When I announced my focus on mental health as first lady of Georgia in 1971, none but five mental health advocates in the state wanted to be involved with the issue.
— Rosalynn Carter
My mother made all of our clothes, my friends' mothers made all of their clothes. This was the Depression.
I was very nervous about giving speeches for a long time.
You can make the First Lady's job whatever you want it to be. To some women the job is more involved with the entertaining. They feel at home doing the things at home.
Aside from doing everything possible to provide programs for people who are seriously ill, I want to do everything humanly possible to help create a more caring society so that we can begin to counter the painful loneliness and sense of helplessness which has engulfed too many of our people.
Being a caregiver requires infinite patience, physical and emotional strength, health care navigation skills, and a sense of humor - which can be hard to come by after sleepless nights and demanding days.
It's just unbelievable to me that the National Rifle Association has so much power.
It's been taboo for so long to admit you had a mental health problem.
You can have a full life after 50.
One day, I made a remark that I might work with people with mental illness, and somebody in the press heard it, and it was in the paper. And the more I thought about it and found out about it, the more I thought it was just a terrible situation with no attention. And I've been working on it ever since.
There is nothing more important than a good, safe, secure home.
A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don't necessarily want to go, but ought to be.
Many politicians, celebrities, businessmen and women, and community leaders now are open about their struggles with mental illnesses, something almost unheard of when I began. Together, we are spreading the word that mental health affects all of us and deserves our support and attention.
I love San Francisco. I have a lot of memories there.
When you travel and when you campaign, people tell you their problems. You see the problems and you become aware of them and you talk about them every day. And so you feel the responsibility for doing something about them.
My philosophy is that you do what you have to do.
I have learned that you can do anything you want to. They used to ask me if I thought the first lady ought to be paid. If you get paid, then I have to do what first lady is supposed to do. But you can do anything you want to, and it's such a great soap box.
Caregivers are the selfless people who provide unpaid care for loved ones who are ill or have serious medical conditions. This is among the most challenging work there is.
There's a mental health problem in the sense that people are so afraid of the stigma that they don't get help. But there's absolutely a gun control problem in the country.
I've had a great life.
San Francisco is one of my favorite cities in the world.
If you look at suicides, most of them are connected to depression. And the mental health system just fails them. It's so sad. We know what to do. We just don't do it.
You must accept that you might fail; then, if you do your best and still don't win, at least you can be satisfied that you've tried. If you don't accept failure as a possibility, you don't set high goals, you don't branch out, you don't try - you don't take the risk.
Do what you can to show you care about other people, and you will make our world a better place.
We know how to treat depression, we know how to treat mental illness, and we have not had the political will in our country to make it happen.
When I was first lady, I worked to call attention to the plight of refugees fleeing Cambodia for Thailand, I visited Thailand and witnessed firsthand the trauma of parents and children separated by circumstance beyond their control.
I've always worked - I can't stay at home and do Cokes and teas, although I think that for those people who want to do that, then that's surely important to them.
I've never had time for friends. I've always worked too hard.
I have cared for loved ones nearly all my life, so when I look in the mirror, I see a caregiver looking back at me. It began when I was 12 years old and my father became ill. Taking care of him took a toll on our entire family, my mother most of all.
For Jimmy and me, Iowa holds a special place in our hearts. During his presidential campaign I spent over 100 days in Iowa. I visited 105 communities and knocked on more doors and met more Iowans than anyone thought possible.
I hope I've contributed something to the mental health field. But I hope people will think - I've had so many wonderful opportunities, I tried to take advantage of them.
I've watched my family grow, I've traveled around the world and I've had a chance to contribute some, I think.
Early diagnosis is so important because the earlier a mental illness can be detected, diagnosed and treatment can begin, the better off that person can be for the rest of his or her life.
If you don't accept failure as a possibility, you don't set high goals, you don't branch out, you don't try - you don't take the risk.
Don't worry about polls, but if you do, don't admit it.
You have to have confidence in your ability, and then be tough enough to follow through.
