Irvin D. Yalom Quote

Too many people are overly respectful, braying, ‘You’re so brave’ and Irv fell smack into that trap. After all what’s so courageous about having cancer? Once we have it, what choice do we have? But the worst thing of all—and thank God Irv doesn’t do this, at least not yet—is all this nonsensical talk about a patient’s courageous struggle with cancer that all too often ends in defeat. How many obituaries do you see stating that so-and-so lost their courageous battle with cancer? I hate that! I absolutely hate it! If someone put that in my obituary, I’d come back and kill him!

Irvin D. Yalom

Too many people are overly respectful, braying, ‘You’re so brave’ and Irv fell smack into that trap. After all what’s so courageous about having cancer? Once we have it, what choice do we have? But the worst thing of all—and thank God Irv doesn’t do this, at least not yet—is all this nonsensical talk about a patient’s courageous struggle with cancer that all too often ends in defeat. How many obituaries do you see stating that so-and-so lost their courageous battle with cancer? I hate that! I absolutely hate it! If someone put that in my obituary, I’d come back and kill him!

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About Irvin D. Yalom

Irvin David Yalom (; born June 13, 1931) is an American existential psychiatrist who is emeritus professor of psychiatry at Stanford University, as well as author of both fiction and nonfiction.