Famous Last Words

One of the best things about the Internet is the ease of researching anything that comes to mind. The days of pawing through a library's card catalog in search of books and magazines that might pertain to the subject--those days are over. We no longer need to summarize the relevant content and record it on numerous notecards with all of the bibliography information we will need. No longer do we have to spend tedious hours at the library, painstakingly leafing through stacks of written material in search of pertinent quotes. I, for one, am grateful that the Internet has made research simple.

These last two weeks have marked the one- and two-year anniversaries of my parents' deaths. I have been told that their last hours were peaceful, because they had entrusted their lives to Jesus. But as I've been mulling over the memories, I've realized that I have no idea what Mom's or Dad's last words were, since I wasn't with them right then, when they took their final breaths. I am sure, though, that if either one had said anything profound, someone would have told me. 

Since one thought inevitably leads to another, I started wondering about the last words of other, more famous people, right before they died and, of course, I turned to the Internet for some answers.

The humble last words of Italian inventor and artist,
Leonardo da Vinci, a true perfectionist:
"I have offended God and mankind because
my work didn't reach the quality it should have."

I found quotes from plenty of well-known people who spoke confidently, shortly before they died:

Wilson Mizner (1876-1933) was an American playwright who was renowned for his bon mots, literally "good words," including the line, "Be nice to people on the way up because you'll meet the same people on the way down." When Mizner was on his deathbed, a visiting priest told him, "I'm sure you want to talk to me." However, Mizner replied, "Why should I talk to you? I've just been talking to your boss." 

In 1913, when former slave and abolitionist, Harriet Tubman, was dying, her family gathered around and sang together. Some people have said her last words were "Swing low, sweet chariot." But after her last song, she had more to say: "Give my love to the churches. Tell the women to stand firm. I go to prepare a place for you." 

19th century English novelist, Charles Dickens, had this to say: "I commit my soul to the mercy of God, through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." 

Bessie Smith was one of the most celebrated and beloved blues singers of the 1920s and 30s. Before her death in 1937, she said, "I'm going, but I'm going in the name of the Lord." 

American guitarist and singer, Bo Diddley, died giving a thumbs-up as he listened to the song Walk Around Heaven. His last word was "Wow." 

Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints. 

Psalm 116:15 

Some famous people spoke out of obvious uncertainty:

Edgar Allen Poe, an American poet and writer, died in 1849 at the age of 40. After a life allegedly filled with lies and drunkenness, he was found in a street, near death. These were his final words: "Lord help my poor soul!" 

As American comedian and actor, Groucho Marx, was dying, he had one last quip: "This is no way to live."

English film director, Alfred Hitchcock's, last words were these: "One never knows the ending. One has to die to know exactly what happens after death, although Catholics have their hopes." 

British 2nd Baronet, Sir William Erskine, after purposely jumping off a balcony, asked "Now why did I do that?" 

Albert Einstein was one of the most influential scientists of all time. According to his secretary, his last words were spoken in German. Translated, they mean, "I am at the mercy of fate and have no control over it." 

Some people's final words were rather humorous, while others were somewhat pragmatic:

James French, a convicted murderer, said this to some reporters about his imminent execution in the electric chair. "Hey, fellas! How about this for a headline for tomorrow's paper? 'French fries.'" 

The cantankerous actor, W.C. Fields, was asked why he was reading the Bible on his deathbed. His response? "I'm looking for loopholes."   

Book publisher, Andrew Bradford, simply pleaded, "Oh Lord, forgive the misprints!" 

Actress Joan Crawford yelled at her housekeeper, who was praying as Crawford died. Joan reportedly shouted, "Damn it! Don't you dare ask God to help me!" 

Jamaican musician and pioneer of reggae, Bob Marley, spoke these words to his son, Ziggy, before he died of cancer in 1981: "Money can't buy life."

18th century French composer, Jean-Philippe Rameau, protested as a priest sang hymns at his deathbed: "What the devil do you mean to sing to me, priest? You are out of tune."

After a priest asked philosopher Voltaire if he wanted to renounce the devil, he responded, "Now is not the time for making new enemies."

The infamous German dictator, Adolf Hitler's, suicide note read: "I myself, and my wife – in order to escape the disgrace of deposition or capitulation – choose death." 

Right before he committed suicide at the age of 37, after years of fighting mental illness and poverty, painter Vincent van Gogh's last words were these: "La tristesse durera toujours," which is translated "The sadness will last forever." 

