are right to like politics. They have found careers in which success can be achieved by being ridiculous. Imagine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/no-doubt-the-ridiculous-politicians-are-right-to-like-politics-they/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) ## More by Ted Cruz > [I was born in Cuba. At the age of 14 years of age I was involved in a revolution. We were suffering from a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/i-was-born-in-cuba-at-the-age-of-14-years-of-age-i-was-involved-in-a/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [ Donald Trump has opened \[ politically correct enforcement\] up wide. He's made a very bold statement and he's backed it back just a little… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/donald-trump-has-opened-politically-correct-enforcement-up-wide-he-s/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [I get that the media wants us to play theater critics and critique every other proposal. What I'm focusing on are my own policy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/i-get-that-the-media-wants-us-to-play-theater-critics-and-critique/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [We need to remain a nation that doesn't just welcome but that celebrates legal immigrants who come here seeking to pursue the American Dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/we-need-to-remain-a-nation-that-doesn-t-just-welcome-but-that/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [Donald Trump threatened to file a defamation suit against me for running a TV ad that consisted only entirely of his own words on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/donald-trump-threatened-to-file-a-defamation-suit-against-me-for/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [The immigrant experience of all of us is what makes us Americans, because we value in our DNA liberty and opportunity above all else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/the-immigrant-experience-of-all-of-us-is-what-makes-us-americans/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [The First Amendment exists to protect our religious liberty--to ensure that all Americans are able to seek out worship God with all our hearts,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/the-first-amendment-exists-to-protect-our-religious-liberty-to-ensure/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [It is my hope that all of the Republicans who recognize that nominating a candidate who agrees with Hillary Clinton on a host of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/it-is-my-hope-that-all-of-the-republicans-who-recognize-that/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [The Senate Majority Leader has the unilateral ability to stand up and say, 'If you defy Congress, if you defy the Constitution, if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/the-senate-majority-leader-has-the-unilateral-ability-to-stand-up-and/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [You can't get to a balanced budget and begin to pay down debt and thus create jobs in this country if you don't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/you-can-t-get-to-a-balanced-budget-and-begin-to-pay-down-debt-and/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [That's what actually caused me to run for office is, you know, my family story, the experience of growing up in a family where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/that-s-what-actually-caused-me-to-run-for-office-is-you-know-my/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [When you subpoena one pastor, you subpoena every pastor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/when-you-subpoena-one-pastor-you-subpoena-every-pastor/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [One of the things we've seen here is how easy it is for Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton to get distracted from dealing with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/one-of-the-things-we-ve-seen-here-is-how-easy-it-is-for-barack-obama/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [Imagine a legal immigration system that welcomes and celebrates those who come to achieve the American dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/imagine-a-legal-immigration-system-that-welcomes-and-celebrates-those/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [The court follows elite opinion, not public opinion. And Democratic leaders in Congress and Republican leaders in Congress follow elite opinion as well. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/the-court-follows-elite-opinion-not-public-opinion-and-democratic/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) [Explore all 523 Ted Cruz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) ## More Carter quotes > [I am somewhat influenced by the years that I've spent trying to actually get things done, whether it was reforming education in Arkansas or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-am-somewhat-influenced-by-the-years-that-i-ve-spent-trying-to/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [Benny Carter came up to me and said to me, "You know, in the whole history of the alto, I think Phil is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-gordon/benny-carter-came-up-to-me-and-said-to-me-you-know-in-the-whole/) [Jon Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-gordon/) > [Trying to make it from the bottom. His sins Feeling as hard as Vince Carter's knee cartilage is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-sweatshirt/trying-to-make-it-from-the-bottom-his-sins-feeling-as-hard-as-vince/) [Earl Sweatshirt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-sweatshirt/) > [ \[A\]n Obama presidency would be an amusing approximation of the Carter administration, complete with vaporous moralizing and foreign policy bungling. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmett-tyrrell/a-n-obama-presidency-would-be-an-amusing-approximation-of-the-carter/) [Emmett Tyrrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmett-tyrrell/) > [When I worked in the White House for President Carter, we tried to do comprehensive tax reform and we made some progress, and other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rubenstein/when-i-worked-in-the-white-house-for-president-carter-we-tried-to-do/) [David Rubenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rubenstein/) > [They know where Carter at, straight off the launchin pad marching on the moon muthafuka I've been to Mars and back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-wayne/they-know-where-carter-at-straight-off-the-launchin-pad-marching-on/) [Lil Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-wayne/) > [ I've kept the people who've been in my career who I feel are my family. Kathy \[Kennedy\] had been with me since 1978. Janusz… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-ve-kept-the-people-who-ve-been-in-my-career-who-i-feel-are-my/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [ Here's a foolproof method for keeping America safe. Always do the exact 180-degree opposite of whatever \[Jimmy\] Carter says, as quickly as possible. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/here-s-a-foolproof-method-for-keeping-america-safe-always-do-the/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [“Time crawls in the silence. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tock. Tock. Tock.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-mckay/time-crawls-in-the-silence-tick-tock-tick-tock-tick-tock-tock-tock/) [Emily McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-mckay/) > [No doubt the ridiculous politicians are right to like politics. They have found careers in which success can be achieved by being ridiculous. Imagine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/no-doubt-the-ridiculous-politicians-are-right-to-like-politics-they/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Over the weekend, former Enron executives Jeffrey Skilling and Rebecca Carter married each other during a huge ceremony in Houston. The happy couple is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/over-the-weekend-former-enron-executives-jeffrey-skilling-and-rebecca/) [Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/) > [Look at what Jimmy Carter did. Look at the risks he took for a country that wasn't his. Israel has benefited unbelievably from that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/look-at-what-jimmy-carter-did-look-at-the-risks-he-took-for-a-country/) [Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/) > [After my bad experience as a kite, I simply refused to go about as a glowing Sadie-headed chicken. That’s fine for Carter, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/after-my-bad-experience-as-a-kite-i-simply-refused-to-go-about-as-a/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [- "Women should all move to Amazonia, or at least vacation there four times a year." - "Amazonia?" - "It's the girl world in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/women-should-all-move-to-amazonia-or-at-least-vacation-there-four/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [“Mine own people do not care for me, John Carter; I am too unlike them. It is a sad fate, since I must live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/mine-own-people-do-not-care-for-me-john-carter-i-am-too-unlike-them/) [Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/) [Browse all 437 Carter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/carter/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It took Jimmy Carter to give us Ronald Reagan.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ted Cruz" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/it-took-jimmy-carter-to-give-us-ronald-reagan/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Carter" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/it-took-jimmy-carter-to-give-us-ronald-reagan/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b3/ted-cruz-487_carter_it-took-jimmy-carter-to-give-us-ronald-r_2973456.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b3/ted-cruz-487_carter_it-took-jimmy-carter-to-give-us-ronald-r_2973456.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b3/ted-cruz-487_carter_it-took-jimmy-carter-to-give-us-ronald-r_2973456.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It took Jimmy Carter to give us Ronald Reagan.” — Ted Cruz", "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": "Ted Cruz", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It took Jimmy Carter to give...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/it-took-jimmy-carter-to-give-us-ronald-reagan/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/it-took-jimmy-carter-to-give-us-ronald-reagan/#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 } } ] } ```