--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...if more people had been organ donors…" description: "\"...if more people had been organ donors, unwinding never would have happened...but people like to keep what's theirs, even after they're dead.\" — Neal ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fb/neal-shusterman-412_donors_if-more-people-had-been-organ-donors-unw_838132.png" --- # ...if more people had been organ donors, unwinding never… ![“...if more people had been organ donors, unwinding never would have happened...but people like to keep what's theirs, even after they're dead.” quote by Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fb/neal-shusterman-412_donors_if-more-people-had-been-organ-donors-unw_838132.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fb/neal-shusterman-412_donors_if-more-people-had-been-organ-donors-unw_838132.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fb/neal-shusterman-412_donors_if-more-people-had-been-organ-donors-unw_838132.png) > “...if more people had been organ donors, unwinding never would have happened...but people like to keep what's theirs, even after they're dead.” [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Organ donation saves lives, but many cling to possessions even after death, hindering donations. **In simple terms:** People resist giving away after death. Key Takeaway Promote donor awareness and altruism. Themes ethics life death donation Mood somber hopeful Type persuasive educational When to use this quote - hospital campaigns - public policy - family discussions Key Concepts organ donation mortality selflessness Questions to Reflect On - Why do people fear losing identity after death? - How can we shift attitudes toward donation? A Different Perspective Cultural taboos can impede donation rates. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Donors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/donors/) [Organ donor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/organ-donor/) [Organs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/organs/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [“If more people had been organ donors Unwinding never would have happened.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/if-more-people-had-been-organ-donors-unwinding-never-would-have-2/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“of course, if more people had been organ donors, unwinding never would have happened... but people like to keep what's theirs, even after their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/of-course-if-more-people-had-been-organ-donors-unwinding-never-would/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [Many Americans say they want to be organ donors, but they just don't get around to acting on their intentions. Helping these potential good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/many-americans-say-they-want-to-be-organ-donors-but-they-just-don-t/) [Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/) > [It is important to note that there are no age limitations on who can donate organs and tissue. Newborns as well as senior citizens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vic-snyder/it-is-important-to-note-that-there-are-no-age-limitations-on-who-can/) [Vic Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vic-snyder/) > [I hope more people decide to become organ donors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-reed/i-hope-more-people-decide-to-become-organ-donors/) [Donna Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-reed/) > [My mom is literally a part of me. You can't say that about many people except relatives, and organ donors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-latet/my-mom-is-literally-a-part-of-me-you-can-t-say-that-about-many-people/) [Carrie Latet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-latet/) > [In America ... the seven ages of man have become preschooler, Pepsi generation, baby boomer, mid-lifer, empty-nester, senior citizen, and organ donor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cosby/in-america-the-seven-ages-of-man-have-become-preschooler-pepsi/) [Bill Cosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cosby/) > [Blood is that fragile scarlet tree we carry within us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osbert-sitwell/blood-is-that-fragile-scarlet-tree-we-carry-within-us/) [Osbert Sitwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osbert-sitwell/) > [Write a living will. And become an organ donor!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/write-a-living-will-and-become-an-organ-donor/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [It gave me a second chance. I'd like everybody to have a second chance if they need it, so I'm trying to let people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mickey-mantle/it-gave-me-a-second-chance-i-d-like-everybody-to-have-a-second-chance/) [Mickey Mantle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mickey-mantle/) > [I'm blessed. I have a 13-year-old girl's eye and a 14 year-old boy's eye. I've been given the gift of sight by people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-patinkin/i-m-blessed-i-have-a-13-year-old-girl-s-eye-and-a-14-year-old-boy-s/) [Mandy Patinkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-patinkin/) > [I encourage everyone I know to sign an organ donor card, but if someone doesn't want to sign, that's his or her choice. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-tabarrok/i-encourage-everyone-i-know-to-sign-an-organ-donor-card-but-if/) [Alex Tabarrok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-tabarrok/) > [On my license, it says I'm an organ donor, but the truth is I'd consider being an organ martyr. I'm sure I'm worth a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/on-my-license-it-says-i-m-an-organ-donor-but-the-truth-is-i-d/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [I think you have a lot to offer... not necessarily as a person, but as an organ donor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dov-davidoff/i-think-you-have-a-lot-to-offer-not-necessarily-as-a-person-but-as-an/) [Dov Davidoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dov-davidoff/) > [There can be legal conflicts over whether registering intent is enough to qualify you as an organ donor or whether a doctor must still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/there-can-be-legal-conflicts-over-whether-registering-intent-is/) [Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/) ## More by Neal Shusterman > [“Picking locks was not a skill he had ever cultivated, but he persisted day after day, turning the tip of his talon into different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/picking-locks-was-not-a-skill-he-had-ever-cultivated-but-he-persisted/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“If you come anywhere near my daughter, I will see to it that you are taken apart piece by bloody piece. Do I make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/if-you-come-anywhere-near-my-daughter-i-will-see-to-it-that-you-are/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [Dead kids are put on pedestals, but mentally ill kids get hidden under the rug.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/dead-kids-are-put-on-pedestals-but-mentally-ill-kids-get-hidden-under/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“The fear of not living is a deep, abiding dread of watching your own potential decompose into irredeemable disappointment when “should be” gets crushed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/the-fear-of-not-living-is-a-deep-abiding-dread-of-watching-your-own/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [That's wisdom you can take to the grave, and dig up when you need it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/that-s-wisdom-you-can-take-to-the-grave-and-dig-up-when-you-need-it/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“And you know the darkness beyond despair, just as intimately as you know the soaring heights. Because in this and all universes, there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/and-you-know-the-darkness-beyond-despair-just-as-intimately-as-you/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [You may feel a tugging sensation near your ankles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/you-may-feel-a-tugging-sensation-near-your-ankles/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“while an adult could rarely be universally loved, everyone could love the right kid.