What are the most famous last words in history?
Having been sick for quite some time now, Henrik Ibsen’s nurse walked in to greet the bed ridden playwright. They had a short conversation.
Nurse: You seem to be feeling better this morning!
Ibsen: On the contrary . . .
At this point, Ibsen breathed his final breath, promptly dying afterwards.
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A wonderful integration of famous last words like these appears consistently in John Green’s book: “Looking for Alaska”.
Here is a short compilation of the best ones:
- John F. Kennedy
Whist cruising in his 4 door convertible limousine along Dealey Plaza, the First Woman of Texas, Nellie Connally (whom he was cruising with), turned around to face the president, and said:
“Mr. President, you can’t say Dallas doesn’t love you!”
To which the president briefly responded:
“That’s obvious.”
After which the limousine took a left turn onto Elm Street, and 3 shots were fired at the President, who miraculously, was unable to say anything else before his quick demise.
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2. A Sufi*
*A follower of Sufism, defined as Islamic mysticism.
A Sufi waltzes into a jewelry store, owned by a rich merchant. The Sufi, dressed in tattered clothes, asks the merchant a question.
“Do you know how you are going to die?”
The Sufi then said.
“I do.”
The merchant, who was weirdly more intrigued than terrified at the moment, asked:
“How?”
To which the Sufi responded after laying down and crossing his arms:
“Like this.”
Mr. Sufi then lost his life straightaway, the cause of death I can only imagine to be something along the lines of pure willpower. Ironically. . .
However the merchant immediately surrendered the rights to his store, in order to pursue the life of poverty that allowed the Sufi such spiritual wisdom.
—
3. General Sedgwick (The best one yet)
General Sedgwick was (yet another) U.S military officer.
Having been one of the most prodigal military trainees, Private Sedgwick graduated 24th out of 50 trainees in his class. What an amazing accomplishment.
He was then commissioned in the U.S Army Artillery Branch as a Second Lieutenant. Unsatisfied with that, he fought in the Seminole Wars and received two promotions to his highest rank as general!
At the beginning of the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, General Sedgwick and his troops had pushed forward on the left flank of the Confederate Defenses as he was directing artillery strikes.
Unfortunately, Confederate sharpshooters nearly a kilometer away had their sights locked on to his unit.
His fellow troops then began to duck and look for cover.
Seeing this happen, General Sedgwick decided to grow a pair of balls, and stood up in the middle of the battlefield! Saying to his men (angrily):
“Why are you dodging like this?
They couldn’t hit an elephant from this dis-”
