--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think the idea of a 'mental heath day'…" description: "\"“I think the idea of a 'mental heath day' is something completely invented by people who have no clue what it's like to have bad mental health. The ide..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f73/david-levithan-67_breakfast-cereal_i-think-the-idea-of-a-mental-heath-day-i_997683.jpg" --- # I think the idea of a 'mental heath day' is something… ![“I think the idea of a 'mental heath day' is something completely invented by people who have no clue what it's like to have bad mental health. The idea that your mind can be aired out in twenty-four hours is kinds of like saying heart diseases can be cured if you eat the right breakfast cereal…” quote by David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f73/david-levithan-67_breakfast-cereal_i-think-the-idea-of-a-mental-heath-day-i_997683.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f73/david-levithan-67_breakfast-cereal_i-think-the-idea-of-a-mental-heath-day-i_997683.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f73/david-levithan-67_breakfast-cereal_i-think-the-idea-of-a-mental-heath-day-i_997683.jpg) > ““I think the idea of a 'mental heath day' is something completely invented by people who have no clue what it's like to have bad mental health. The idea that your mind can be aired out in twenty-four hours is kinds of like saying heart diseases can be cured if you eat the right breakfast cereal. Mental health days only exist for people who have the luxury of saying 'I don't want to deal with things today' and they can take the whole day off, while the rest of us are stuck fighting the fights we always fight, with no one really caring one way or another, unless we choose to bring a gun to school or ruin the morning announcements with a suicide.”” [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Critiques “mental health day” as a superficial fix, highlighting systemic neglect of genuine mental illness. **In simple terms:** Mental health days are seen as privileged shortcuts. Key Takeaway Address root causes, not just quick fixes. Themes mental health privilege systemic neglect authenticity Mood critical concerned Type essay opinion When to use this quote - workplace wellness - education policy - public discourse Key Concepts social critique psychology policy Questions to Reflect On - How can institutions better support mental health? - What alternatives exist to a single day off? A Different Perspective May dismiss legitimate need for rest. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health/) [Heart disease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart-disease/) [Illness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illness/) [Mental health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mental-health/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) ## Related quotes > [Don't act like you are special because there is something wrong with your health...You have no idea what other people go through.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-act-like-you-are-special-because-there-is-something-wrong-with/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Mental health days only exist for people who have the luxury of saying 'I don't want to deal with things today' and then can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/mental-health-days-only-exist-for-people-who-have-the-luxury-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“It seems that every movie is a remake of something that was better when it was first released in a foreign language, as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/it-seems-that-every-movie-is-a-remake-of-something-that-was-better/) [Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/) > [“When I look closely at dairy, I see the hurtful exploitation of specifically female bodies so that some people can enjoy sensual pleasures of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pattrice-jones/when-i-look-closely-at-dairy-i-see-the-hurtful-exploitation-of/) pattrice jones > [The days of my youth I remember as nearly always in need of explanation, and not as much fun as advertised in the promotions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-h-lapham/the-days-of-my-youth-i-remember-as-nearly-always-in-need-of/) [Lewis H. Lapham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-h-lapham/) > [The idea that you can merchandise candidates for high office like breakfast cereal - that you can gather votes like box tops - is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adlai-e-stevenson/the-idea-that-you-can-merchandise-candidates-for-high-office-like/) [Adlai E. Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adlai-e-stevenson/) > [“Cheerios One bright morning in a restaurant in Chicago as I waited for my eggs and toast, I opened the Tribune only to discover…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/cheerios-one-bright-morning-in-a-restaurant-in-chicago-as-i-waited/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [“A hero of the piece was John Draper, a hacker known as Captain Crunch because he had discovered that the sound emitted by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/a-hero-of-the-piece-was-john-draper-a-hacker-known-as-captain-crunch/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [“Lucky Charms are like the vampires of breakfast cereal. They're magical, they're delicious, they're a little bit dangerous and bad for you. 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When she wasn't crying over the breakfast cereal, she was laughing about killing herself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/that-was-his-mother-when-she-wasn-t-crying-over-the-breakfast-cereal/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [“I carried with me into the West End Bar, the White Horse Tavern, a long list of things I would never do: I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-roiphe/i-carried-with-me-into-the-west-end-bar-the-white-horse-tavern-a-long/) [Anne Roiphe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-roiphe/) > [My favorite breakfast cereal is Cocoa Pebbles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valentin-chmerkovskiy/my-favorite-breakfast-cereal-is-cocoa-pebbles/) [Valentin Chmerkovskiy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valentin-chmerkovskiy/) > [Your favorite kind of cake can't be birthday cake, that's like saying your favorite kind of cereal is breakfast cereal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aziz-ansari/your-favorite-kind-of-cake-can-t-be-birthday-cake-that-s-like-saying/) [Aziz Ansari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aziz-ansari/) > [To become a celebrity is to become a brand name. There is Ivory Soap, Rice Krispies, and Philip Roth. Ivory is the soap that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/to-become-a-celebrity-is-to-become-a-brand-name-there-is-ivory-soap/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) ## More by David Levithan > [“When you jump, all you're going to do is fall. But leaping? Leaping is when you think there's something on the other side.