List of last words
A person's last words, their final articulated words stated prior to death or as death approaches, are often recorded because of the decedent's fame, but sometimes because of interest in the statement itself. Last words may be recorded accurately, or, for a variety of reasons, may not. Reasons can include simple error or deliberate intent. Even if reported wrongly, putative last words can constitute an important part of the perceived historical records or demonstration of cultural attitudes toward death at the time.
Charles Darwin, for example, was reported to have disavowed his theory of evolution in favor of traditional religious faith at his death. This widely disseminated report served the interests of those who opposed Darwin's theory on religious grounds. However, the putative witness had not been at Darwin's deathbed or seen him at any time near the end of his life.
Cultural traditions around the world ascribe special significance to words uttered at or near death, but the form and content of reported last words may depend on cultural context. There is a tradition in Hindu and Buddhist cultures of an expectation of a meaningful farewell statement; Zen monks by long custom are expected to compose a poem on the spot and recite it with their last breath. In Western culture particular attention has been paid to last words which demonstrate deathbed salvation – the repentance of sins and affirmation of faith.
Chronological list of last words
In rising chronological order, with death date specified. If relevant, also the context of the words or the circumstances of death are specified. If there is controversy or uncertainty concerning a person's last words, this is described in footnotes. For additional suicide notes, see Suicide note.Pre-5th century
;"Wash me well, hold me to your breast, protect me from the earth your breast.";"Draw thy sword, and slay me, that men say not of me, A woman slew him."
;"Let me die with the Philistines."
;"Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me."
;"My reputation carried me safe through Greece, but the envy it excited at home has been my ruin."
;"You know that during the long time I have been in the world, I have said and done many things; upon mature reflection, I find nothing of which I have cause to repent, excepting a case which I will now submit to your decision, that I may know whether I have acted properly or not.
;"On a certain occasion, I chanced to be one of three who sat in judgment on one of my own good friends, who, according to the laws, should have been punished with death. I was greatly embarrassed. One of two things was inevitable—either to violate the law or condemn my friend. After careful consideration, I devised this expedient. I delivered with such address all the most plausible arguments in behalf of the accused, that my two colleagues found no difficulty in acquitting him, and yet I, myself, condemned him to death without assigning any reason for my conduct. Thus I discharged two duties, those of friend and judge; yet I feel in my conscience something which makes me doubt whether my conduct was not criminal."
;"It is better to perish here than to kill all these poor beans."
;"All compounded things are subject to vanish. Strive with earnestness."
;"Heaven has turned against me. No wise ruler arises, and no one in the Empire wishes to make me his teacher. The hour of my death has come."
;"Can you turn rainy weather into dry?"
;"For, no Athenian, through my means, ever wore mourning."
;"Give the boys a holiday."
;"This to the fair Critias."
;"Crito, we owe a cock to Asclepius. Please, don't forget to pay the debt."
;"Men, it is good for me to die on this spot, where honor bids me; but for you, yonder your path lies. Hurry and save yourselves before the enemy can close with us."
;"Then I die happy."
;"But Alexander, whose kindness to my mother, my wife, and my children I hope the gods will recompense, will doubtless thank you for your humanity to me. Tell him, therefore, in token of my acknowledgement, I give him this right hand."
;"How can the teeth of wild beasts hurt me, without consciousness?"
;"To the strongest."
;"Now, as soon as you please you may commence the part of Creon in the tragedy, and cast out this body of mine unburied. But, O gracious Neptune, I, for my part, while I am yet alive, arise up and depart out of this sacred place; though Antipater and the Macedonians have not left so much as thy temple unpolluted."
;"Ah! poor hump-back! thy many long years are at last conveying thee to the tomb; thou shalt soon see the palace of Pluto."
;"Now, farewell, and remember all my words!"
;"I come, I come, why dost thou call for me?"
;"Weep not, friend, for me, who dies innocent, by the lawless act of wicked men. My condition is much better than theirs."
;"O children, whither are you going?"
;"These, O Cephalon, are the wages of a king's love."
;"Do not disturb my circles!"
;"Go and give the ass a drink of wine to wash down the figs."
