50 Organ Donation Quotes That Encourage Giving

By Norbert Juma

Master quote curator and editor on a mission to inspire

Published July 15, 2023

These organ donation quotes inspire compassion and giving in a beautiful last gesture.

Here, you can find a comprehensive list of organ donation quotes that are insightful and inspiring.

What is Meant by Organ Donation?

Organ donation is a selfless act where people donate their working organs upon death.

These donated organs are retrieved from the donor’s body after their death and obtained and transplanted into other individuals to help them live healthy lives.

Organ donation is a voluntary act and involves the donation of different body organs such as:

Heart
Liver
Lungs
Bones
Kidneys
Pancreas
Skin tissues

The Impact of Organ Donation

The most significant impact of organ donation is the betterment of humanity.

Organ donation helps save the lives of people suffering from typical organ failure.

It serves as a lifeline for such individuals and improves the quality of their lives.

Once an organ is replaced, it starts performing its function correctly.

Hence, it adds strength to the body and improves the overall well-being of a person.

The Organ Donation Process

Following are the major steps that are involved during an organ donation process:

Step1: Registration
Step2: Medical Evaluation
Step3: Transplantation
Step4: Post-Transplant Care

Step1: Registration

Individuals willing to donate their organs must register as donors.

For this purpose, a donor must contact a national or regional organ donation registry.

Individuals can also indicate their willingness to donate organs on their ID or driver’s license.

Step2: Medical Evaluation

Before obtaining an organ from a deceased person, medical professionals assess the health or condition of the organs.

The medical history of a donor is also taken into consideration.

Step3: Transplantation

After an organ is wholly evaluated and if found fit for transplant, it is removed from the donor’s body.

The next step is the transplantation of such an organ into the recipient.

Timing plays a critical role in maintaining the health and viability of the organs.

Hence, the retrieved organ is transplanted within the shortest possible time.

Step4: Post-Transplant Care

The recipient of a donated organ needs lifelong medical care.

This ensures the longevity and success of the transplanted organ.

The post-transplant care includes regular check-ups and proper medication.

Top 10 Organ Donation Quotes

Here are the top 10 quotes about the life-saving endeavor of organ donation.

1. “The only gift is a portion of thyself.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

2. “Live life after death – pledge to donate your body.” — Amit Abraham

3. “I hope more people decide to become organ donors.” — Donna Reed

4. “The measure of life is not its duration but its donation.” — Peter Marshall

5. “No one can do everything, but everyone can do something.” — Max Lucado

6. “Wherever a man turns, he can find someone who needs him.” — Albert Schweitzer

7. “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.” — Muhammad Ali

8. “There is one word which may serve as a rule of practice for all one’s life -reciprocity.” — Confucius

9. “The use of fetuses as organ and tissue donors is a ticking time bomb of bioethics.” — Arthur Caplan

10. “Ever since I got to know how easily skin donation can save the lives of serious burns patients, I have felt strongly about the issue.” — Paresh Rawal

Motivational Organ Donation Quotes

These inspiring organ donation quotes from various authors encourage us to make a difference and inspire others.

11. “It takes lives to save lives.” — Oscar Auliq-Ice

12. “Share your life. Share your decision.” — Michael Jordan

13. “So shines a good deed… in a weary world.” — Gene Wilder

14. “Write a living will. And become an organ donor!” — Jodi Picoult

15. “Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.” — William James

16. “Be useful when living. Be more useful when dead.” — Ekansh Gautam

17. “Open your heart – open it wide; someone is standing outside.” — Mary Engelbreit

18. “Give yourself and those in need an elixir of life by pledging your organs.” — Mohith Agadi

19. “You can’t live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.” — John Wooden

20. “Life fractures us all into little pieces. It harms us, but it’s how we glue those fractures back together that make us stronger.” — Carrie Jones

Organ Donation Quotes on Its Importance

The importance of organ donation is perfectly captured in the quotes below.

