Vol. 06 · Misquoted ·Saying ·237 of 348
"Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated."
They never said that.
What people say
"Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated."
What was actually said
"The report of my death was an exaggeration." Mark Twain — Mark Twain to the New York Journal, 1897
Why it stuck
The real line is drier than the polished version — singular "report," no "greatly." Every retelling has buffed it until it reads like a stock joke.
Twain was responding to rumours of his illness, not his death — the cable he received asked about the rumours themselves.
Know another line by heart?
Play the duel and see how many you can spot. Or browse the whole shelf.