;"It is well that we have not been every way unfortunate."
;"Let us ease the Roman people of their continual care, who think it long to await the death of an old man."
;"Let no one weep for me, or celebrate my funeral with mourning; for I still live, as I pass to and fro through the mouths of men."
;"It is a cold bath you give me."
;"When will the republic find a citizen like me?"
;"Fear not true Pharisees, but greatly fear painted Pharisees."
;"O wretched head-band!—not able to help me even in this small thing!"
;"I am free and the subject of a free state."
;"I am not mistaken, surely, in believing you to have been formerly my fellow-soldier."
;"The imperator is doing well."
;"You too, my child?"
;"O wretched virtue! thou art a bare name! I mistook thee for a substance; but thou thyself art the slave of fortune."
;"I go no further
;"Through too much fondness of life, I have lived to endure the sight of my friend taken by the enemy before my face."
;"Yes, indeed, we must fly; but not with our feet, but with our hands."
;"You must not pity me in this last turn of fate. You should rather be happy in the remembrance of our love, and in the recollection that of all men I was once the most famous and the most powerful, and now, at the end, have fallen not dishonorably, a Roman by a Roman vanquished."
;"Here thou art, then!"
;"Extremely well, and as became the descendant of so many kings."
;"Death twitches my ear. 'Live,' he says. 'I am coming.'"
;"Have I played the part well? Then applaud, as I exit."
;"It is finished. \ Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit."
;"Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. Lord, lay not this sin to their charge."
;"I am still alive!"
;"It is not painful, Pætus."
;"Strike here! Level your rage against the womb which gave birth to such a monster."
;"Asunder flies the man— / No single wound the gaping rupture seems, / Where trickling crimson flows the tender streams; / But from an opening horrible and wide / A thousand vessels pour the bursting tide
;"Too late; is this your fidelity?"
;"Strike, if it be for the Romans' good."
;"Go and show yourself to the soldiers, lest they cut you to pieces for being accessory to my death."
;"Yet I was once your Emperor."
;"Woe, I think I'm turning into a god... An emperor should die on his feet."
;"Fortune favors the bold. Make for where Pomponianus is."
;"My life is taken from me, though I have done nothing to deserve it; for there is no action of mine of which I should repent, but one."
;"Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God! The Lord is One!"
;"O my poor soul, whither art thou going?"
;"O Lord God Almighty, Father of Thy well-beloved Son, Jesus Christ, by whom we have received knowledge of Thee; God of angels, powers, and every creature that lives before Thee; I thank Thee that Thou hast graciously thought me worthy of this day and hour, that I may receive a portion in the number of Thy martyrs, and drink of Christ's cup, for the resurrection of both soul and body unto life eternal, in the incorruptibleness of the Holy Spirit. Among them may I be admitted this day, as an acceptable sacrifice, as Thou, O true and faithful God, hast prepared, foreshown, and accomplished. Wherefore, I praise Thee for all Thy mercies. I bless Thee. I glorify Thee, with Jesus Christ, Thy beloved Son, the Eternal, to Whom, with Thee and the Holy Spirit, be glory now and forever."
;"Equanimity."
;"You may go home, the show is over."
File:Delacroix-Marc Aurèle-MBA-Lyon.jpg|thumb|Last Words of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius by Eugène Delacroix.
;"Go to the rising sun, for I am setting. Think more of death than of me."
;"But what evil have I done? Whom have I killed?""
;"Hurry, if anything remains for me to do."
;"I am roasted,—now turn me, and eat me."
;"God be thanked."
;"I am making my last effort to return that which is divine in me to that which is divine in the Universe."
;"And let my word be kept secret by you, so that no one knows the place but you alone. For in the resurrection of the dead I shall receive my body incorruptible once again from the Savior. Distribute my clothing. To Bishop Athanasius give the one sheepskin and the cloak on which I lie, which he gave to me new, but I have by now worn out. And to Bishop Serapion give the other sheepskin, and you keep the hair garment. And now God preserve you, children, for Antony is leaving and is with you no longer."
;"How am I advanced, despising you that are upon the earth!"
;"And yet Thou hast conquered, O Galilean!"