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/when-you-jump-all-you-re-going-to-do-is-fall-but-leaping-leaping-is/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“The past and the future are what's complicated. It's the present that's simple. And the simplicity is the sensation of it being just her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/the-past-and-the-future-are-what-s-complicated-it-s-the-present-that/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“I hate the way you talk to me And the way you cut your hair I hate the way you drive my car I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/i-hate-the-way-you-talk-to-me-and-the-way-you-cut-your-hair-i-hate/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [You could be the leaf that never falls from the tree you could be the sun that never leaves the sky this might be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/you-could-be-the-leaf-that-never-falls-from-the-tree-you-could-be-the/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“Patrick: Is she worth the trouble? Cameron: I thought she was- Patrick: Either she is, or she isn't. So give it a shot, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/patrick-is-she-worth-the-trouble-cameron-i-thought-she-was-patrick/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“We saw our friends die. But we also see our friends live. So many of them live, and we often toast their long and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/we-saw-our-friends-die-but-we-also-see-our-friends-live-so-many-of/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [maybe tonight you're scared of falling, and maybe there's somebody here or somewhere else you're thinking about, worrying over, fretting over, trying to figure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/maybe-tonight-you-re-scared-of-falling-and-maybe-there-s-somebody/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“You never told me what you saw in him, not convincingly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/you-never-told-me-what-you-saw-in-him-not-convincingly/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“i nod to the other will grayson, up onstage. he nods to me. we have something between us, him and me. but the truth?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/i-nod-to-the-other-will-grayson-up-onstage-he-nods-to-me-we-have/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [The terrorists-those nineteen people, with hundreds or maybe thousands behind them-did the worst thing you can possibly imagine. But tens of millions people did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/the-terrorists-those-nineteen-people-with-hundreds-or-maybe-thousands/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [But I still has enough longing for that concept that I didn't want to dispel it completely. Meaning: I didn't want to tell Lily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/but-i-still-has-enough-longing-for-that-concept-that-i-didn-t-want-to/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“When you break someone's heart, you also break yours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/when-you-break-someone-s-heart-you-also-break-yours/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“Because toward the end all the words started leaving. Except for the ones that had to lock up at the end of the night.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/because-toward-the-end-all-the-words-started-leaving-except-for-the/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“ misgivings , n . Last night, I got up the courage to ask you if you regretted us. "There are things I miss,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/misgivings-n-last-night-i-got-up-the-courage-to-ask-you-if-you/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“Saving others is always more important than saving yourself. It has to be, or none of us would do any good.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/saving-others-is-always-more-important-than-saving-yourself-it-has-to/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) [Explore all 1,648 David Levithan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) ## More Breakfast cereal quotes > [To become a celebrity is to become a brand name. There is Ivory Soap, Rice Krispies, and Philip Roth. Ivory is the soap that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/to-become-a-celebrity-is-to-become-a-brand-name-there-is-ivory-soap/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [Your favorite kind of cake can't be birthday cake, that's like saying your favorite kind of cereal is breakfast cereal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aziz-ansari/your-favorite-kind-of-cake-can-t-be-birthday-cake-that-s-like-saying/) [Aziz Ansari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aziz-ansari/) > [My favorite breakfast cereal is Cocoa Pebbles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valentin-chmerkovskiy/my-favorite-breakfast-cereal-is-cocoa-pebbles/) [Valentin Chmerkovskiy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valentin-chmerkovskiy/) > [“I carried with me into the West End Bar, the White Horse Tavern, a long list of things I would never do: I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-roiphe/i-carried-with-me-into-the-west-end-bar-the-white-horse-tavern-a-long/) [Anne Roiphe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-roiphe/) > [That was his mother. When she wasn't crying over the breakfast cereal, she was laughing about killing herself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/that-was-his-mother-when-she-wasn-t-crying-over-the-breakfast-cereal/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [Breakfast cereals that come in the same colors as polyester leisure suits make oversleeping a virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/breakfast-cereals-that-come-in-the-same-colors-as-polyester-leisure/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [“Lucky Charms are like the vampires of breakfast cereal. They're magical, they're delicious, they're a little bit dangerous and bad for you. They initially…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/lucky-charms-are-like-the-vampires-of-breakfast-cereal-they-re/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“A hero of the piece was John Draper, a hacker known as Captain Crunch because he had discovered that the sound emitted by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/a-hero-of-the-piece-was-john-draper-a-hacker-known-as-captain-crunch/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [“Cheerios One bright morning in a restaurant in Chicago as I waited for my eggs and toast, I opened the Tribune only to discover…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/cheerios-one-bright-morning-in-a-restaurant-in-chicago-as-i-waited/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [The idea that you can merchandise candidates for high office like breakfast cereal - that you can gather votes like box tops - is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adlai-e-stevenson/the-idea-that-you-can-merchandise-candidates-for-high-office-like/) [Adlai E. Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adlai-e-stevenson/) > [The days of my youth I remember as nearly always in need of explanation, and not as much fun as advertised in the promotions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-h-lapham/the-days-of-my-youth-i-remember-as-nearly-always-in-need-of/) [Lewis H. Lapham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-h-lapham/) > [“When I look closely at dairy, I see the hurtful exploitation of specifically female bodies so that some people can enjoy sensual pleasures of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pattrice-jones/when-i-look-closely-at-dairy-i-see-the-hurtful-exploitation-of/) pattrice jones > [“It seems that every movie is a remake of something that was better when it was first released in a foreign language, as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/it-seems-that-every-movie-is-a-remake-of-something-that-was-better/) [Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/) > [“He welcomes the chance to do fatherly things with the little girl, and those ten morning minutes with dear little four-year-old Ruby, with her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-spencer/he-welcomes-the-chance-to-do-fatherly-things-with-the-little-girl-and/) [Scott Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-spencer/) > [“In life, as in breakfast cereal, it is always best to read the instructions on the box.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/in-life-as-in-breakfast-cereal-it-is-always-best-to-read-the/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) Browse all 52 Breakfast cereal quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I think the idea of a 'mental heath day' is something completely invented by people who have no clue what it's like to have bad mental health. 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