You can, I believe, tell a lot about a person by what they use their last ounce of strength to say to their loved ones and the world. Take for instance Joan Crawford's last words: "Damn it! Don't you dare ask God to help me!" How sad for those who loved or admired her. The words are like poisonous venom seething out against her Creator and Savior.
There are others who said things endearing or happy, like Bob Hope when he was asked by his wife where he would like to be buried; his response to her was, "Surprise me!" Funny and caring to the end.
The humility of Abraham Lincoln comes through in his last words; they are so unassuming - he had no idea how the world would see him. His last words were: "They won't think anything about it." How wrong he was!
Some quotes are vulgar and repulsive (so I won't quote them herein), but some are heart-wrenching, like the last words of Captain Lawrence Oates. He was on the ill-fated Antarctic expedition with Robert Falcon Scott, and knew the entire company might die at any time, so he decided to give the others a better chance at life, saying: "I am just going outside. I may be some time." He was never seen again.
I think I like Charles Darwin's quote to be the most eye-opening, especially as we continue to deal with the theory (religion!) of evolution. Darwin's last words went something like this: "I regret that I suggested a theory, and that gullible men gobbled it up, as though it were fact. I never intended that."
I hope this book makes you think about what you will say with the last of your strength, when your words will be remembered by your friends and loved ones, and could end up on your headstone for the entire world to see and quote. Not in this book, but words that ring true in any generation are Martin Luther's last words: "We are all beggars, this is true."
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