;"In peace I will sleep with Him and take my rest."
;"My dear one, with whom I lived in love so long, make room for me, for this is my grave, and in death we shall not be divided."
;"Old though he be, he is the best of all."
;"What dost thou here, thou cruel beast?"
5th to 14th centuries
;"Glory to God for all things! Amen.";"And me as I am going towards the God of mine, and I thank His name, as the Lord gave me everything bless His name. And I am telling you, to stand firm on your faith and to search for death for Christ for His name and you will find the permanent glory. I for my life glorified you and all of our race. And do not insult our home and do not abandon the love of the Greeks."
;"Here must I stop. What follows, let Baithen write."
;"Will you govern it any better?"
;"Oh God, the Friend Most High!" or "The prayer, the prayer! And fear Allah with regard to those whom your right hands possess"
;"My children, these fearful forests and these barren rocks shall be adorned with cities and temples, where the name of Jesus shall be openly adored. Ye shall abandon your precarious and hard chase, and assemble together under temples lofty as those pines, and graceful as the crown of the palm.
;"Here shall my Saviour be known in all the simplicity of his doctrines. Ah! would that I might witness it; but I have seen those things in a vision. But I faint! I am weary! My earthly journey is finished! Receive my blessing. Go! and be kind one to another."
;"I desire that whatever merits I may have gained by good works may fall upon other people. May I be born again with them in the heaven of the blessed, be admitted to the family of Mi-le, and serve the Buddha of the future, who is full of kindness and affection. When I descend again upon earth, to pass through other forms of existence, I desire at every new birth to fulfill my duties toward Buddha, and arrive at the end to the highest perfect intelligence."
;"You brothers must get along like fish and water and never fight each other for titles. If not, you will surely become the laughingstock of our neighbors."
;"You speak truth, all is finished now. Glory to God."
;"Lord, into Thy hands I commend my spirit."
;"Out! out!"
;"The piglets would grunt if they knew how the old boar is suffering!"
;"Thou my dear son, set thee now beside me, and I will deliver thee true instructions. My son, I feel that my hour is coming. My countenance is wan. My days are almost done. We must now part. I shall to another world, and thou shalt be left alone in all my wealth. I pray thee strive to be a father, and a lord to thy people. Be thou the children's father, and the widow's friend. Comfort thou the poor, and shelter the weak; and, with all thy might, right that which is wrong. And, son, govern thyself, by law; then shall the Lord love thee, and God above all things shall be thy reward. Call thou upon him to advise thee in all thy need, and so shall he help thee, the better to compass that which thou wouldest."
;"I have now reigned above fifty years in victory or peace; beloved by my subjects, dreaded by my enemies, and respected by my allies. Riches and honors, power and pleasure, have waited on my call, nor does any earthly blessing appear to have been wanting to my felicity. In this situation, I have diligently numbered the days of pure and genuine happiness which have fallen to my lot
;"You urge me in vain. I am not the man to provide Christian flesh for pagan teeth to devour, and it would be so acting if I delivered unto you that which the poor have laid by for their subsistence."
;"How shameful it is that I, who could not die in so many battles, should have been saved for the ignominious death of a cow! At least clothe me in my impenetrable breastplate, gird me with my sword, place my helmet on my head, my shield in my left hand, my gilded battle-axe in my right, that I, the bravest of soldiers, may die like a soldier."
;"I have loved justice and hated iniquity; therefore I die in exile."
;"Then to our blessed Lady Mary, the mother of God, I commend myself. May she, by her holy intercessions, reconcile me to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. God be merciful to—"
;"I shall not long hesitate between conscience and the Pope, for I shall soon appear in the presence of God, to be acquitted, I hope; to be condemned, I fear."
;"Shoot, Walter, in the devil's name!"
;"Yes, if it be His will, I shall obey it willingly. But were He to let me stay with you a little longer till I have resolved a problem about the origin of the soul, I would gladly accept the boon; for I do not know whether anyone will work it out when I am gone. If I could but eat, I think I should pick up a little strength. I feel no pain in any part of my body; only I cannot retain nourishment, and that exhausts me."
