---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Zombies aren't about zombies. It's not…"
description: "\"Zombies aren't about zombies. It's not about the dead bodies. I think it's a very hopeful subgenre. It says that regardless of what happens, humanity w..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b0/gene-luen-yang-22702_body_zombies-aren-t-about-zombies-it-s-not-ab_512602.jpg"
---

#  Zombies aren't about zombies. It's not about the dead…

![“Zombies aren't about zombies. It's not about the dead bodies. I think it's a very hopeful subgenre. It says that regardless of what happens, humanity will get through it. We'll figure out a way to survive.” quote by Gene Luen Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b0/gene-luen-yang-22702_body_zombies-aren-t-about-zombies-it-s-not-ab_512602.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b0/gene-luen-yang-22702_body_zombies-aren-t-about-zombies-it-s-not-ab_512602.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b0/gene-luen-yang-22702_body_zombies-aren-t-about-zombies-it-s-not-ab_512602.jpg)

> “Zombies aren't about zombies. It's not about the dead bodies. I think it's a very hopeful subgenre. It says that regardless of what happens, humanity will get through it. We'll figure out a way to survive.”

[Gene Luen Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-luen-yang/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The quote reframes zombie stories as allegories of human resilience and optimism, suggesting that even in dire crises humanity can adapt and survive.

**In simple terms:** Zombie tales symbolize hope and human perseverance.

Key Takeaway

Focus on humanity’s capacity to overcome.

Themes

hope resilience optimism survival humanity

Mood

inspirational optimistic

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- Disaster response planning
- team building after crises
- mental health coping strategies
- creative storytelling in media
- community resilience training

Key Concepts

Allegory genre analysis narrative optimism

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we apply this hopeful outlook to real-world crises?
- What aspects of humanity are most essential for survival?

A Different Perspective

It may overlook the genre’s darker critiques of consumerism and social decay.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Hopeful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hopeful/) [Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Zombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zombie/) [Zombies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zombies/)

## Related quotes

> [We've done a zombie episode - only one - and the way we look at it as is we understand that there probably aren't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-hyneman/we-ve-done-a-zombie-episode-only-one-and-the-way-we-look-at-it-as-is/)

[Jamie Hyneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-hyneman/)

> [I liked the '28 Days Later' films, but they're not zombies; they're not dead. They're not using it in the same way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-a-romero/i-liked-the-28-days-later-films-but-they-re-not-zombies-they-re-not/)

[George A. Romero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-a-romero/)

> [Unfortunately, zombies aren’t very flammable, and it went out instantly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-hocking/unfortunately-zombies-aren-t-very-flammable-and-it-went-out-instantly/)

[Amanda Hocking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-hocking/)

> [Anything which is a huge problem for humanity we'll sign up for, if we can find a way to fix it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astro-teller/anything-which-is-a-huge-problem-for-humanity-we-ll-sign-up-for-if-we/)

[Astro Teller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astro-teller/)

> [Zombies smell worse than anything you can imagine if you haven’t been hunting things on the dark side of the world. It’s a ripe,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lilith-saintcrow/zombies-smell-worse-than-anything-you-can-imagine-if-you-haven-t-been/)

[Lilith Saintcrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lilith-saintcrow/)

> [“Our true fear of the zombie was never that its bite would turn us into one of them. Our fear is that we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wong/our-true-fear-of-the-zombie-was-never-that-its-bite-would-turn-us/)

[David Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wong/)

> [Zombies are the blue-collar monsters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-a-romero/zombies-are-the-blue-collar-monsters/)

[George A. Romero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-a-romero/)

> [“I don’t know how these things died without benefit of a bullet to the brain pan. They seemed to exist in an eternal twilight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-ramirez/i-don-t-know-how-these-things-died-without-benefit-of-a-bullet-to-the/)

[Steven Ramirez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-ramirez/)

> [I wrapped a movie called 'Zombieland,' in which I was constantly under assault by zombies, then flew to New York, still very much in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-harrelson/i-wrapped-a-movie-called-zombieland-in-which-i-was-constantly-under/)