Robert Alton Harris was an American burglar, kidnapper, and murderer who was executed at San Quentin State Prison in 1992 for the 1978 murders of two teenage boys. These were his last words: "You can be a king or a street sweeper, but everyone dances with the Grim Reaper."

I was surprised at the words of some prominent atheists as they spoke from their deathbeds. You may have heard the saying, “There are no atheists in foxholes,” but the following quotes indicate that even the staunchest atheists may regret their lack of faith as they lay at death’s door:

Seventeenth Century Chancellor of England, Sir Thomas Scott, said these words just before his execution: "Until this moment I thought there was neither a God nor a hell. Now I know and feel that there are both, and I am doomed to perdition by the just judgment of the Almighty." 

The leading atheistic writer in the American colonies, Thomas Payne, had much to say right before his death: "Stay with me, for God's sake; I cannot bear to be left alone, O Lord, help me! O God, what have I done to suffer so much? What will become of me hereafter? I would give worlds if I had them, that The Age of Reason had never been published. O Lord, help me! Christ, help me! No, don't leave; stay with me! Send even a child to stay with me; for I am on the edge of hell here alone. If ever the Devil had an agent, I have been that one." 

Voltaire was a famous anti-Christian atheist who lamented, "I am abandoned by God and man." He implored his physician, Dr. Fochin: "I will give you half of what I am worth if you will give me six months of life." When he was told this was impossible, he said, "Then I shall die and go to hell!" Afterward, his nurse had this to say: "For all the money in Europe I wouldn't want to see another unbeliever die! All night long he cried for forgiveness." 

Eighteenth century atheist philosopher, David Hume, was famous for his religious skepticism. While on his deathbed, he cried out in desperation, "I am in flames!" 

I'm sure you know of Napoleon Bonaparte, the early nineteenth century French emperor who brought death to millions of people in his attempt to conquer the world. These were his last words: "I die before my time, and my body will be given back to the earth. Such is the fate of him who has been called the great Napoleon. What an abyss between my deep misery and the eternal kingdom of Christ!"

Sir Francis Newport, the head of an English Atheist club, surprised those gathered around his deathbed with these words: "You need not tell me there is no God, for I know there is one, and that I am in his presence! You need not tell me there is no hell. I feel myself already slipping. Wretches, cease your idle talk about there being hope for me! I know I am lost forever! Oh, that fire! Oh, the insufferable pangs of hell! Oh, that I could lie for a thousand years upon the fire that is never quenched, to purchase the favor of God and be united to him again. But it is a fruitless wish. Millions and millions of years will bring me no nearer the end of my torments than one poor hour. Oh, eternity, eternity forever and forever! Oh, the insufferable pangs of hell!" 

Anton LaVey was the author of the Satanic Bible, and founder and high priest of the Church of Satan. These were his dying words: "Oh my, oh my, what have I done, there is something very wrong." 

The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God." 

Psalm 14:1 

Some noteworthy church leaders, throughout the centuries, spoke eloquently as they were dying:

16th century Reformation leader, Martin Luther, had this to say: "Our God is the God from whom comes salvation. God is the Lord by whom we escape death." 

Richard Baxter, a prominent 17th Century Puritan theologian stated: "I have pain—but I have peace, I have peace." 

Catherine Booth co-founded the Salvation Army, along with her husband, William, in 1865. These were her last words: "The waters are rising, but so am I. I  am not going under, but over. Do not be concerned about dying; go on living well, the dying will be right." 

Lady Glenorchy, a missionary in Scotland in the 1700s, spoke these words just before her death: "If this is dying, it is the pleasantest thing imaginable." 

19th century Anglo-Irish evangelist, John Nelson Darby, had this to say: "Beyond the grave comes heaven. Well, it will be strange to find myself in Heaven, but it won't be a strange Christ–One I've known these many years. I am glad He knows me. I have a deep peace, which you know."

A Titanic survivor told the story of his struggle to stay afloat in the frigid water. Near him swam a Scottish Baptist evangelist, John Harper, who asked him, "Are you saved? Think about your soul." Harper sank beneath the waves of the icy sea, then reappeared after a few seconds. Again, he pleaded, "Are you prepared to appear before the Lord?" After the man replied, "I don't know how to get saved," Harper told him, "Believe in the Lord Jesus. His blood cleanses from all sins." Those were John Harper's last words. 

And finally, we should consider the last words of Jesus Christ: "It is finished!" (John 19:30) When he died on the cross in our place, completing his work of redemption and reconciliation, Jesus' death and ultimate resurrection gave us the eternal hope that can make us speak our final words confidently, when the time comes.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, 

that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16

That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18