;"I wished to do more harm than I could."
;"I don't know."
;"May God's will be done."
;"Let us complete the Service of Offering, the rest of Holy Mass I will celebrate elsewhere!"
;"In death at last let me rest with Abelard."
;"For the name of Jesus and the protection of the church I am ready to embrace death."
;"Lord, have mercy upon me. Wilt thou break a bruised reed?"
;"Now let the world go as it will; I care for nothing more."
;"When I am buried, carry my winding-sheet on the point of a spear, and say these words
;"Youth, I forgive thee! Take off his chains, give him 100 shillings, and let him go."
;"Under the feet of my friars."
;"I have sinned against my brother, the ass."
;"Let not my end disarm you, and on no account weep or keen for me, lest the enemy be warned of my death."
;"I see my God. He calls me to Him."
;"Don't cut my face."
;"By the arm of St. James, it is time to die."
;"O my mother! how deep will be thy sorrow at the news of this day!"
;"I will enter thy house. I will worship in Thy sanctuary."
;"I have written and taught much about this very holy Body, and about the other sacraments in the faith of Christ, and about the Holy Roman Church, to whose correction I expose and submit everything I have written."
;"I am on the way to Spires to visit the kings, my predecessors."
;"Carry my bones before you on your march, for the rebels will not be able to endure the sight of me, alive or dead."
;"Pope Clement, Chevalier Guillaume de Nogaret, King Philip! I summon you to the Tribunal of Heaven before the year is out!"
;"King of heaven, do thou have mercy on me, for the king of earth hath forsaken me."
;"I have not told half of what I saw."
;"I give thee thanks, O God, for all thy benefits, and with all the pains of my soul I humbly beseech thy mercy to give me remission of those sins I have wickedly committed against thee; and of all mortal men whom willingly or ignorantly I have offended, with all my heart I desire forgiveness."
;"Jesus."
;"Ah, Jesus!"
;"Because they are all under my command, they are sworn to do what I bid them."
;"I am a dead man! Lord, have mercy upon me!"
15th century
;"Never yet has death been frightened away by screaming.";"We are now to sail home, at once!"
;"O, holy simplicity!"
;"O Lord God, Father Almighty, have mercy upon me, and be merciful unto mine offences, for thou knowest how sincerely I have loved Thy truth."
;"Make my skin into drumheads for the Bohemian cause."
;"I die content, after living the prescribed time, and leaving you, my sons, in affluence and health, placed in such a situation as, if you follow my example, will enable you to live honored and respected. I recall nothing in my life with so much pleasure as having given offence to no one, and having tried to serve all men as far as possible. I advise you to act thus, if you would live securely, accepting only those honors as the laws and favor of the state confer upon you; for it is the exercise of power that has been violently—not voluntarily—obtained, that occasions hatred and strife."
;"Hold the cross high so I may see it through the flames!"
;"Fie on life! Speak no more of it to me."
;"O Gabriel, Gabriel, better would it have been for you to have been neither pope, nor cardinal, nor bishop, but to have finished your days as you commenced them, following peaceably in the monastery the exercises of your order."
;"Will not all my riches save me? What, is there no bribing death?"
;"God forbid that I should live as an Emperor without an Empire. As my city falls, I will fall with it. Whosoever wishes to escape, let him save himself if he can, and whoever is ready to face death, let him follow me."
;"Were I born the son of a farmer, and became a friar of the Abrojo, and not the king of Castile."
;"I was born as a lily in the garden, and like the lily I grew, as my age advanced / I became old and had to die, and so I withered and died."
;"Our Lady of Embrun, my good mistress, help me."
;"Treason! treason!"
;"I know only Jesus the crucified."
;"I hope never again to commit a mortal sin, nor even a venial one, if I can help it."
;"My Lord died innocent of all crimes, for my sins; and shall not I willingly give my soul for the love of Him."
16th century
;"All right, all right, I'm coming. Wait a moment.";"Into Your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit."
;"We heartily desire our executors to consider how behoofful it is to be prayed for."
;"I believe."
;"That is false. I always have served my king loyally and sought to add to his domains."