[Woody Harrelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-harrelson/)

> [I found myself face to face with a long line of people resembling extras off the set of Night of the Living Dead: shuffling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-frank/i-found-myself-face-to-face-with-a-long-line-of-people-resembling/)

[Joan Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-frank/)

> [“I thought if I loved you enough I could change you. I was so stupid.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-ramirez/i-thought-if-i-loved-you-enough-i-could-change-you-i-was-so-stupid/)

[Steven Ramirez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-ramirez/)

> [“Sure, zombies can “be a metaphor.” They can represent the oppressed, as in Land of the Dead, or humanity’s feral nature, as in 28…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/sure-zombies-can-be-a-metaphor-they-can-represent-the-oppressed-as-in/)

[Scott Westerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/)

> [I think the general anxiety of the 1960s - '70s spawned our interest in the living dead. When people worry about the end of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-brooks/i-think-the-general-anxiety-of-the-1960s-70s-spawned-our-interest-in/)

[Max Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-brooks/)

> [I think zombies have always been an easy metaphor for hard times. Because they're this big, faceless, brainless group of evil things that will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-grahame-smith/i-think-zombies-have-always-been-an-easy-metaphor-for-hard-times/)

[Seth Grahame-Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-grahame-smith/)

> [I'm like my zombies. I won't stay dead!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-a-romero/i-m-like-my-zombies-i-won-t-stay-dead/)

[George A. Romero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-a-romero/)

## More by Gene Luen Yang

> [“I do not make mistakes, little monkey. A monkey I intended you to be. A monkey you are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-luen-yang/i-do-not-make-mistakes-little-monkey-a-monkey-i-intended-you-to-be-a/)

[Gene Luen Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-luen-yang/)

> [“Class, I'd like us all to give a warm Mayflower elementary welcome to your new friend and classmate Jing Jang!" "Jin Wang." "Jin Wang!"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-luen-yang/class-i-d-like-us-all-to-give-a-warm-mayflower-elementary-welcome-to/)

[Gene Luen Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-luen-yang/)

> [My best teachers, the teachers who had the deepest effect on my reading, combined the two. They would mix required reading with reading where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-luen-yang/my-best-teachers-the-teachers-who-had-the-deepest-effect-on-my/)

[Gene Luen Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-luen-yang/)

> [Sometimes, a fight you cannot win is still worth fighting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-luen-yang/sometimes-a-fight-you-cannot-win-is-still-worth-fighting/)

[Gene Luen Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-luen-yang/)

> [“Tell me, Little Bao, have you ever gotten close to woman?' 'Well. . . ' 'Close enough to smell her?' 'No.' 'Ah! Even when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-luen-yang/tell-me-little-bao-have-you-ever-gotten-close-to-woman-well-close/)

[Gene Luen Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-luen-yang/)

> [I find that nowadays it's just gotten harder for me to read for fun. It feels like all of my reading is research-based.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-luen-yang/i-find-that-nowadays-it-s-just-gotten-harder-for-me-to-read-for-fun/)

[Gene Luen Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-luen-yang/)

> [Wait." "So what am I supposed to do now?" "You know, Jin, I would have saved myself from five hundred years' imprisonment beneath a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-luen-yang/wait-so-what-am-i-supposed-to-do-now-you-know-jin-i-would-have-saved/)

[Gene Luen Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-luen-yang/)

> [In the '40s and '50s, a lot of teachers and librarians saw the graphic novel as the enemy of reading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-luen-yang/in-the-40s-and-50s-a-lot-of-teachers-and-librarians-saw-the-graphic/)

[Gene Luen Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-luen-yang/)

> [If you look at our world, we're becoming so much more diverse in every sense of the word. It's not just about culture or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-luen-yang/if-you-look-at-our-world-we-re-becoming-so-much-more-diverse-in-every/)

[Gene Luen Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-luen-yang/)

> [I was always a slow reader, from the very beginning. I remember in first grade our teacher divided us into groups, and I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-luen-yang/i-was-always-a-slow-reader-from-the-very-beginning-i-remember-in/)

