What can you do after the biggest moment of your life? It is a question everyone has to answer sooner or later. But for no-one has it been more pressing than Jimmy CarterThe US president from 1977 to 1981. He was a Democrat. , who was president of the United States fully 44 years ago.

Yet in fact, Carter is beloved in American society not because of what he achieved as president, but for what he has done since.

Born to a modest family in the impoverished southern state of GeorgiaA state in the southern USA. Also a country at the intersection of Europe and Asia. , Carter made a name for himself in the navy and local politics. He became governorIn the USA, governors are elected leaders of the 50 states. of his home state in 1971 and then was elected president in 1976.

A devout Christian, Carter came to the presidency promising to restore the moral fibre of America. But he was quickly rocked by international crises that experts think doomed him to failure from the start, and he lost in a landslide after just one term.

Nonetheless, many see Carter's presidency as an example of what thinker Mark FisherFisher was a blogger, philosopher and teacher at Goldsmiths, University of London. He was known for his writings on radical politics. called "hauntology": a vision of a different future that haunts our own present.¹

He eased tensions with the USSRThe United Socialist Soviet Republic, the USA's main rival in the Cold War before it collapsed and broke up into a number of smaller states in 1991., bringing the world back from the brink of nuclear war. He secured a peace deal between long-time foes EgyptA country linking northeast Africa with the Middle East. and IsraelA country in the Middle East, and the only Jewish nation in the modern period. It is seen by Jews, Christians and Muslims as the Holy Land. in 1979. He installed solar panels on the roof of the White HouseThe official residence of the US president, in Washington DC. Burnt by British troops in 1814, it was rebuilt and painted white to hide the smoke stains. and set a target for 20% of all US energy to become renewable by 2000.¹ He declared that human rights would be the focus of US foreign policy.

But after his presidency, Ronald ReaganThe 40th US President. took the US down another path entirely. He heightened the conflict with the USSR. He abolished subsidiesMoney given by the state or another body to help keep prices low. for solar energy, and even removed the solar panels from the White House itself. He funded brutal insurgenciesRevolts or uprisings. against left-wing governments, like the ContrasUS-backed right-wing rebel groups that were active from 1979 to 1990 and opposed the Marxist government of Nicaragua. in NicaraguaA country in Central America with a population of 6.8 million. .³

Of these two visions, Reagan's America was the one that triumphed. But in the four decades since he left office, Carter has continued to lead his nation by example.

So here are five moral lessons we can all learn from Jimmy Carter:

Be dignified. When he lost the 1980 presidential election, Carter refused to criticise his successor for his first year in office, resolving to be gracious and give him a fair chance.⁴

Be humble. Since 1984 Carter has volunteered with the charity Habitat for Humanity, which builds houses for those in need.⁵ As recently as five years ago he was still turning up to build houses with his own hands.

Be balanced. Carter has never been afraid to criticise politicians from his own party and praise those from other parties. He delivered a eulogyA speech about someone's life that is often read out at their funeral. at the funeral of Gerald FordThe Republican Party US president from 1974 to 1977. , the Republican PartyAlso known as the Grand Old Party or GOP, it is one of the USA's two major political parties. Its first president was Abraham Lincoln. It sits on the right of the political spectrum. president he defeated in 1976.

Be willing to change. In his early career, Carter was willing to use racism against his opponents to get ahead in politics. But he later repented and in 2008 was one of Barack ObamaThe Democrat US president between 2008 and 2016.'s earliest and most enthusiastic backers for the presidency.

Be bold. Carter has never lost his conviction that with just a little courage, peace can be made everywhere. As recently as 2017, he volunteered to be a peace envoy to North KoreaA country formed in 1945 when Japanese-occupied Korea was split between a Communist government in the north and a capitalist one in the south. Today it is extremely reclusive, and hostile to the West., at a time when tensions with South KoreaAn East Asian nation on the southern half of the Korean Peninsula, it shares one of the world's most heavily militarised borders with North Korea. South Korea has a population of about 52 million. were at an all-time high and few believed the two countries could be reconciled.

Is a good life the greatest achievement?

Yes: Carter has led an unfailingly good life since he left office. And in doing so, he serves as an inspiration for millions of people, at a time when moral goodness can feel in short supply.

No: Being a moral leader is one thing, but the power to change things is far more important. Moral regeneration is not enough in itself to secure progress towards a better future.

Or... A good leader needs both the ability to change things in practice and the capacity to rally the people around a moral vision. Carter has always lent his efforts to creating this moral vision.