;"I have offended God and mankind because my work did not reach the quality it should have."
;"Happy."
;"I confide to your care my beloved children, the most precious jewels I can leave you. The great monarch beyond the ocean will interest himself to see that they come into their inheritance, if you present before him their just claims. I know your master will do this, if for no other reason, then for the kindness I have shown the Spaniards, though it has occasioned my ruin. For all my misfortunes, Malinche, I bear you no ill will."
;"I have been murdered; no remedy can prevent my speedy death."
;"I am curious to see what happens in the next world to one who dies unshriven."
;"I have already confessed my sins to God."
;"At least I may die facing the enemy."
;"I desire to go to hell, and not to heaven. In the former place I shall enjoy the company of popes, kings, and princes, while in the latter are only beggars, monks, hermits, and apostles."
;"How long, Lord, shall darkness cover this land? How long wilt thou suffer this tyranny of men? Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."
;"Master Kyngston, I pray you have me commended to his Grace, and beseech him, in my behalf, to call to mind all things that have passed between us, especially concerning good Queen Katharine and himself, and then shall his Grace's conscience know whether I have offended him or not. He is a prince of most royal courage, and rather than miss any part of his will, he will endanger one-half of his kingdom; and, I do assure you, I have often knelt before him, sometimes for three hours together, to persuade him from his appetite, and could not prevail.
;"And, Master Kyngston, had I but served God as diligently as I have served the king, he would not have given me over in my gray hairs. But this is my just reward for my pains and study, not regarding my service to God, but only my duty to my Prince."
;"I give your brothers to your keeping. Be faithful to them and all the people."
;"I pray you, good people, be not the worse to these men on my account, as though they were the authors of my death."
;"Can this be considered a calamity? Well! they can, indeed, kill the body, but they are not able to kill the soul."
;"O ye papists
;"That is enough to last till I get to Heaven."
;"Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit."
;"This is not my home."
;"What have I done, or my children, that I should meet such a fate? And from your hands, too, you who have met with friendship and kindness from my people who have received nothing but benefits from my hands."
;"Begone thou wretched beast, which hast utterly undone me."
;"I die the King's good servant, and God's first."
;"Mine eyes desire thee only. Farewell."
;"Masters, I pray you pray for me, for I have deserved this death."
;"Oh God, have pity on my soul. Oh God, have pity on my soul."
;"Lord! Lord! make an end! make an end!"
;"Lord, open the King of England's eyes."
;"None but Christ! None but Christ!"
;"May an avenger arise from my bones."
;"Death cannot destroy us, for it is destroyed already by Him for Whose sake we suffer."
;"God be merciful to me, a sinner; Lord Jesus receive my spirit! Miserere mei Deus secundum magnam misericordiam tuam."
;"Did you envy my happiness?"
;"I die in the traditional faith."
;"I trust in no good works that ever I did, but only in the death of Christ. I do not doubt but through Him to inherit the kingdom of Heaven. But imagine not that I speak against good works, for they are to be done, and verily they that do them not shall never enter into the kingdom of God."
;"Blessed are they who suffer persecution for righteousness' sake."
;"Jesu!"
;"Luis de Moscoso."
;"It came with a lass, and it will go with a lass."
;"Now, O Lord, set thy servant free."
;"We are beggars, this is true."
;"Lo! here is a token that I forgive thee; my heart, do thine office."
;"I am a priest; I am a priest! Fie! Fie! All is gone."
;"I came not hither to deny my Lord and Master."
;"All is lost! Monks, monks, monks!"
;"Farewell, and remember me."
;"Jesu, Maria!"
;"Bring down the curtain, the farce is played out."
;"Lord take my spirit."
;"Jesus, Son of the eternal God, have mercy on me!"
;"Lord, into Thy hands I commend my spirit."
;"What I then said I unsay now; and what I now say is the truth."
;"Lord, receive my spirit."
;"Welcome the cross of Christ! welcome everlasting life!"
;"If you love my soul, away with it!"
;"Merciful Father of heaven, for Jesus Christ my Savior's sake, receive my soul into Thy hand."
;"I am not afraid. Lord, Lord, Lord, receive my spirit!"
