![]() ![]() ![]() The report of my death was an exaggeration. The report of my illness grew out of his illness. It’s better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than open it and remove all doubt. James Ross Clemens, a cousin of mine, was seriously ill two or three weeks ago in London, but is well now. Abraham Lincoln Dear Quote Investigator: Here are two versions of an entertaining saying that is usually credited to Abraham Lincoln or Mark Twain: Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt. Sometimes its better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt. Thats why certain people appear bright until you hear them speak. We all know that light travels faster than sound. He said: ‘I can understand perfectly how the report of my illness got about, I have even heard on good authority that I was dead. Sometimes its better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt. The great humorist, while not perhaps very robust, is in the best of health. ![]() “Mark Twain was undecided whether to be more amused or annoyed when a Journal representative informed him today of the report in New York that he was dying in poverty in London. Twain wrote a response, part of which made it into the article that ran in the Journal on June 2, 1897: In 1897, an English journalist from the New York Journal contacted Twain to inquire whether the rumors that he was gravely ill or already dead were indeed true. Twain is one of the few people in history who was lucky (or unlucky) enough to comment on newspaper reports of his own death. In 1923 the adage was published in the newspaper of Evansville College (now University) in Indiana. It Is Better to Keep Quiet and Be Thought a Fool Than to Speak and Remove All Doubt.Empeco. You’ve probably heard that Twain once said, “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated,” or another common version containing the phrase “grossly exaggerated.” The gist of the quote is accurate, but neither wording is quite right. The phrase keep quiet was used instead of remain silent: 9. Such is the case with Mark Twain, whose famous quip about his own death is frequently butchered by well-meaning admirers, as This Day In Quotes explains. When you’re one of the most quoted authors of all time, you’re also bound to become one of the most misquoted authors of all time. ![]()
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