Coleman Cox

Coleman Cox (1901–1971) was an American writer and humorist remembered chiefly for the widely quoted aphorism, “I am not afraid of death; I just don’t want to be there when it happens.” His work circulated in the mid‑20th century in popular venues that favored brief, punchy observations and light verse, and his name is often attached to collections of epigrams and humorous sayings. Cox’s reputation rests less on a large body of celebrated books than on the durability of a single line that captures a distinctly American, deadpan approach to mortality. He died in 1971, leaving a small but persistent cultural footprint.