[Gene Luen Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-luen-yang/)

> [What is China but a people and their stories?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-luen-yang/what-is-china-but-a-people-and-their-stories/)

[Gene Luen Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-luen-yang/)

> [As somebody who's kind of a technophile, I'm interested in how traditional and digital publishing connect. Maybe ten years ago they were seen as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-luen-yang/as-somebody-who-s-kind-of-a-technophile-i-m-interested-in-how/)

[Gene Luen Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-luen-yang/)

> [“Appa has feelings, too!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-luen-yang/appa-has-feelings-too/)

[Gene Luen Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-luen-yang/)

> [I liked interacting with students. I liked having coworkers. For a long time, I was really worried that sitting at home by myself in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-luen-yang/i-liked-interacting-with-students-i-liked-having-coworkers-for-a-long/)

[Gene Luen Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-luen-yang/)

> [I think reading has got so many more enemies now that graphic novels have kind of flipped over to that side.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-luen-yang/i-think-reading-has-got-so-many-more-enemies-now-that-graphic-novels/)

[Gene Luen Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-luen-yang/)

[Explore all 27 Gene Luen Yang quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-luen-yang/)

## More Body quotes

> [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/)

[Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/)

> [The very purpose for being in this body, for every one of us, is to live and rejoice in that virgin area, that untouched,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/the-very-purpose-for-being-in-this-body-for-every-one-of-us-is-to/)

[Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/)

> [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/)

[Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/)

> [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/)

[Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/)

> [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/)

Jennifer Siebel Newsom

> [Boys and boys' body image and clothes have become just as important an issue for boys as for girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalind-wiseman/boys-and-boys-body-image-and-clothes-have-become-just-as-important-an/)

[Rosalind Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalind-wiseman/)

> [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [Racism is a cancer. You cannot ignore it and it'll go away. If you ignore cancer, it simply metastasizes and consumes the whole body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/racism-is-a-cancer-you-cannot-ignore-it-and-it-ll-go-away-if-you/)

[Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/)

> [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/)

[Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/)

> [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/)

[Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/)

> [If japa is maintained, no useless talk during work will be possible. The mind will always remain peaceful. Modern day diseases are mostly psychosomatic.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mata-amritanandamayi/if-japa-is-maintained-no-useless-talk-during-work-will-be-possible/)

[Mata Amritanandamayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mata-amritanandamayi/)

> [It is the incongruous thing in my entire life, this isolation.. ... My work requires it - but I myself have no need or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsden-hartley/it-is-the-incongruous-thing-in-my-entire-life-this-isolation-my-work/)

[Marsden Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsden-hartley/)

> [My friends, this body - perhaps more than any other gathering in human history - now faces that difficult task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/my-friends-this-body-perhaps-more-than-any-other-gathering-in-human/)

[Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/)

[Browse all 20,814 Body quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Zombies aren't about zombies. It's not about the dead bodies. I think it's a very hopeful subgenre. It says that regardless of what happens, humanity will get through it. We'll figure out a way to survive.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Gene Luen Yang"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-luen-yang/zombies-aren-t-about-zombies-it-s-not-about-the-dead-bodies-i-think/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Body"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-luen-yang/zombies-aren-t-about-zombies-it-s-not-about-the-dead-bodies-i-think/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b0/gene-luen-yang-22702_body_zombies-aren-t-about-zombies-it-s-not-ab_512602.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b0/gene-luen-yang-22702_body_zombies-aren-t-about-zombies-it-s-not-ab_512602.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b0/gene-luen-yang-22702_body_zombies-aren-t-about-zombies-it-s-not-ab_512602.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Zombies aren't about zombies. It's not about the dead bodies. I think it's a very hopeful subgenre. It says…” — Gene Luen Yang",
                "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": "Gene Luen Yang",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-luen-yang/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Zombies aren't about zombies. It's not...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-luen-yang/zombies-aren-t-about-zombies-it-s-not-about-the-dead-bodies-i-think/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-luen-yang/zombies-aren-t-about-zombies-it-s-not-about-the-dead-bodies-i-think/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
