These historical figures are mainly known for their wide-ranging achievements and unique lives but are also remembered for their iconic last words. Profound, disturbing, and funny, these are 18 confirmed and alleged last words of historical figures.
Winston Churchill
Britain’s wartime prime minister is still celebrated for his role in defending liberal democracy against fascist forces during WWII. Churchill died in 1965 at 90 years old, and his last words were spoken to his son-in-law Christopher Soames, saying, “I’m so bored with it all.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr., the civil rights leader, was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968, one day after giving his famous “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech. King’s biographer claims his last words were said to the musician Ben Branch, who was scheduled to perform at an event that night. He said, “Ben, make sure you play ‘Take My Hand, Precious Lord’ in the meeting tonight. Play it real pretty.”
Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette was France’s last queen before her execution during the revolution of 1789–1799. The University of Melbourne explains that Antoinette’s “last words were ‘Pardon me, sir, I meant not to do it’” to Henri Sanson, the executioner, after accidentally stepping on his foot.
Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar, the Roman dictator who ruled from 49 BC until he was assassinated in 44 BC, is famous for his last words, “Et tu, Brute?” However, this phrase comes from William Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar, and some historians believe he wouldn’t have been able to say anything while he was attacked.
Cleopatra
Cleopatra was the queen and last active ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from around 51 to 30 BC. She poisoned herself when she was 39 years old. Her last words are unknown, and accounts give differing views. The Roman historian Livy claimed she said, “I will not be at the front of a triumph.”
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln, often ranked as America’s greatest president, is widely praised for his role in ending slavery, defending the Union, and defeating the Confederacy. He was infamously assassinated during his first term at the age of fifty-six while watching a comedy play. The NPS notes his last words were, “She won’t think anything about it,” in response to his wife asking what their guest, Clara Harris, would think about them holding hands.
Socrates
Socrates, the Ancient Greek philosopher credited with founding modern Western philosophy, was sentenced to death for impiety at the age of 71. The Phaedo contends his last words were: “Crito, we owe a rooster to Asclepius. Don’t forget to pay the debt.”
Leonardo da Vinci
This Italian polymath is celebrated for his achievements as a painter and his notebooks. He died in France in 1519 at the age of 67, and his last words were reportedly, “I have offended God and mankind because my work did not reach the quality it should have.”
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven is among the most revered figures in classical music. He famously grew increasingly deaf when he composed some of his most celebrated works. According to DW, his last words were, “It’s a shame, a shame—too late!” in response to “wine that was about to be delivered.”
Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn was the second of six wives of the English King Henry VIII from 1533 to 1536 until she fell from grace under charges of adultery, incest, and treason. Before she was executed, her last words were, “I pray God save the King… for a gentler nor a more merciful prince was there never.”
Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs, the inventor and former CEO of Apple, is best known for co-founding the company and pioneering the late 1970s and 1980s personal computer revolution. In his final years, Apple released the iPhone and the iPad, which launched the ubiquitous modern smartphones and tablets. Jobs died of cancer on October 25, 2011, and USA Today explains his last words were “‘Oh wow. Oh wow. Oh wow.’”
Karl Marx
Karl Marx, the German philosopher, economist, and revolutionary socialist, is best known for his 1848 pamphlet The Communist Manifesto and his influence on socialist thought. His last words were reportedly, “Last words are for fools who haven’t said enough.”
George Washington
George Washington was America’s first president and a Founding Father, and his portrait features on one-dollar bills. He died aged 67 in 1799 in Mount Vernon, and his last words, according to his private secretary Tobias Lear, were “Tis well.”
Nikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla is best remembered for his contributions to the modern AC electrical supply system. In his later years, he lived at the Waldorf Astoria, among other hotels, and died alone in January 1943 at the New Yorker Hotel at the age of 86. His last words are unknown, but false claims say his last words in a letter to his late mother were, “All these years that I had spent in the service of mankind brought me nothing but insults and humiliation.”
Emily Dickinson
Emily Dickinson, one of the most important and influential figures in American poetry, was little known during her life and died in Amherst, Massachusetts, on May 15, 1886, aged 55. In her final days, she could only write brief notes as she lay dying of Bright’s disease, and her final message was, “I must go in, the fog is rising.”
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde, the Irish playwright and poet, died in Paris in November 1900, aged 46. Remembered for his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray and for being criminally convicted for homosexual acts, his last words were reportedly, “My wallpaper and I are fighting a duel to the death. One or the other of us must go.”
Joan of Arc
The patron saint of France is renowned for defending the nation during the siege of Orléans. She died at age 19 after being put on trial for heresy, and her last words were allegedly, “Hold the cross high so I may see it through the flames!”
Vincent van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh’s works were largely unrecognized during his lifetime, and he struggled with serious mental health issues, suffering from a breakdown where he severed his left ear. He committed suicide with a revolver at the age of 37, and his last words were, “The sadness will last forever.”