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Clarence Darrow quote misattributed to Mark Twain

writersJul 12, 2026161,939

The quip "I've never wished a man dead, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure" is widely misattributed to Mark Twain. Research and multiple posts point to Clarence Darrow as the original author; Darrow wrote a closer formulation in 1932: "I have never killed any one, but I have read some obituary notices with great satisfaction." QuoteInvestigator and other sources find no recorded evidence that Twain said the line. The phrasing commonly shared today is a paraphrase that compresses Darrow's wording and has been repeatedly credited to Twain in social posts following recent high-profile deaths.

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