The world has changed greatly since I left the White House.

As president, I extended my public support and encouragement to Andrei Sakharov, who, although denied the right to attend the ceremony, was honored here for his personal commitments to these same ideals. In those days, the nuclear and conventional armaments of the United States and the Soviet Union were almost equal, but democracy ultimately prevailed because of commitments to freedom and human rights, not only by people in my country and those of our allies, but in the former Soviet empire as well. There had to be a constant and delicate balancing of our great military strength with aggressive diplomacy, always seeking to build friendships with other nations, large and small, that shared a common cause. In Washington and in Moscow, we knew that we would have less than a half hour to respond after we learned that intercontinental missiles had been launched against us. Both sides understood that an unresolved political altercation or a serious misjudgment could lead to a nuclear holocaust. Later, as President and as Commander-in-Chief of our armed forces, I was one of those who bore the sobering responsibility of maintaining global stability during the height of the Cold War, as the world’s two superpowers confronted each other. At the same time, we always prayed fervently that our readiness would ensure that there would be no war. My shipmates and I realized that we had to be ready to fight if combat was forced upon us, and we were prepared to give our lives to defend our nation and its principles. Like these two heroes, my first chosen career was in the military, as a submarine officer. None has provided more vivid reminders of the dangers of peacemaking than two of my friends, Anwar Sadat and Yitzak Rabin, who gave their lives for the cause of peace in the Middle East.

Most Nobel Laureates have carried out our work in safety, but there are others who have acted with great personal courage. The scope and character of our Center’s activities are perhaps unique, but in many other ways they are typical of the work being done by many hundreds of nongovernmental organizations that strive for human rights and peace.

I am grateful to my wife Rosalynn, to my colleagues at The Carter Center, and to many others who continue to seek an end to violence and suffering throughout the world. It is with a deep sense of gratitude that I accept this prize. Your Majesties, Members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, President Jimmy Carter delivers his Nobel Lecture after receiving the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize in the Oslo City Hall, Oslo, Norway.

Bond with me jimmy