Last words of famous or infamous people are sometimes recorded (although not always accurately), which then became a historical and literary trope.
According to Karl Guthke, last words as recorded in public documents are often reflections of the social attitude toward death at the time, rather than reports of actual statements.
[citation needed] Actual last words are typically less grandiose than those attributed to historical figures, and are also seldom published.
Dying people frequently suffer delirium, diminished mental acuity, inability to speak clearly, or some combination of the three.
Last words are commonly the names of spouses or children, or banal utterances such as "Mama" and "Oh, fuck".