--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It’s just that unwinding makes slavery…" description: "\"“It’s just that unwinding makes slavery look good. It’s always the lesser of two evils.”\" — Neal Shusterman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f37/neal-shusterman-412_slavery_it-s-just-that-unwinding-makes-slavery-l_1464669.png" --- # It’s just that unwinding makes slavery look good. It’s… ![“It’s just that unwinding makes slavery look good. It’s always the lesser of two evils.” quote by Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f37/neal-shusterman-412_slavery_it-s-just-that-unwinding-makes-slavery-l_1464669.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f37/neal-shusterman-412_slavery_it-s-just-that-unwinding-makes-slavery-l_1464669.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f37/neal-shusterman-412_slavery_it-s-just-that-unwinding-makes-slavery-l_1464669.png) > ““It’s just that unwinding makes slavery look good. It’s always the lesser of two evils.”” [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. Escaping hardship can make even oppression seem preferable, highlighting a false dilemma. **In simple terms:** Bad choices look better than worse ones. Key Takeaway Question the “lesser evil” narrative. Themes ethics choice freedom illusion Mood critical thoughtful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - political decisions - personal dilemmas - social movements Key Concepts moral philosophy psychology Questions to Reflect On - What alternatives are ignored in this framing? - How can you identify true options? A Different Perspective The comparison may ignore viable alternatives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Just Unwinding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just-unwinding-5299821/) [Makes Slavery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/makes-slavery-5299819/) [Slavery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slavery/) [Slavery Look](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slavery-look-5299818/) [Unwinding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unwinding-295046/) [Unwinding Makes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unwinding-makes-5299820/) ## Related quotes > [“But life doesn’t end,” the smiling proponents of unwinding all insist. “It just transforms. We like to call it ‘living in a divided state.’ ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/but-life-doesn-t-end-the-smiling-proponents-of-unwinding-all-insist/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“unwinding is, by law, painless.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/unwinding-is-by-law-painless/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“Are you calling me stupid?"says Emby. "I think I just did." Hayden laughs. "Hey, the Mouth Breather's right-unwinding does help people. If it wasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/are-you-calling-me-stupid-says-emby-i-think-i-just-did-hayden-laughs/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [I was asking if unwinding kills you, or if it leaves you alive somehow. C'mon—it's not like we haven't thought about it." (...) What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/i-was-asking-if-unwinding-kills-you-or-if-it-leaves-you-alive-somehow/) [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/) > [Earlier, after coming back from the shooting, I used to chill out talking to her; now, after marriage, I am coming back and unwinding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nithiin/earlier-after-coming-back-from-the-shooting-i-used-to-chill-out/) [Nithiin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nithiin/) > [“The unwinding brings freedom, more than the world has ever granted, and to more kinds of people than ever before—freedom to go away, freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/the-unwinding-brings-freedom-more-than-the-world-has-ever-granted-and/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > [For me, weekends are more for unwinding than going out on the town.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-nightingale/for-me-weekends-are-more-for-unwinding-than-going-out-on-the-town/) [Mary Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-nightingale/) > [“If you looked at any single word in the English language close enough, you would see within the great glowing coils of the universe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-fink/if-you-looked-at-any-single-word-in-the-english-language-close-enough/) [Joseph Fink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-fink/) > [“Unwinding a habit that you have allowed to entangle you can be difficult. But the power is in you. Do not despair. The Prophet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyd-k-packer/unwinding-a-habit-that-you-have-allowed-to-entangle-you-can-be/) [Boyd K. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyd-k-packer/) > [Bars are meeting places and places to unwind. But at some point, what is culture unwinding from, and why can't they meet anywhere else?