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/while-an-adult-could-rarely-be-universally-loved-everyone-could-love/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“It's like art, you know? Picasso had to prove to the world he can paint the right way, before he goes putting both eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/it-s-like-art-you-know-picasso-had-to-prove-to-the-world-he-can-paint/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [The way I see it, the impossible happens all the time; but we're so good at taking it for granted, we forget it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/the-way-i-see-it-the-impossible-happens-all-the-time-but-we-re-so/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“a true leader never puts his ego ahead of his assets.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/a-true-leader-never-puts-his-ego-ahead-of-his-assets/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [If you have to ask then you don't deserve an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/if-you-have-to-ask-then-you-don-t-deserve-an-answer/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“There was never anything wrong with my life. Perhaps that was the problem... The crack in my life was the fact that I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/there-was-never-anything-wrong-with-my-life-perhaps-that-was-the/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“But fate is a freak when it comes to messing with your future in ways you don't see coming.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/but-fate-is-a-freak-when-it-comes-to-messing-with-your-future-in-ways/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“The sad truth about humanity, Risa was quick to realize, is that people believe what they are told. Maybe not the first time, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/the-sad-truth-about-humanity-risa-was-quick-to-realize-is-that-people/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) [Explore all 573 Neal Shusterman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) ## More Donors quotes > [Businesses acting as businesses, not as charitable donors, are the most powerful force for addressing the pressing issues society face(s)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-elumelu/businesses-acting-as-businesses-not-as-charitable-donors-are-the-most/) Tony Elumelu > [She's going to do what her donors want. That's who Nancy Pelosi is. Not remotely progressive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cenk-uygur/she-s-going-to-do-what-her-donors-want-that-s-who-nancy-pelosi-is-not/) [Cenk Uygur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cenk-uygur/) > [People who do not know the Bible well have been gulled into thinking it is a good guide to morality. This mistaken view may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/people-who-do-not-know-the-bible-well-have-been-gulled-into-thinking/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [I'm old enough now that I've been around and I've seen a lot more things than I had seen when I started this program…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/i-m-old-enough-now-that-i-ve-been-around-and-i-ve-seen-a-lot-more/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [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/) > [If you create a system that makes the small donors the linchpin of the system in terms of how members of Congress directly raise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sarbanes/if-you-create-a-system-that-makes-the-small-donors-the-linchpin-of/) [John Sarbanes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sarbanes/) > [I want a baby from an Italian - possibly Sicilian - donor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-gaga/i-want-a-baby-from-an-italian-possibly-sicilian-donor/) [Lady Gaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-gaga/) > [In Maine, we are fortunate to have a Clean Elections system that allows legislators to turn down corporate special interest money. At the national…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chellie-pingree/in-maine-we-are-fortunate-to-have-a-clean-elections-system-that/) [Chellie Pingree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chellie-pingree/) > [It's not controversial to say that private donors come with private interests.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslyn-lewis/it-s-not-controversial-to-say-that-private-donors-come-with-private/) [Leslyn Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslyn-lewis/) > [The best way to end poverty is to simply give people work, which isn't considered 'sexy' among donors who want to fund a preschool…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leila-janah/the-best-way-to-end-poverty-is-to-simply-give-people-work-which-isn-t/) [Leila Janah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leila-janah/) > [With support from institutions like the United Nations as well as the donor community, governments can strengthen their national technological and scientific capacities by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talal-abu-ghazaleh/with-support-from-institutions-like-the-united-nations-as-well-as-the/) [Talal Abu-Ghazaleh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talal-abu-ghazaleh/) > [The Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness, and the related Accra Agenda for Action, are useful policy instruments that set out the mutual responsibilities of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-chan/the-paris-declaration-on-aid-effectiveness-and-the-related-accra/) [Margaret Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-chan/) > [The use of fetuses as organ and tissue donors is a ticking time bomb of bioethics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-caplan/the-use-of-fetuses-as-organ-and-tissue-donors-is-a-ticking-time-bomb/) [Arthur Caplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-caplan/) > [I tried to get Adam Sandler hired on a movie called "Brain Donors" and the producers wouldn't hire him. And a few years later,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-dugan/i-tried-to-get-adam-sandler-hired-on-a-movie-called-brain-donors-and/) Dennis Dugan > [On April 2, the nurses started my first round of five intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) infusions. The clear IV bags hung on a metal pole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susannah-cahalan/on-april-2-the-nurses-started-my-first-round-of-five-intravenous/) [Susannah Cahalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susannah-cahalan/) [Browse all 192 Donors quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/donors/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "...if more people had been organ donors, unwinding never would have happened...but people like to keep what's theirs, even after they're dead.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Neal Shusterman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/if-more-people-had-been-organ-donors-unwinding-never-would-have/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Donors" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/if-more-people-had-been-organ-donors-unwinding-never-would-have/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fb/neal-shusterman-412_donors_if-more-people-had-been-organ-donors-unw_838132.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fb/neal-shusterman-412_donors_if-more-people-had-been-organ-donors-unw_838132.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fb/neal-shusterman-412_donors_if-more-people-had-been-organ-donors-unw_838132.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“...if more people had been organ donors, unwinding never would have happened...but people like to keep…” — Neal Shusterman", "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": "Neal Shusterman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "...if more people had been organ...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/if-more-people-had-been-organ-donors-unwinding-never-would-have/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/if-more-people-had-been-organ-donors-unwinding-never-would-have/#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 } } ] } ```