21. “Organ donation is a “testimony of love for our neighbor.” — Pope Francis

22. “Transplant is a life-changing ‘experience. Organ donation transforms lives.” — Andy Cole

23. “Organ donation is very personal to me. My mother, before her death, was on kidney dialysis for several years.” — John Perez

24. “I think you should automatically donate your organs because that would turn the balance of organ donation in a huge way.” — George Clooney

25. “I don’t write on topics that require a lot of urgency. But in ‘Stiff,’ I wanted to change people’s hearts about organ donation.” — Mary Roach

26. “Owing to our Indian beliefs, not many believe in organ donation. But I think it’s an amazing thing to pledge the donation of organs and is not something people should look down upon.” — Richa Chadha

27. “Facebook is really about communicating and telling stories… We think that people can really help spread awareness of organ donation and that they want to participate in this to their friends.” — Mark Zuckerberg

28. “The gift that has been given to me says much about our capacity for great compassion and generosity, and I hope it sends an inspiring message to others about the importance of organ donation.” — Steven Cojocaru

29. “Organ Donation is a cause I feel strongly about. It’s disturbing to see a noble cause like this still being clouded by myths and misinformation that is leading to reluctance and apprehension amongst people.” — Arjun Mathur

30. “Along with church monies and the United Way, most of the others that I give the most to are organizations for which I have some personal connection in that they have affected family members; i.e., kidney, cancer, heart, and organ donation.” — LaVell Edwards

Organ Donation Quotes About Organ Donors

These quotes express gratitude for the generosity of those who have chosen to be organ donors.

31. “I was ‘recalled to life’ by this gift from my donor’s family.” — Nancy Kyllingstad

32. “I am alive due to the generous gift of life from my heroes: organ donors.” — Jason Enyeart

33. “We are thanking God for our organ donor. What gave one family utter despair gave us great joy.” — Rach Thurston

34. “Organ donors are real heroes. I’m here today because of one. I’m forever grateful, forever humbled by that.” — Chris Klug

35. “Three other lives were saved that night by my donor, my hero, and I was given a new heart and a new start.” — Renee Houghton

36. “I never used to pay that much attention to organ donation, but I’m tremendously glad for it: it turned out that I was one of the ones in need.” — Karl Black

37. “I wasn’t sure if I would still be alive in six months—now, I’m a mommy, all because someone said yes to being an organ donor.” — Amanda Washek

38. “The decision to become a donor can save up to eight lives and enhance many more—men, women, and children who depend on the generosity and sacrifice of others.” — Barack Obama

39. “There is one thing I know about my donor: no matter what they did while they were here on Earth, they died a hero. They saved my life, and that’s a debt I can never repay.” — John Wilson

40. “He feels a duty to honor the gift he has been given, the donor, and the donor’s family. He sees life in a whole new perspective now—he will not take for granted one second of his new beginning.” — Deborah Curry

Thought-Provoking Organ Donation Quotes

These quotes would make you stop and think about the life-altering act of organ donation.

41. “There will be a time when all of the pieces will fit together.” — Nitya Prakash

42. “We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men.” — Herman Melville

43. “I think you have a lot to offer… not necessarily as a person, but as an organ donor.” — Dov Davidoff

44. “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” — Dalai Lama

45. “You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.” — Kahlil Gibran

46. “Independence? That’s middle-class blasphemy. We are all dependent on one another, every soul of us on Earth.” — George Bernard Shaw

47. “You are a piece of the puzzle of someone else’s life. You may never know where you fit, but others will fill the holes in their lives with pieces of you.” — Bonnie Arbon

48. “Have you had kindness shown? Pass it on; ‘Twas not given for thee alone, Pass it on; Let it travel down the years, Let it wipe another’s tears. Pass it on.” — Henry Burton

49. “You know that family is going to be there for you no matter what—my dad gave me a freakin’ kidney! But it’s also [about] the families that you create outside of your family.” — Sarah Hyland

50. “To be an organ donor means to carry out an act of love toward someone in need, toward a brother in difficulty. It is a free act of love, of availability, that every person of goodwill can do at any time and for any brother.” — Pope Benedict XVI