Stephen Hawking has commented on the idea of assisted suicide and admitted considering it for himself when he can no longer contribute and becomes nothing more than a burden.

But the famous physicist knows that he still has a lot of scientific work to do, despite his advanced motor neurone disease, according to the BBC.

"To keep someone alive against their wishes is the ultimate indignity, I would consider assisted suicide only if I were in great pain or felt I had nothing more to contribute but was just a burden to those around me," according to The Guardian.

But, he added: "I am damned if I'm going to die before I have unravelled more of the universe."

Currently, he is not always in pain. He only suffers occasional discomfort because he cannot adjust his position on his own.

When asked about what he misses about being able-bodied, he added: "I would like to be able to swim again. When my children were young, I missed not being able to play with them physically," according to The Telegraph.

Only 5 percent of people diagnosed with the same form of MND that Hawking has, one with amytrophic later sclerosis or ALS, can survive for more than a decade after diagnosis.