;"Be of good comfort, brother, for we shall have a merry supper with the Lord this night
;"Let the flames come near me. I cannot burn! I cannot burn!"
;"Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man; we shall this day light such a candle by God's grace in England as shall never be put out."
;"Like Peter, I have erred, unlike Peter, I have not wept."
;"Lord Jesus, receive my spirit... I see the heavens open and Jesus standing at the right hand of God."
;"Now I'm oiled. Keep me from the rats."
;"Lord Jesu!"
;"Lord, have mercy upon me! Pray, people, while there is time."
;"Now, Lord, I go! Ay, Jesus!"
;"After I am dead, you will find Calais written upon my heart."
;"Nothing else but heaven."
;"Farewell, thou who art so beautiful and so cruel; who killest me and whom I cannot cease to love."
;"I'm still learning."
;"Thou, Lord, bruisest me; but I am abundantly satisfied, since it is from thy hand."
;"Tomorrow, at sunrise, I shall no longer be here."
;"I desire to die and be with Christ."
;"Victory! Victory!"
;"I am he; respect my gray hairs, young man!"
;"Now it is come."
;"Nurse, nurse, what murder! what blood! Oh! I have done wrong. God pardon me!"
;"Lord God, into Thy Holy Hands I commit my spirit."
;"Royal freedom will only be lost with life"
;"It matters little to me; for if I am but once dead they may bury me or not bury me as they please. They may leave my corpse to rot where I die if they wish."
;"Over my spirit flash and float in divine radiancy the bright and glorious visions of the world to which I go."
;"Too late."
;"We are as neare to Heaven by sea as by land."
;"God have mercy upon me, and upon this poor nation."
;"Jesus! I pardon you."
;"The murder of the Queen had been represented to me as a deed lawful and meritorious. I die a firm Catholic."
;"Take it; thy need is greater than mine."
;"O Lord, into Thy hands I commend my spirit."
;"Let the pulse beat as it may, we know the mercy of God will never fail."
;"Absit mihi gloriari nisi in Cruce Domini Nostri Jesu Christi . Good people, I beseech God to send all felicity."
;"It is time for Matins."
;"I know that my Redeemer liveth."
;"A bishop ought to die on his legs."
;"Lord, into Thy hands I commend my spirit."
;"Life or death is welcome to me; and I desire not to live, but so far as I may be serviceable to God and His church."
;"Do not announce my death."
;"I die a martyr and willingly — my soul shall mount up to heaven in this chariot of smoke."
;"Good Doctor, God hath heard my daily petitions, for I am at peace with all men, and He is at peace with me; and from that blessed assurance I feel that inward joy which this world can neither give nor take from me
17th century
;"May I not seem to have lived in vain.";"All my possessions for a moment of time."
;"I cannot bear that any misunderstanding should subsist between you and those who have for so many years shared in my toils and been the companions of my glory."
;"Stand by me, Tom, and we will die together."
;"Now I am going."
;"I begin to perceive and feel the joys of eternal life. I shall soon behold Him, who was sacrificed for men; I long for the blessed sight. All else is to me as dross
;"I am wounded."
;"I receive absolution upon this condition."
;"Ease and pleasure quake to hear of death; but my life, full of cares and miseries, desireth to be dissolved."
;"I would say 'somewhat,' but I cannot utter it."
;"If there be here any hidden Catholics, let them pray for me, but the prayers of heretics I will not have."
;"I am Sanada Nobushige, no doubt an adversary quite worthy of you, but I am exhausted and can fight no longer. Go on, take my head as your trophy."
;"Already my foot is in the stirrup."
;"Come Lord Jesu, come quickly, finish in me the work that Thou has begun; into Thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit, for Thou has redeemed me. O God of truth, save me Thy servant, who hopes and confides in Thee alone; let Thy mercy, O Lord, be shewn unto me; in Thee have I trusted, O Lord, let me not be confounded for ever."
;"All must die, but tis enough that the child liveth"
;"What dost thou fear? Strike, man, strike!"
;"They sweat in extremes, for fear of the unwarlike; I am dying undisturbed"
;"Make it short. Make it short."
