Carter was an outlier in more ways than one.
Born and raised on the humble farmlands of southern Georgia, Carter grew up without running water and used an outhouse. He played with the Black children in his community during a time of intense racial segregation in the U.S.
Despite societal norms and political pressure, Carter often followed his instincts and did what he believed was right, according to Kai Bird, biographer and author of The Outlier: The Unfinished Presidency of Jimmy Carter.
"He was always the smartest boy in the room in school," Bird said. "And as president, he always thought he was the most intelligent, most well-read person in the room. So, he was faced with a dilemma, and that's because he had ambition."
Carter was a Southern Baptist, who believed pride was a great sin.
"He knew he had a lot of pride and ambition," Bird said. "And so the way he reconciled this was to say to himself, 'I will achieve power. I will do whatever I can to win the presidency or the governorship. And then when I do, I will do the right thing regardless of the political consequences. I will be righteous.'"
Listen to Bird's full conversation with NPR's Steve Inskeep here.
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