"It's the boredom that kills you. You read until you're tired of that. You do crossword puzzles until you're tired of that. This is torture. This is mental torture"
About this Quote
As an activist best known for arguing that people should have the right to choose death in the face of terminal decline, Kevorkian’s intent is strategic. He’s relocating the debate from spectacular agony to the quieter, more socially palatable misery that families, hospitals, and lawmakers often minimize. “This is torture” is a moral accusation, aimed less at illness than at a system that equates mere biological continuation with dignity. By calling it “mental torture,” he insists that psychological erosion counts as real harm - and that forcing someone to endure it can be cruelty dressed up as care.
The subtext is confrontational: if we accept prolonged boredom, isolation, and infantilizing routines as normal for the elderly or gravely ill, we’ve already made a choice about whose inner life matters. Kevorkian simply drags that choice into the light and refuses to let it hide behind sentiment.
Quote Details
| Topic | Mental Health |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Kevorkian, Jack. (2026, January 17). It's the boredom that kills you. You read until you're tired of that. You do crossword puzzles until you're tired of that. This is torture. This is mental torture. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/its-the-boredom-that-kills-you-you-read-until-73169/
Chicago Style
Kevorkian, Jack. "It's the boredom that kills you. You read until you're tired of that. You do crossword puzzles until you're tired of that. This is torture. This is mental torture." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/its-the-boredom-that-kills-you-you-read-until-73169/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"It's the boredom that kills you. You read until you're tired of that. You do crossword puzzles until you're tired of that. This is torture. This is mental torture." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/its-the-boredom-that-kills-you-you-read-until-73169/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.