;"Oh, would to God I had never reigned! Oh, that those years I have spent in my kingdom I had lived a solitary life in the wilderness! Oh, that I had lived alone with God! How much more secure should I now have died! With how much more confidence should I have gone to the throne of God! What doth all my glory profit, but that I have so much the more torment in my death?"
;"Now I have overcome."
;"Jesus, Jesus, Jesus."
;"All my life I have carried myself gracefully."
;"Be thou everlasting."
;"Thy creatures, O Lord, have been my books, but Thy Holy Scriptures much more. I have sought Thee in the fields and gardens, but I have found Thee, O God, in Thy Sanctuary—Thy Temple."
;"Blessed be God, though I change my place, I shall not change my company; for I have walked with God while living, and now I go to rest with God."
;"Villaine!"
;"Hold your tongue; your wretched style only makes me out of conceit with them."
;"I am the man."
;"I do bless.—May Jesus and Mary bless, rule and govern."
;"It comes at last, the happy day
;"I were miserable, if I might not die."
;"Now, God be with you, my dear children; I have breakfasted with you, and shall sup with my Lord Jesus Christ this night."
;"I have enough, brother; try to save your own life."
;"I am now ready to die. Lord, forsake me not, now my strength faileth me; but grant me mercy for the merits of my Jesus. And now Lord—Lord, now receive my soul."
;"Thy kingdom come, thy will be done."
;"All right then, I'll say it. Dante makes me sick."
;"I have kept the faith once given to the saints; for the which cause I have also suffered these things; but I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed to Him against that day."
;"Absolutely, and I pray God to condemn me, if I have had any other aim than the welfare of God and the state."
;"O Lord, save my country! O Lord, be merciful to—"
;"It has been seventeen years since I ascended the throne. I, feeble and of small virtue, have offended against Heaven; the rebels have seized my capital because my ministers deceived me. Ashamed to face my ancestors, I die. Removing my imperial cap and with my hair disheveled about my face, I leave to the rebels the dismemberment of my body. Let them not harm my people!"
;"Lord, receive my soul."
;"Be serious."
;"Ungrateful traitors!"
;"Ay! but I have been nearer to you, my friends, many a time, and you have missed me."
;"Stay for the sign."
;"The covenant which I took, I own it and adhere to it. Bishops, I do not care for them. I never intended to advance their interests."
;"Lord Jesus, receive me!"
;"How sweet it is to rest!"
;"You see what is man's life."
;"O Lord, forgive me specially my sins of omission."
;"It is not my design to drink or to sleep, but my design is to make what haste I can to be gone."
;"Ah! mes enfans, you cannot cry as much for me as I have made you laugh in my time! I never thought that it was so easy a matter to laugh at the approach of death."
;"O, my poor soul, what is to become of thee? Whither wilt thou go?"
;"I bless the Lord that he gave me counsel."
;"I die not only a Protestant, but with a heart-hatred of popery, prelacy, and all superstition. Lord Jesus, receive me into Thy glory."
;"I take God to record upon my soul that I would not exchange this scaffold with the palace or mitre of the greatest prelate in Britain. The covenants, the covenants shall yet be Scotland's reviving."
;"Jesus, oh Jesus, you are my God, my justice, my strength, my all."
;"It is a bad cause which cannot bear the words of a dying man."
;"My God, forsake me not."
;"My heart is fixed, O God! my heart is fixed where true joy is to be found."
;"Abba, Father, accept this, Thy poor sinful servant, coming unto Thee through the merits of Jesus Christ. O pray, pray! praise, praise!"
;"Monsieur de Montaigu, consider what I owe to God, the favor He has shown me, and the great indulgence for which I am beholden to Him. Observe how they are swelled; time to depart."
;"And now I begin my intercourse with God, which shall never be broken off. Farewell, father and mother, friends and relations; farewell, the world and all delights; farewell, sun, moon and stars! Welcome, God and Father; welcome, sweet Jesus Christ, the mediator of the new covenant; welcome, blessed Spirit of grace, the God of all consolation; welcome, glory; welcome, eternal life; and welcome, death."
