Jack Kevorkian Quotes

As a medical doctor, it is my duty to evaluate the situation with as much data as I can gather and as much expertise as I have and as much experience as I have to determine whether or not the wish of the patient is medically justified.

- Jack Kevorkian

Medical, Data, Determine, Justified

The patient's autonomy always, always should be respected, even if it is absolutely contrary - the decision is contrary to best medical advice and what the physician wants.

- Jack Kevorkian

Decision, Medical, Always, Autonomy

I'd find it demeaning to be cleaning toilets.

- Jack Kevorkian

Cleaning, Find, Toilets, Demeaning

Anytime you interfere with a natural process, you're playing God. God determines what happens naturally. That means when a person's ill, he shouldn't go to a doctor because he's asking for interference with God's will. But of course, patients can't think that way.

- Jack Kevorkian

Asking, Course, Determines, Anytime

I've seen schizophrenics who are so hopeless, you couldn't cheer them, and their lives are miserable and they end up as suicides. That's not right.

- Jack Kevorkian

Miserable, Them, Lives, Hopeless

This is not a trial. This is a lynching. There is no law.

- Jack Kevorkian

Law, Trial, No Law

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.

- Jack Kevorkian

Boredom, Torture, Crossword, Puzzles

My intent was to carry out my duty as a doctor, to end their suffering. Unfortunately, that entailed, in their cases, ending of the life.

- Jack Kevorkian

Suffering, Cases, Intent

Yes, we need euthanasia, for certain cases where people are in comas or too immobile to even press a button.

- Jack Kevorkian

Need, Yes, Cases, Button

I gambled and I lost. I failed in securing my options for this choice for myself, but I succeeded in verifying the Dark Age is still with us.

- Jack Kevorkian

Myself, Failed, Still, Verifying

I am not a sentimental person.

- Jack Kevorkian

I Am, Person, Am, Sentimental

My religion centers in different areas than what's considered conventional religion.

- Jack Kevorkian

Conventional, Considered, Different Areas

I have a natural right to do whatever I want with my body... as long as it doesn't affect anybody else or any other property.

- Jack Kevorkian

Natural, Other, Affect, Natural Right

I will admit, like Socrates and Aristotle and Plato and some other philosophers, that there are instances where the death penalty would seem appropriate.

- Jack Kevorkian

Some, Appropriate, Aristotle, Philosophers

Am I a criminal? The world knows I'm not a criminal. What are they trying to put me in jail for? You've lost common sense in this society because of religious fanaticism and dogma.

- Jack Kevorkian

Sense, Religious, Dogma, Common Sense

There is nothing anyone can do anyway. The public has no power. The government knows I'm not a criminal. The parole board knows I'm not a criminal. The judge knows I'm not a criminal.

- Jack Kevorkian

Government, Public, Anyone, Board

The American people are sheep. They're comfortable, rich, working. It's like the Romans, they're happy with bread and their spectator sports. The Super Bowl means more to them than any right.

- Jack Kevorkian

Happy, American, Romans, Spectator

All the big powers they've silenced me. So much for free speech and choice on this fundamental human right.

- Jack Kevorkian

Big, Free Speech, Silenced, Powers

I'm trying to knock the medical profession into accepting its responsibilities, and those responsibilities include assisting their patients with death.

- Jack Kevorkian

Profession, Assisting, Accepting

The Supreme Court of the United States... has validated the Nazi method of execution in... concentration camps, starving them to death.

- Jack Kevorkian

Execution, United States, Validated

This could never be a crime in any society which deems himself enlightened.

- Jack Kevorkian

Society, Never, Which, Enlightened

Rotten travesty. Yeah. Send me to jail for contempt. Try that. Go ahead.

- Jack Kevorkian

Me, Ahead, Contempt, Send

First of all, do any of you here think it's a crime to help a suffering human end his agony? Any of you think it is? Say so right now. Well, then, what are we doing here?

- Jack Kevorkian

Doing, Think, Here, First Of All

I think the Supreme Court does have the authority, which is not used, to declare a blanket right for all people, all adults.

- Jack Kevorkian

Think, I Think, Which, All People

I don't enjoy good food. I don't enjoy flashy cars. I don't care if I live in a dump. I don't enjoy good clothes. This is the best I've dressed in months.

- Jack Kevorkian

Enjoy, Flashy, Months, Dump

My ultimate aim is to make euthanasia a positive experience.

- Jack Kevorkian

Positive, Aim, Ultimate, Euthanasia

A transfer of money should never be involved in this profound situation. Although illness is profound, too, but medicine's a business today. It's a business.

- Jack Kevorkian

Business, Medicine, Profound, Illness

I want some colleague to be free to come help me when I say the time has come. That's what I'm fighting for, me. Now that sounds selfish. And if it helps somebody else, so be it.

- Jack Kevorkian

Want, Some, Come, Colleague

I hate to say this, but I'll repeat it: After death, all we know that you do is stink.

- Jack Kevorkian

Death, Know, Repeat, Stink

If Christ can die in a barn, I think the death of a human in a van is not so bad.

- Jack Kevorkian

Die, Think, Van, Barn

Not one has shown an iota of fear of death. They want to end this agony.

- Jack Kevorkian

Death, Agony, Shown, Iota

You're basing your laws and your whole outlook on natural life on mythology. It won't work. That's why you have all these problems in the world. Name them: India, Pakistan, Ireland. Name them-all these problems. They're all religious problems.

