Everything To Gain; Making the Most of the Rest of Your Life

by Jimmy Carter

For Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, the transition from the White House to Plains, Georgia, was painful. EVERYTHING TO GAIN is their warm and unpretentious account of their successful adjustment to a new life, full of encouragement and insight for any couple wanting to renew their commitment to each other and to life.From the Paperback edition.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Presidents, Spirituality, Biography, History

198 pages, Leather Bound

Published January 1, 1995

About the author

Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

James Earl Carter, Junior, known as Jimmy, the thirty-ninth president of the United States from 1977 to 1981, creditably established energy-conservation measures, concluded the treaties of Panama Canal in 1978, negotiated the accords of Camp David between Egypt and Israel in 1979, and won the Nobel Prize of 2002 for peace.

Ronald Wilson Reagan defeated Jimmy Carter, the incumbent, in the presidential election of 1980.

He served and received. Carter served two terms in the senate of Georgia and as the 76th governor from 1971 to 1975.

Carter created new Cabinet-level Department of education. A national policy included price decontrol and new technology. From 1977, people reduced foreign oil imports one-half to 1982. In foreign affairs, Carter pursued the second round of strategic arms limitation talks (SALT). Carter sought to put a stronger emphasis on human rights in 1979. People saw his return of the zone as a major concession of influence in Latin America, and Carter came under heavy criticism.

Iranian students in 1979 took over the American embassy and held hostages, and an attempt to rescue them failed; several additional major crises, including serious fuel shortages and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, marked the final year of his tenure. Edward Moore Kennedy challenged significantly higher disapproval ratings of Carter for nomination of the Democratic Party before the election of 1980. Carter defeated Kennedy for the nomination lost the election to Ronald Wilson Reagan, a Republican.

Carter left office and with Rosalynn Smith Carter, his wife, afterward founded the nongovernmental center and organization that works to advance human rights. He traveled extensively to conduct, to observe elections, and to advance disease prevention and eradication in developing nations. He, a key, also figured in the project of habitat for humanity. Carter particularly vocalized on the Palestinian conflict.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/jimmyc...

Reviews

[Elise · Rating 3 out of 5]

2023: As former President Carter is in hospice care, I revisited this book review from 2018. Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter have been an amazing example of living their ideals and having a long rich life after a disappointment like losing an election. He truly 'made the most of the rest of his life'.

There's a family connection that prompted me to pick up this almost 30 year old memoir/self help book from Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter. In 1987, Tom stood in line many hours to get an autographed copy of this book and gave it to Mom and Dad. I don't know if they ever read it, but I hung onto it when we went through all the many, many books they had. By that time I asked Mom about it, she was not particularly fond of any Democratic president after Roosevelt, as far as I can tell. On the other hand, my admiration of Jimmy Carter has grown over the years.
Anyway, it sat on my bookshelf for the past 10 or so years until last weekend when Darren and I did a purge. I started looking at this, and realized it was a very apropos gift for Mom and Dad in 1987. It is written as a combination anecdotal memoir of President Carter's early retirement years after his 1980 'layoff' and as a meditation on what a husband and wife in their 50's can contribute and look forward to in retirement. Now that I am nearing 54, that subject has been much on my thoughts of late.
Much of the advice I have read from other sources: guard your health by eating right and getting exercise. Find things to do with your time that is interesting and if possible helpful to others. Many of the recommendations are ones that Mom and Dad took: taking courses at the community college, volunteering at church, using Elderhostels as opportunities to travel and meet people and learn new things. One thought that amused me we Jimmy's statement that when he reads a book he really enjoys, he makes a point of meeting the author personally. Many of us would love to be famous enough to be able to do that!
My favorite quote was near the end "It is often more convenient to back off and cling to ones own suspected shortcomings or the lack of a nearly perfect opportunity as a convenient excuse to do nothing."

[Dianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did enjoy reading this book. It is great reading about all the great things Jimmy and Rosalyn were able to do all over the world. They included a lot of great quotes from Jimmy Townsend. Some of my favorite are "Anybody who can still do at sixty what he was doing at twenty wasn't doing much at twenty." "Marriage teaches you loyalty, forbearance, self-restraint, meekness and a great many other things you wouldn't need if you had stayed single."

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Carters published this book in 1987, and they have followed their own advice about how to embrace "retirement age" and beyond. They have numerous suggestions for how to make the most of the second half of life. The Carters do acknowledge that, as a post-Presidential couple, they have experiences and opportunities that most people do not (as well as obligations), and they relate some of their plans for what the Carter Center would become.

[Jelan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading a book by a former president and first lady about how to make the most of your retirement seemed a bit intimidating as I embarked on my own retirement. But it was great! Despite the fact that they have done so many incredible, admirable things since retiring from the White House (involuntarily, as they mentioned several times), I found this book both approachable and inspirational. Their style was very real and human and their advice very solid. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Mom · Rating 4 out of 5]

What do Presidents do when they leave office?
I enjoyed reading and finding out.
I like that they had to have a plan of what to do, how to spend their time.
I like the story of telling how they wanted to help people--Habitat for Humanity.
I felt they were down to earth people, and that is the story I have read.
Interesting.
A very good read.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

President Carter wrote this book with his wife. Personally, I'm against collaborations with spouses, although I think most of the advice offered in this book is sound.

[Advie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful to have a glimpse into their lives and I found their honest open talk to be wonderful too. Humorous in many areas. True and insightful wisdom. Thanks to them for sharing these things

[Eamount]

life after the white house, Habitat for Humaity

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the book which is meant to encourage retired people to do for others and live a second life that counts. I've heard of Jimmy Carter's famous Sunday school in Georgia. we had this physician in our hospital who was privileged in listening to him which is the reason why I read for the first time this book written by him. the party that touched me the most was the story of the Brazilian politician who was helped by usgvt as he had fled to Uruguay. very touching indeed. thank you both Jimmy and Roslyn for having written this book together!

[Joe Pajer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite being a bit dated (1987) and in sections laced with legacy building, this book is worthwhile and even inspiring in helping us to understand there is a lot we can do with the latter stages of our lives even if we are not former presidents who have retired at a young age. It is also a window into Jimmy Carter himself – a methodical engineer seeking to improve the world on many fronts. A competitive and more importantly, honorable renaissance man.

[Melinda Griffith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some good perspectives

[Colin Cerniglia · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is a lot of good in this book, particularly when it comes to community and volunteering. The Carters come from a different world but they always held onto the basic fundamentals that made them who they were. It was interesting to read about their understanding of fitness and nutrition and how on-point they were, even back in the 1980s. The biggest takeaways were to have the conviction to try new things, do hard things, and do them with people you love.

The back half of the book was tougher to get through. I thought there was too much White House talk. But I guess they felt the need to go that route to get their points across.

Overall, I can see this being a useful resource for someone who has lived life timidly or without boldness. It motivates you to think about new perspectives and try new things.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

"There is no doubt that most of us are products of our childhood, shaped by our home lives and communities. Circumstances can have a profound impact, of course, but how we react to them is largely determined by the degree of confidence we have in ourselves, the level of ambition instilled by those responsible for our early training, the example set by our heroes, the expectations of those we cherish as friends, and the stability or instability of our family life." (p. 68)

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

#34 of 120 books pledged to read during 2023

[Marilyn]

Charlie and I heard Pres. Carter speak at Eckerd College on Tuesday, Oct 25, 19??. Unfortunately he didn’t sign this book. I don’t remember why. Maybe the Secret Service wouldn’t allow it.

[Tim Wester · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and many good ideas for retirement

[Claudia Haag · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting how so much of modern problems are worse than they were 40 years ago. American life expectancy is on the decline, foreign affairs are not great, and women’s rights are being undermined.