Some friends were wondering the other day about the source of a quotation to the effect that “it’s a shame when anyone dies.” Supposedly the quotation came from a longtime political rival of the deceased, from whom the press was expecting something more scathing. My friends thought that the politician who uttered the line was Harry Truman, but I have looked through several biographies and collections of Truman’s anecdotes, and haven’t been able to find the quotation. Any ideas?
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You’re not thinking of John Donne, are you?
Not even remotely.
The gist of the quotation that I am looking for is, “It’s a shame when anyone dies, even this guy.” It was the best that Harry Truman (or whoever it actually was) could come up with in lieu of saying something unpleasant about the deceased.
As The Onion’s Jackie Harvey tells us:
Sorry, I have no idea about the original source of your quote.