;"My trust is in God."
;"Vex me not with this thing, but give me a simple cross, that I may adore it, both as it is in itself and as I can figure it in my mind."
;"I shall have to ask leave to desist, when I am interrupted by so great an experiment as dying."
;"Far from well, yet far better than mine iniquities deserve."
;"Lord!"
;"Well, my friend, what news from the Great Mogul?"
;"Bad, bad! To judge by what I now endure, the hand of death grasps me sharply."
;"Death is the great key that opens the palace of Eternity."
;"I did not mean to be killed today."
;"I would never have married had I known that my time would be so brief. If I had known that, I would not have taken upon myself double tears."
;"I have seen the glories of the world."
;"Well, ladies, if I were one hour in heaven, I would not be again with you, as much as I love you."
;"How beautiful!"
;"I shall be happy."
;"Now I am about to take my last voyage, a great leap in the dark."
;"The only objection against the Bible is a bad life."
;"I do not fear death."
;"I do forgive you."
;"Now the bitterness of death is past."
;"Stop. Change that to say, 'I am yet in the land of the dying, but I hope soon to be in the land of the living.'"
;"I know that my Redeemer liveth. I die for the good old cause."
;"My God, my Father, and my Friend, / Do not forsake me in the end."
;"I have been a most unconscionable time dying, but I beg you to excuse it."
;"There are six guineas for you, and do not hack me as you did my Lord Russell. I have heard that you struck him three or four times. My servant will give you more gold if you do your work well."
;"Lord, into Thy hands I commend my spirit; for Thou hast redeemed me, Lord God of truth."
;"Take me, for I come to Thee."
;"O, come in glory! I have long waited for Thy coming. Let no dark cloud rest on the work of the Indians. Let it live when I am dead. Welcome joy!"
;"I need nothing but God, and to lose myself in the heart of Jesus."
;"Never heed; the Lord's power is over all weakness and death."
;"I know that it will be well with me."
;"Death, death. O I thank Him, I thank Him. The Lord teach you to die."
;"Nectare clausa suo, / Dignum tantorum pretium tulit illa laborum."
;"You are a lyer; I am no more a Witch than you are a Wizard, and if you take away my Life, God will give you Blood to drink."
;"More weight."
;"Yes, like that, just like that, my royal friend, raise me upward, upward!"
;"Oh, that this were for Ireland."
;"Bring me wine."
;"My Lord, why do you not go on? I am not afraid to die."
;"O death, where is thy—"
;"Debt!"
;"I am nothing."
18th century
19th century
20th century
21st century
Ironic last words
;"Let no one weep for me, or celebrate my funeral with mourning; for I still live, as I pass to and fro through the mouths of men.";"Although dealing with the Japanese and the barbarians is not something that should be taken lightly, I fear that as peace is ingrained in you, the days growing longer, all matters be done lazily and slowly, so you should always be careful and watch out every day, so you do not give in to negligence."
;"Let all brave Prussians follow "
;"I feel sleepy, and a moment of rest would do me good."
; "Thomas Jefferson survives."
;"They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance..."
;"Sergeant, the Spanish bullet isn't made that will kill me."
;"I think I'm going to make it."
;"I'll show you that it won't shoot."
;"No, you certainly can't."
;"I know this beach like the back of my hand."
;"What do you think I'm gonna do? Blow my brains out?"
;"I've got to be crazy to do this shot. I should've asked for a double."
;"I feel great."
;"I told u I was hardcore u are so fucking stupid"
;"I'd like to thank the Academy for my lifetime achievement award that I will eventually get."
;"You're a lifesaver, Andy."
;"Well, I've got to be alive for it, haven't I?"
;"Even if you escape the torment of history, you will not be able to escape the wrath of Allah."
;"Counting or not counting gang violence?"
Independently notable last words
This section is for last words that pass Wikipedia's notability guidelines and have therefore warranted their own article.;"Do not disturb my circles!"
;"You too, my child?"
;"It is finished."
;"Never mind, it is good to die for our country."
; "Death to fascism! Freedom to the people!"
;"Are you guys ready? Let's roll."
; "I can't breathe."