- Jack Kevorkian

Why, Religious, Pakistan, Outlook

The Jews were gassed. Armenians were killed in every conceivable way... So the Holocaust doesn't interest me, see? They've had a lot of publicity, but they didn't suffer as much.

- Jack Kevorkian

Way, Jews, Had, Publicity

I don't crave publicity, you know.

- Jack Kevorkian

Know, You, Crave, Publicity

I knew I was getting into one of the most illegal things in the world. It was the right thing to do.

- Jack Kevorkian

Right, Knew, Getting, Illegal

We are all terminal.

- Jack Kevorkian

Terminal

I always said all my life if I wasn't born and they gave me the question I'd say I don't want to be born.

- Jack Kevorkian

My Life, Question, Always, All My Life

You can cite me for contempt, Your Honor. I don't care.

- Jack Kevorkian

Honor, Contempt, Your Honor, Cite

I suppose, if helping a patient die is killing, I suppose I'm a killer.

- Jack Kevorkian

Die, Patient, Helping, Killer

I'm for absolute autonomy of the individual, and an adult, competent woman has absolute autonomy. It's her choice.

- Jack Kevorkian

Independence, Autonomy, Competent

Five to six thousand people die every year waiting for organs, but nobody cares.

- Jack Kevorkian

Die, Cares, Organs, Five

Look at the forces against me. They don't want me out. They're afraid I'll cause trouble if I get out.

- Jack Kevorkian

Want, Against, Cause, Forces

None of them want to delay. Understand that. None of them.

- Jack Kevorkian

Want, Understand, Them, Delay

I would not want to live with a tube in my neck and not be able to move a finger. I wouldn't - that to me is not life.

- Jack Kevorkian

Finger, Move, Tube, Neck

If a man is terrified, it's up to me to dispel that terror.

- Jack Kevorkian

Me, Terror, Terrified, Dispel

Among doctors in general, I think more than half support what I'm doing.

- Jack Kevorkian

Doing, Think, General, Doctors

I don't persuade to suicide.

- Jack Kevorkian

Suicide, Persuade

I'm not lying to myself like most people.

- Jack Kevorkian

Myself, Like, Most, Lying

Maybe I won't stay out of prison. Who knows?

- Jack Kevorkian

Stay, Out, Maybe, Prison

There's no doubt I expect to die in prison.

- Jack Kevorkian

Die, Expect, No Doubt, Prison

I will go to what they call a court. Only they call it a court.

- Jack Kevorkian

Will, Go, Call, Court

If you don't have liberty and self-determination, you've got nothing, that's what this is what this country is built on. And this is the ultimate self-determination, when you determine how and when you're going to die when you're suffering.

- Jack Kevorkian

Die, Country, Determine, Self-Determination

I can paint in jail.

- Jack Kevorkian

Paint, I Can, Jail

She made the decision that her existence had lost its meaning. And you cannot judge that.

- Jack Kevorkian

Decision, She, Her, Meaning

I didn't do this for other people; I did this for me. I fought for this right for me - does that sound selfish?

- Jack Kevorkian

Other, Fought, Does, Selfish

The law is cruel.

- Jack Kevorkian

Law, Cruel

What looks like enjoyment is the sneer of contempt. That's not a smile.

- Jack Kevorkian

Enjoyment, Looks, Like, Contempt

You've gotta know what death is to know life!

- Jack Kevorkian

Death, Know, You, Gotta

The single worst moment of my life... was the moment I was born.

- Jack Kevorkian

My Life, Single, Born, I Was Born

The patient decides when it's best to go.

- Jack Kevorkian

Medical, Patient, Go, Decide

What are friends? Some people are nice. Some people aren't. There are some I'm fairly close with... we talk.

- Jack Kevorkian

Talk, Some People, Some, Fairly

I'm not radical.

- Jack Kevorkian

Radical

How can you regret helping a suffering patient?

- Jack Kevorkian

Regret, How, Helping, Patient

What I think a doctor should do is prevent disease, by any means necessary.

- Jack Kevorkian

Think, Prevent, Means, Doctor

Freedom has a price. Most people aren't willing to pay it.

- Jack Kevorkian

Freedom, Most, Willing, Price

Let's hope you feel better now.

- Jack Kevorkian

Better, Now, Feel, Better Now

I have no regrets, none whatsoever.

- Jack Kevorkian

Regrets, Whatsoever, None, No Regrets

When your conscience says law is immoral, don't follow it.

- Jack Kevorkian

Law, Conscience, Your, Immoral

Fear controls you.

- Jack Kevorkian

Fear, You, Controls

Listen, when you take my liberty away, you've taken away more-something more precious than life. I mean, what good is a life without liberty? Huh? None.

- Jack Kevorkian

Precious, More, Away, Huh

Liberty means more to me than life itself.

- Jack Kevorkian

More, Means, Itself, Liberty

When history looks back, it will prove what I'll die knowing.

- Jack Kevorkian

Die, Looks, Knowing, Prove

I'm not a romantic.

- Jack Kevorkian

Romantic

If you're searching for quotes on a different topic, feel free to browse our Topics page or explore a diverse collection of quotes from various Authors to find inspiration.

Powerful Jack Kevorkian for Daily Growth