Jimmy Carter on What Matters

Graduating from college is a turning point. It's a time of unprecedented freedom to make choices about life. And I think we're faced in these modern days with the same choice that existed 2,000 years ago.

The people of Corinth asked St. Paul a similar question. They asked him, in effect, "What is the most important thing in life?" What they were really asking was, "What are the things that never change?" And St. Paul gave them an answer that was hard to understand ... "the things you cannot see" are the most important. What are the things you can't see? You can see a bank account. Is that important? You can see a beautiful house. You can see your name in the paper. But you can't see justice. You can't see peace. You can't see service and humility and compassion. Those are the important things.

And there was one more thing that Paul mentioned, and that is love.

* From a May 17, 1998, address at Trinity College in Hartford, Conn.