![]() The report of my death was an exaggeration. The report of my illness grew out of his illness. The person to whom you are sending your sympathy is grieving, perhaps even in a state of shock. James Ross Clemens, a cousin of mine, was seriously ill two or three weeks ago in London, but is well now. When someone you know has lost a loved one, it can be hard to find the right words for a message of condolence. Consider and hear me, O LORD my God enlighten my eyes. He said: ‘I can understand perfectly how the report of my illness got about, I have even heard on good authority that I was dead. For in death there is no remembrance of You in the grave who will give You thanks (Psalm 6:5). The great humorist, while not perhaps very robust, is in the best of health. “Mark Twain was undecided whether to be more amused or annoyed when a Journal representative informed him today of the report in New York that he was dying in poverty in London. Twain wrote a response, part of which made it into the article that ran in the Journal on June 2, 1897: What do they want to hear Most people want to hear good things about a person who has died. Decreasing appetite A decreased appetite may be a sign that death is near. In 1897, an English journalist from the New York Journal contacted Twain to inquire whether the rumors that he was gravely ill or already dead were indeed true. People will be grateful if what you say is uplifting and inspiring. It is important for their loved ones to recognize the signs that death may be near. I sometimes find myself contemplating how I will die (will it be soon in a car accident, or prolonged when I am old, etc). ![]() I hate the thought of how the people I have left behind feel as I don't want my family, partner or friends to be sad. Twain is one of the few people in history who was lucky (or unlucky) enough to comment on newspaper reports of his own death. My father once said, Someday you will read or hear that Billy Graham is dead. How do you feel about that I am not scared of being dead. You’ve probably heard that Twain once said, “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated,” or another common version containing the phrase “grossly exaggerated.” The gist of the quote is accurate, but neither wording is quite right. Such is the case with Mark Twain, whose famous quip about his own death is frequently butchered by well-meaning admirers, as This Day In Quotes explains. When you’re one of the most quoted authors of all time, you’re also bound to become one of the most misquoted authors of all time. ![]()
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