--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For a dying man it is not a difficult…" description: "\"For a dying man it is not a difficult decision [to agree to become the world's first heart transplant] ... because he knows he is at the end. If a lion..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/615/christiaan-barnard-39607_accepting_for-a-dying-man-it-is-not-a-difficult-de_1156716.jpg" --- # For a dying man it is not a difficult decision \[to agree… ![“For a dying man it is not a difficult decision [to agree to become the world's first heart transplant] ... because he knows he is at the end. If a lion chases you to the bank of a river filled with crocodiles, you will leap into the water convinced you have a chance to swim to the other side. But…” quote by Christiaan Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/615/christiaan-barnard-39607_accepting_for-a-dying-man-it-is-not-a-difficult-de_1156716.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/615/christiaan-barnard-39607_accepting_for-a-dying-man-it-is-not-a-difficult-de_1156716.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/615/christiaan-barnard-39607_accepting_for-a-dying-man-it-is-not-a-difficult-de_1156716.jpg) > “For a dying man it is not a difficult decision \[to agree to become the world's first heart transplant\] ... because he knows he is at the end. If a lion chases you to the bank of a river filled with crocodiles, you will leap into the water convinced you have a chance to swim to the other side. But you would not accept such odds if there were no lion.” [Christiaan Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiaan-barnard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Facing extreme danger can inspire bold actions, but only when a threat exists. **In simple terms:** Risk drives bold choices when danger is present. Key Takeaway Assess risk before acting. Themes risk courage decision making Mood serious thoughtful Type ethical inspirational When to use this quote - emergency medicine - high‑stakes negotiations - personal crises Key Concepts Medical ethics psychology Questions to Reflect On - When is it wise to take a risk? - How does fear influence decisions? A Different Perspective Without a real threat, risk‑taking may be reckless. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) [Crocodiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crocodiles/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Decision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision/) [Difficult Decision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult-decision/) [Difficult decisions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult-decisions/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Heart transplant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart-transplant/) [Leap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leap/) [Lion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lion/) [Lions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lions/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Odds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/odds/) [Risk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/risk/) [Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rivers/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [The Wright brothers' first flight was shorter than a Boeing 747's wing span. We've just begun with heart transplants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-walton-lillehei/the-wright-brothers-first-flight-was-shorter-than-a-boeing-747-s-wing/) C. Walton Lillehei > [I am overjoyed that I do not need a heart transplant at this time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lech-walesa/i-am-overjoyed-that-i-do-not-need-a-heart-transplant-at-this-time/) [Lech Walesa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lech-walesa/) > [A few years ago he had a big heart transplant in Chicago, a five-hour operation. It took the doctors four hours to get him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hope/a-few-years-ago-he-had-a-big-heart-transplant-in-chicago-a-five-hour/) [Bob Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hope/) > [An Israeli man's life was saved when he was given a Palestinian man's heart in a heart transplant operation. The guy is doing fine,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/an-israeli-man-s-life-was-saved-when-he-was-given-a-palestinian-man-s/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [In the Lord's Prayer, Jesus offers more than God's personal email or private cell number - He offers us a heart transplant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-hart/in-the-lord-s-prayer-jesus-offers-more-than-god-s-personal-email-or/) [Mark Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hart/) > [You only have to bat 1.000 in two things-flying and heart transplants. Everything else, you can go four in five.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beano-cook/you-only-have-to-bat-1-000-in-two-things-flying-and-heart-transplants/) [Beano Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beano-cook/) > [So much goes into doing a transplant operation. All the way from preparing the patient, to procuring the donor. It's like being an astronaut.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denton-cooley/so-much-goes-into-doing-a-transplant-operation-all-the-way-from/) [Denton Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denton-cooley/) > [I had a 23 per cent blockage in my micro-arteries. At first the doctors thought I needed a heart transplant, then they said I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-braxton/i-had-a-23-per-cent-blockage-in-my-micro-arteries-at-first-the/) [Toni Braxton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-braxton/) > [The benefits of medical research are real - but so are the potential horrors of genetic engineering and embryo manipulation. We devise heart transplants,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-ryle/the-benefits-of-medical-research-are-real-but-so-are-the-potential/) [Martin Ryle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-ryle/) > [I was scared that no one would hire me. At that time, there was still a stigma attached to it. A big stigma. Actually,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-altman/i-was-scared-that-no-one-would-hire-me-at-that-time-there-was-still-a/) [Robert Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-altman/) > [The idea of a spiritual heart transplant is a vivid image to me; once you have the heart of somebody else inside you, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/the-idea-of-a-spiritual-heart-transplant-is-a-vivid-image-to-me-once/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) > [Of the many 'firsts' with which I have been involved at the Texas Heart Institute —including the first successful human heart transplant in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denton-cooley/of-the-many-firsts-with-which-i-have-been-involved-at-the-texas-heart/) [Denton Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denton-cooley/) > [Here's the thing: If you're so far left you actually believe that somebody owes you a job, citizenship and a heart transplant, you're mentally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-titus/here-s-the-thing-if-you-re-so-far-left-you-actually-believe-that/) [Christopher Titus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-titus/) > [I’ve had to make the difficult decision to follow my intuition, and allow myself the space and time to explore my true purpose in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-sanders/i-ve-had-to-make-the-difficult-decision-to-follow-my-intuition-and/) Larry Sanders > [What's called a difficult decision is a difficult decision because either way you go there are penalties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/what-s-called-a-difficult-decision-is-a-difficult-decision-because/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) ## More