--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In other words, people who had…" description: "\"“In other words, people who had substantive discussions with their doctor about their end-of-life preferences were far more likely to die at peace and ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5f/atul-gawande-1871_family_in-other-words-people-who-had-substantiv_1244535.png" --- # In other words, people who had substantive discussions… ![“In other words, people who had substantive discussions with their doctor about their end-of-life preferences were far more likely to die at peace and in control of their situation and to spare their family anguish. A” quote by Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5f/atul-gawande-1871_family_in-other-words-people-who-had-substantiv_1244535.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5f/atul-gawande-1871_family_in-other-words-people-who-had-substantiv_1244535.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5f/atul-gawande-1871_family_in-other-words-people-who-had-substantiv_1244535.png) > ““In other words, people who had substantive discussions with their doctor about their end-of-life preferences were far more likely to die at peace and in control of their situation and to spare their family anguish. A”” [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Discussing end‑of‑life wishes with doctors leads to peaceful, controlled deaths and less family distress. **In simple terms:** Talk about preferences for better endings. Key Takeaway Plan and discuss your care preferences. Themes healthcare death communication Mood practical empathetic Type advice informative When to use this quote - hospital stays - home care - family meetings - elder care Key Concepts patient autonomy advanced directives Questions to Reflect On - Are you prepared to discuss your wishes? - How can doctors facilitate these talks? A Different Perspective Some avoid the conversation due to discomfort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) ## Related quotes > [“Going back in “was really uncomfortable,” she said. It made no difference that she was an expert in end-of-life discussions. “I just felt awful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/going-back-in-was-really-uncomfortable-she-said-it-made-no-difference/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [“In other words, our decision making in medicine has failed so spectacularly that we have reached the point of actively inflicting harm on patients…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/in-other-words-our-decision-making-in-medicine-has-failed-so-2/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [“end-of-life discussions were an experimental drug, the FDA would approve it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/end-of-life-discussions-were-an-experimental-drug-the-fda-would/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [“You are 14% more likely to die on your birthday than any other day. 51”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lloyd/you-are-14-more-likely-to-die-on-your-birthday-than-any-other-day-51/) [John Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lloyd/) > [I'm twice as likely to be excluded from school, twice as likely to be arrested and five times as likely to die in childbirth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judi-love/i-m-twice-as-likely-to-be-excluded-from-school-twice-as-likely-to-be/) [Judi Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judi-love/) > [“A good rule of thumb was that the more noise someone was making the less likely they were to die.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/a-good-rule-of-thumb-was-that-the-more-noise-someone-was-making-the/) [Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/) > [“For the first time in history, more people die today from eating too much than from eating too little; more people die from old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/for-the-first-time-in-history-more-people-die-today-from-eating-too/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [When men do not run they are likely to die prematurely from dysfunction of the heart and vascular systems or from disabling chronic disease.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-shepard/when-men-do-not-run-they-are-likely-to-die-prematurely-from/) [Paul Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-shepard/) > [A human being is still more likely to die of a bee sting, snake bite or, Lord knows, automobile accident than by shark attack.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/a-human-being-is-still-more-likely-to-die-of-a-bee-sting-snake-bite/) [Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/) > [“It wasn't likely I would die. Dave didn't know that then. Prayer isn't about likelihood anyway, it's about desire-- loving someone enough to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-jamison/it-wasn-t-likely-i-would-die-dave-didn-t-know-that-then-prayer-isn-t/) [Leslie Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-jamison/) > [It is likely I will die next to a pile of things I was meaning to read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-likely-i-will-die-next-to-a-pile-of-things-i-was-meaning-to-read/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“You’re a time bomb, Orion.” “You’re going to explode and kill everything around you.” “I can handle myself.” “And my friends aren’t likely to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rea-lidde/you-re-a-time-bomb-orion-you-re-going-to-explode-and-kill-everything/) Rea Lidde > [People who go to the polar regions are statistically less likely to die than salesmen who drive on motorways in England.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ranulph-fiennes/people-who-go-to-the-polar-regions-are-statistically-less-likely-to/) [Ranulph Fiennes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ranulph-fiennes/) > [Remember that you are more likely to die because you execute badly than get crushed by a competitor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/remember-that-you-are-more-likely-to-die-because-you-execute-badly/) [Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/) > [“If Doc can’t let it go, you can always remind him that statistically a human is more likely to die from a hospital error…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-l-hough/if-doc-can-t-let-it-go-you-can-always-remind-him-that-statistically-a/) [David L. Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-l-hough/) ## More by Atul Gawande > [Don’t let yourself be. Find something new to try, something to change. Count how often it succeeds and how often it doesn’t. Write about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/don-t-let-yourself-be-find-something-new-to-try-something-to-change/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [“Wilson spent several days camped out in one government office after another until she had secured an exemption. Unbelievably, she and her husband cleared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/wilson-spent-several-days-camped-out-in-one-government-office-after/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [What is needed, however, isn't just that people working together be nice to each other. It is discipline. Discipline is hard--harder than trustworthiness and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/what-is-needed-however-isn-t-just-that-people-working-together-be/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [“8. Chapter 4 describes the birth of the assisted-living facility concept (Park Place), designed by Keren Wilson to provide her disabled mother, Jessie, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/8-chapter-4-describes-the-birth-of-the-assisted-living-facility/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [When we lived in a society where we had large families that lived together, especially in agricultural societies like my grandfather and father grew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/when-we-lived-in-a-society-where-we-had-large-families-that-lived/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [My biggest fear, that 27 percent of Americans under 65 have an existing health condition that, without the protections