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mackaye/bars-are-meeting-places-and-places-to-unwind-but-at-some-point-what/) [Ian MacKaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mackaye/) > [“After all, you can’t unwind your most important relationships first, then bide your time with those loved ones while unwinding far less significant relationships”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-o-kelly/after-all-you-can-t-unwind-your-most-important-relationships-first/) [Eugene O'Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-o-kelly/) > [Honestly, I've always had difficulty relaxing, unwinding and going to bed - that kind of stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-carolla/honestly-i-ve-always-had-difficulty-relaxing-unwinding-and-going-to/) [Adam Carolla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-carolla/) > [No-one can say when the unwinding began, when the coil that held America together in its secure and sometime shifting grip first gave way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/no-one-can-say-when-the-unwinding-began-when-the-coil-that-held/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > [Fire is the Sun unwinding from the tree's log.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-buckminster-fuller/fire-is-the-sun-unwinding-from-the-tree-s-log/) [R. Buckminster Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-buckminster-fuller/) ## 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 Slavery quotes > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [Animal rights without veganism is like human rights with slavery. It makes no sense. None whatsoever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-francione/animal-rights-without-veganism-is-like-human-rights-with-slavery-it/) [Gary L. Francione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-francione/) > [Single acts of tyranny may be ascribed to the accidental opinion of a day; but a series of oppressions, begun at a distinguished period…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/single-acts-of-tyranny-may-be-ascribed-to-the-accidental-opinion-of-a/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Can you look forward to the future of our country and imagine any state of things in which, with slavery still existing, we should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dale-owen/can-you-look-forward-to-the-future-of-our-country-and-imagine-any/) [Robert Dale Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dale-owen/) > [My favorite Founding Fathers, Christians like John Adams, were absolutely appalled by slavery, and did not own slaves. I think we're going to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/my-favorite-founding-fathers-christians-like-john-adams-were/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [Slavery, if it can be legalized at all, can be legalized only by positive legislation. Natural law gives it no aid. Custom imparts to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysander-spooner/slavery-if-it-can-be-legalized-at-all-can-be-legalized-only-by/) [Lysander Spooner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysander-spooner/) > [If he's - the inference is that somehow he thinks slavery is a - is a noble institution I would - I would strongly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/if-he-s-the-inference-is-that-somehow-he-thinks-slavery-is-a-is-a/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [We know, Southern men declare that their slaves are better off than hired laborers amongst us. How little they know, whereof they speak! There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/we-know-southern-men-declare-that-their-slaves-are-better-off-than/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [“Work is a vehicle with which man chases some fleeting destination called a full tummy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/work-is-a-vehicle-with-which-man-chases-some-fleeting-destination/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [“Being a slave is to have nothing but still having something left to lose.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lalita-tedemy/being-a-slave-is-to-have-nothing-but-still-having-something-left-to/) [Lalita Tedemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lalita-tedemy/) > [Think about it: we went into slavery pagans; we came out Christians. We went into slavery pieces of property; we came out American citizens.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington/think-about-it-we-went-into-slavery-pagans-we-came-out-christians-we/) [Booker T. Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington/) > [Man preys on man; and you mourn for the idle tapestry that decorated a gothic pillar, and the dronish bell that summoned the fat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft/man-preys-on-man-and-you-mourn-for-the-idle-tapestry-that-decorated-a/) [Mary Wollstonecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft/) > [They don't really focus on that history here in America. I remember growing up as a kid, history class was very washed-over. They didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldis-hodge/they-don-t-really-focus-on-that-history-here-in-america-i-remember/) [Aldis Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldis-hodge/) > [We're living based on laws and ideas that we, as a society, embraced back in the days of slavery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ava-duvernay/we-re-living-based-on-laws-and-ideas-that-we-as-a-society-embraced/) [Ava DuVernay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ava-duvernay/) > [“To say to the slave who has not been emancipated 'Do not behave as a slave' is to mock his enslavement. But to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-murray/to-say-to-the-slave-who-has-not-been-emancipated-do-not-behave-as-a/) [John Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-murray/) [Browse all 2,997 Slavery quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slavery/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It’s just that unwinding makes slavery look good. 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