by Christiaan Barnard > [I had bought two male chimps from a primate colony in Holland. They lived next to each other in separate cages for several months…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiaan-barnard/i-had-bought-two-male-chimps-from-a-primate-colony-in-holland-they/) [Christiaan Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiaan-barnard/) > [I don't believe medical discoveries are doing much to advance human life. As fast as we create ways to extend it we are inventing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiaan-barnard/i-don-t-believe-medical-discoveries-are-doing-much-to-advance-human/) [Christiaan Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiaan-barnard/) > [I believe often that death is good medical treatment because it can achieve what all the medical advances and technology cannot achieve today, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiaan-barnard/i-believe-often-that-death-is-good-medical-treatment-because-it-can/) [Christiaan Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiaan-barnard/) > [Suffering isn't ennobling, recovery is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiaan-barnard/suffering-isn-t-ennobling-recovery-is/) [Christiaan Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiaan-barnard/) > [The prime goal is to alleviate suffering, and not to prolong life. And if your treatment does not alleviate suffering, but only prolongs life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiaan-barnard/the-prime-goal-is-to-alleviate-suffering-and-not-to-prolong-life-and/) [Christiaan Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiaan-barnard/) > [I vowed never again to experiment with such sensitive creatures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiaan-barnard/i-vowed-never-again-to-experiment-with-such-sensitive-creatures/) [Christiaan Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiaan-barnard/) > [It is infinitely better to transplant a heart than to bury it to be devoured by worms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiaan-barnard/it-is-infinitely-better-to-transplant-a-heart-than-to-bury-it-to-be/) [Christiaan Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiaan-barnard/) > [If the poor overweight jogger only knew how far he had to run to work off the calories in a crust of bread he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiaan-barnard/if-the-poor-overweight-jogger-only-knew-how-far-he-had-to-run-to-work/) [Christiaan Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiaan-barnard/) > [The individual is the brain, not the heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiaan-barnard/the-individual-is-the-brain-not-the-heart/) [Christiaan Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiaan-barnard/) > [On Saturday, I was a surgeon in South Africa, very little known. On Monday, I was world renowned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiaan-barnard/on-saturday-i-was-a-surgeon-in-south-africa-very-little-known-on/) [Christiaan Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiaan-barnard/) [Explore all 11 Christiaan Barnard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiaan-barnard/) ## More Accepting quotes > [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/) [Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/) > [Laughing, laughing, laughing, laughing! It is the jester! A voice from the Void, to cheer poor Cicero! I accept your gift, dearest Night Mother.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/laughing-laughing-laughing-laughing-it-is-the-jester-a-voice-from-the/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [This duo inside of me causes the perfect opportunity to live and learn twice as fast as those who choose to accept simplicity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tupac-shakur/this-duo-inside-of-me-causes-the-perfect-opportunity-to-live-and/) [Tupac Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tupac-shakur/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [We only enter into the full life if our faith gives thanks. Because how else do we accept His free gift of salvation if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/we-only-enter-into-the-full-life-if-our-faith-gives-thanks-because/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [Don't be bitter. Everybody suffers. If you can accept your suffering then you will understand other people better. Be grateful for pain. Love life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/don-t-be-bitter-everybody-suffers-if-you-can-accept-your-suffering/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [It takes an unusually philosophic mind to accept that all one’s suffering might be to no end, really, in the larger scheme of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-takes-an-unusually-philosophic-mind-to-accept-that-all-one-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [No nation being under another nation can accept gifts, and kick at the responsibility attached to those gifts, imposed by the conquering nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/no-nation-being-under-another-nation-can-accept-gifts-and-kick-at-the/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [Even with clothing naked animals, there were people who wanted to send in money. A woman in Santa Barbara, California, sent a $40,000 check.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-abel/even-with-clothing-naked-animals-there-were-people-who-wanted-to-send/) [Alan Abel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-abel/) > [Society understands the architecture of academia and knows there are relevant qualifications in different fields, and the media accepts the idea of specialisations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-griffiths/society-understands-the-architecture-of-academia-and-knows-there-are/) [Jay Griffiths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-griffiths/) > [Whatever your conscious mind assumes and believes to be true, your subconscious mind will accept and bring to pass. Believe in good fortune, divine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-murphy/whatever-your-conscious-mind-assumes-and-believes-to-be-true-your/) [Joseph Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-murphy/) > [Losing someone is easy, but accepting it is hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/losing-someone-is-easy-but-accepting-it-is-hard/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [… and so he tried to accept the ache in his heart as what Dr. Larch would call the common symptoms of normal life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/and-so-he-tried-to-accept-the-ache-in-his-heart-as-what-dr-larch/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [I think what was special about 'Music by Prudence' was the classic story of the title subject's life path - from being an outcast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-think-what-was-special-about-music-by-prudence-was-the-classic/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [As my films are born at the moment when they are reflected into another person's mind and memories, there are no misconceptions. I totally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pirjo-honkasalo/as-my-films-are-born-at-the-moment-when-they-are-reflected-into/) [Pirjo Honkasalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pirjo-honkasalo/) Browse all 6,788 Accepting quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For a dying man it is not a difficult decision [to agree to become the world's first heart transplant] ... because he knows he is at the end. If a lion chases you to the bank of a river filled with crocodiles, you will leap into the water convinced you have a chance to swim to the other side. 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