November 7, 2024

— Oliver Wilde

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"I think that's the record"

Do you remmeber the first words your children ever said?

My daughter's was "Dad." Even worse, she said it on Mother's Day.

More important than first words, however, are the ones we utter on the way out. They're literally the codas of our lives.

In that spirit, here are some of the most inspiring last words of all time.

—Steve Jobs

I hope my last words are this goodsuggesting wonder and amazement during the last seconds among the living and the first seconds amongwell, that's the point, right? Although, there is some possibility that Jobs was playing a last-minute cosmic joke on the rest of us. Which brings us to

—Oscar Wilde

Dry, hilarious, lasting. If you want to go out with humor, this is the way to do it. Unless

—Ludwig van Beethoven

If you view comedy from a more philosophical vantage point, these might be good last words for you. I'm pretty sure this is Latin; anyway, it means, "Applaud, my friends, the comedy is over."

— Mario Puzo, The Godfather

No fair cheatingyou have to have read the book, not just seen the most amazing movie of all time. Granted, Vito Corleone is a fictional character, but the sentiments here are true-life.

—Leonardo da Vinci

Really? Da Vinci thought his work wasn't good enough? Forget it, none of our work is good enough.

—Karl Marx

That's Karl Marx: a funny, lighthearted guy from start to finish.

—Louis XIV of France

Given that he was known as "the Sun King," and that he was one of the most powerful French monarchs—yes, some of his subjects probably did think he was immortal. But whether it was ironic or sincere, his last words packed punch.

—President William McKinley

The third American president to be assassinated, McKinley was reportedly responding to his wife, who exclaimed as he died: "I want to go too! I want to go too!"

—Winston S. Churchill

Makes sense, I can't imagine Churchill leaving otherwise.

—Marie Antoinette

The French queen supposedly said this to one of her executioners on her way to the guillotine. She'd stepped on his foot by accident, or so they say.

—Isaac Asmiov

Asimov prophesied that his last words would reflect his devotion to his wifeand they reportedly were.

—St. Thomas More

Short version: More was an English lawyer who refused to sign off on English King Henry VIII's divorce, and he wound up convicted of treason and executed as a result.

—Giles Corey

Corey, accused of witchcraft in Salem, Mass. in 1692, was pressed to death, meaning he was stretched naked while his oppressors piled heavy rocks on him. Each time he was told to admit guilt, the 80 year old Corey showed them who was the bravest: "More weight."

—President Eisenhower

I'm moved by the last words of some of these larger-than-life human beings like Churchill, above, and Eisenhower, who not only led the Allied rescue of Europe but served two terms as president.

—Wallace Hartley, bandmaster on RMS Titantic

You probably know this one because you saw that movie with Kate Winslet and Leo DiCaprio. Facing death, Hartley and his fellow musicians played as long as they couldand accepted the end.

—Otto Lilienthal

Nearly a decade before the Wright Brothers, Lilienthal made 2,000 flights in gliders before one of his designs stalled 50 feet in the air and crashed. He ultimately died of his injuries.

—Dylan Thomas

Okay, this isn't exactly inspiring; maybe it's funny in a black humor sort of way. But it is memorable, and it's also our hook to publish this today since Thomas died on November 9, 1953, so 71 years ago this weekend.

I included it here because Thomas is one of my favorite poets. Still, when it comes to last words, his weren't his best, and I think you can do better.

Yes, former President Trump is now President-elect Trump. Hence, all 7 of our items today are basically related to the only news in the world today.

Did you see ...

• How Donald Trump Won—by Being Donald Trump: He promised to fix the economy and the border, but credit for Trump’s victory also goes to an unbroken habit of speaking whatever is on his mind. (WSJ)
• America’s Friends and Foes Brace for a New World Under Trump: Foreign governments have readied plans for a second term, expecting swerves on trade and security policy. (WSJ)
• Harris’s Loss Triggers Soul-Searching, Recriminations Within Democratic Party: Failure to defeat Trump for second time in three elections will prompt calls for party to shift directions. (WSJ)
• The world's richest person keeps getting what he wants, time and time again — and each win makes him bolder: Elon Musk enthusiastically backed Donald Trump's effort to recapture the White House in a winning bet that'll give the Tesla, SpaceX and X boss more political influence than he's ever had. (Axios)
• U.S. Special Counsel Jack Smith is evaluating how to wind down the two federal cases against President-elect Trump following his Election Day victory. A Trump-led Justice Department was widely expected to move to withdraw the charges against Trump, but Smith’s team is discussing pulling back in the cases ahead of the inauguration. (The Hill)
• The price of bitcoin hit a new high Wednesday and crypto-related shares rallied as investors bet that former President Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. presidential election will be a boon for cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin jumped nearly 8% in early trading, climbing above $75,000 and smashing its previous record set in March. Other cryptocurrencies also soared. (AP)
• Steve Bannon warned the federal government that it would “pay the price for trying to destroy this country.” The former White House chief strategist for Trump went to prison over his refusal to cooperate with subpoenas from the congressional subcommittee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riots. Early Wednesday he reacted to the news that the Republican had won the election with a furious speech calling out federal agencies and cable news network MSNBC for having “broken people’s lives.” (Mediate)

Thanks for reading. Photo credit: Photo by Allen Taylor on Unsplash. I wrote about some of this before at Inc.com. See you in the comments!