of the Affordable Care Act,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/my-biggest-fear-that-27-percent-of-americans-under-65-have-an/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [“..how we seek to spend our time may depend on how much time we perceive ourselves to have. When you are young and healthy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/how-we-seek-to-spend-our-time-may-depend-on-how-much-time-we-perceive/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [“I cannot pretend he escaped unscathed. The extended period of low blood pressure damaged an optic nerve and left him essentially blind in one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/i-cannot-pretend-he-escaped-unscathed-the-extended-period-of-low/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [The battle of being mortal is the battle to maintain the integrity of one’s life,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/the-battle-of-being-mortal-is-the-battle-to-maintain-the-integrity-of/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [“an average of $94,000 during the last year of life with a metastatic breast cancer. Our medical system is excellent at trying to stave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/an-average-of-94-000-during-the-last-year-of-life-with-a-metastatic/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [“we need practice to get good at what we do. There is one difference in medicine, though: it is people we practice upon.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/we-need-practice-to-get-good-at-what-we-do-there-is-one-difference-in/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [People underestimate the importance of dilligence as a virtue. No doubt it has something to do with how supremely mundane it seems. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/people-underestimate-the-importance-of-dilligence-as-a-virtue-no/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [Developing a skill is painful, though. It is difficult. And that's part of the satisfaction. You will only find meaning in what you struggle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/developing-a-skill-is-painful-though-it-is-difficult-and-that-s-part/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [Just look at the list of who the lowest-paid people are. Pediatricians are at the bottom. You would also look at internists. You would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/just-look-at-the-list-of-who-the-lowest-paid-people-are-pediatricians/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [“When Felix came to this crossroads, the orthopedic shoe to drop wasn’t his. It was Bella’s. Year by year, I witnessed the progression in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/when-felix-came-to-this-crossroads-the-orthopedic-shoe-to-drop-wasn-t/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) [Explore all 200 Atul Gawande quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) ## More Family quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [One can put some trust in the gratitude of a sovereign, and also in that of his family; under certain conditions, one can even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/one-can-put-some-trust-in-the-gratitude-of-a-sovereign-and-also-in/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [“ever day Maureen is Selfish To her friend and Family One she get mad at her friend and family and She need to Grad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-andeson/ever-day-maureen-is-selfish-to-her-friend-and-family-one-she-get-mad/) Maureen Andeson > [Our concept of a family holiday was going to a guest house in the Lake district or Wales where walking was part of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-bannister/our-concept-of-a-family-holiday-was-going-to-a-guest-house-in-the/) [Roger Bannister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-bannister/) > [“So Jace is my actual family," Kit said. "But I can't go live with him, because him and his hot girlfriend are going off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/so-jace-is-my-actual-family-kit-said-but-i-can-t-go-live-with-him/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [I have friends and family that identify as LGBTQ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mace/i-have-friends-and-family-that-identify-as-lgbtq/) [Nancy Mace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mace/) > [Her dignity consists in being unknown to the world; her glory is in the esteem of her husband; her pleasures in the happiness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/her-dignity-consists-in-being-unknown-to-the-world-her-glory-is-in/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [It's not just that families can't buy a home or start a business without some savings tucked away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/it-s-not-just-that-families-can-t-buy-a-home-or-start-a-business/) [Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/) > [“She knew how to play him so very well. He slipped his hand around hers. "Friends," he repeated roughly. Her smile was bright enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-smith/she-knew-how-to-play-him-so-very-well-he-slipped-his-hand-around-hers/) [Kathryn Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-smith/) > [As a family, we all loved the Flyers. To me, rooting for the Flyers were how I bonded with my dad especially.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-f-goldberg/as-a-family-we-all-loved-the-flyers-to-me-rooting-for-the-flyers-were/) [Adam F. Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-f-goldberg/) > [The people have always been family to me here in Las Vegas. The people have always been very, very kind to me, and it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-cunningham/the-people-have-always-been-family-to-me-here-in-las-vegas-the-people/) [Randall Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-cunningham/) > [“Your relationship with your brother will be, in many ways, the most complex and bewildering of all the interpersonal connections you will form. An…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-currie-jr/your-relationship-with-your-brother-will-be-in-many-ways-the-most/) [Ron Currie Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-currie-jr/) > [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Family over friends, because real friends are family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/family-over-friends-because-real-friends-are-family/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 36,913 Family quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“In other words, people who had substantive discussions with their doctor about their end-of-life preferences were far more likely to die at peace and in control of their situation and to spare their family anguish. A”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Atul Gawande" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/in-other-words-people-who-had-substantive-discussions-with-their/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Family" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/in-other-words-people-who-had-substantive-discussions-with-their/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5f/atul-gawande-1871_family_in-other-words-people-who-had-substantiv_1244535.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5f/atul-gawande-1871_family_in-other-words-people-who-had-substantiv_1244535.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5f/atul-gawande-1871_family_in-other-words-people-who-had-substantiv_1244535.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In other words, people who had substantive discussions with their doctor about their end-of-life preferences…” — Atul Gawande", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Atul Gawande", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“In other words, people who had...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/in-other-words-people-who-had-substantive-discussions-with-their/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/in-other-words-people-who-had-substantive-discussions-with-their/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```