Did Mark Twain Say 'I Have Read Some Obituaries With Great Pleasure'? | Snopes.com
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After the death of controversial radio host Rush Limbaugh on Feb. 17, 2021, a quote attributed to Mark Twain started circulating on social media: “I have never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure.” Despite the years of attribution, the ‘Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’ author did not originate this quote. It seems to be a rephrase of Clarence Darrow’s words from his biography ‘The Story of My Life’. Darrow, known for his defence in the ‘Scopes Monkey Trial’ of 1925, wrote, “All men have an emotion to kill; when they strongly dislike some one they involuntarily wish he was dead. I have never killed any one, but I have read some obituary notices with great satisfaction.”
Mark Twain is often miscredited with sayings he did not write, potentially due to his quotability. Other examples include the phrases “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco,” and “If voting made a difference, they wouldn’t let us do it.” Misattribution of famous quotes is a common occurrence, often highlighting the appreciation of the attributed author’s body of work. #MarkTwain #MisattributedQuotes #ClarenceDarrow #LiteraryMisquote #RushLimbaugh