Mark Twain Falsely Credited With Quote About Reading ‘Some obituaries with great pleasure’
The claim: American author Mark Twain once said or wrote, “I’ve never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure.”
The quote, which appeared to have first circulated in this exact form and with attribution to Twain in 2011, likely originated as a misquotation and misattribution of a 1932 quote from lawyer and politician Clarence Darrow: “I have never killed anyone, but I have read some obituary notices with great satisfaction.”
In addition, social media memes and items for purchase, including magnets, stickers and yard signs, have misattributed the quote to the American author.
Since at least 2011, online users have shared posts and image memes alleging American author Mark Twain once said or wrote, “I’ve never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure.”
For example, on June 2, 2026, a Reddit user posted the quote in the r/AskReddit subreddit, asking other users, “Whose obituary will you revel in?” (Hours later, moderators removed the post, and at the time of this writing the title now only read, “Removed by moderator.”)
In recent months and years, users reposted the quote with Twain’s name on Bluesky, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Reddit, TikTok and X. Users also listed for sale magnets, stickers and yard signs featuring the quote and name.
(Berl Clifford Crist accessed via Facebook)
In sum, no historical evidence supports the claim that Twain, whose real name was Samuel Clemens, ever said or wrote these words. Instead, all evidence pointed to the quote being a misquotation and misattribution of a similar, differently worded quote from lawyer and politician Clarence Darrow, who wrote in 1932, “I have never killed any one, but I have read some obituary notices with great satisfaction.”.
Researching the quote
Search of Google, as well as reverse image searches and queries of social media platforms — indicated the exact quote users misattributed to Twain originated from an X user sharing the text in early May 2011, following then-U.S. President Barack Obama’s announcement of Osama bin Laden’s death. That post featured a hashtag for bin Laden’s name, reading, “Mark Twain said it best, ‘I have never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure.’ #OBL.”
Mark Twain said it best, “I have never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure.” #OBL
— Brandon McGill (@KaloM360) May 2, 2011
The “post activity” information for that post showed talk show host Piers Morgan reposted the message, in turn helping to circulate the fabricated quote. For example, The Telegraph reported about Morgan sharing the quote without noting the text’s inauthentic roots.
(@KaloM360 accessed via X)
