Famous Last Words: The Ultimate Collection of Finales and Farewells

Compulsive quote collector Laura Ward comes up with another collection of great lines and amazing phrases to equal her popular Foolish Words: The Most Stupid Words Ever Spoken.

Entertaining and thought-provoking, this most comprehensive collection of parting lines and final goodbyes has quotes ranging from 2003 all the way back to Rome and Ancient Greece. Some are tragic, others bizarre; some have the studied tone of monumental inscription, others seem almost casual. And they’re not just dying words: the diverse phrases include the pronouncements of businesspeople before they got sacked, military men before they were trounced, and sports figures before they experienced the agony of defeat. Among the dying words:

“Well, it’s been a great game of golf, fellas.”—Bing Crosby minutes before he took ill and died.

“I expect I shall have to die beyond my means.”—Oscar Wilde accepting his final glass of champagne

"No!"—Alexander Graham Bell.