These are reported as his last words to the Bolivian sergeant Terán at La Higuera on 9 October 1967. Documented accounts agree on the gist, “you are going to kill a man,” but the defiant “Shoot, coward” wording comes from what biographer Jon Lee Anderson calls legend, not from a recorded transcript.
“I know you've come to kill me. Shoot, coward, you are only going to kill a man” attributed to Che Guevara (reported last words, 9 October 1967; this wording is the legend version, and documented accounts give “you are going to kill a man”)
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Evoking the world of Che Guevara — Argentine-born Marxist revolutionary. Theme: "I know you've come to kill me. Shoot, coward, you are only going to kill a man". Atmospheric and restrained, cinematic directional light, a muted period-appropriate palette, fine grain and texture. Compose with generous empty space for the quote and a small credit line. No lettering in the image itself.
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Provenance
Where the words come from
Occasion
Execution of Che Guevara, La Higuera, Bolivia, 9 October 1967
Best-known printed source
Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life (Jon Lee Anderson)
Language
Spoken in Spanish. The English wording is a later rendering, and versions differ
Status of the wording
Presented as “legend” by the biographer who prints it
There are different versions, but according to legend, Che’s last words, when Terán came through the door to shoot him, were: “I know you’ve come to kill me. Shoot, coward, you are only going to kill a man.”
Jon Lee Anderson, Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life
This excerpt is quoted from the text of the revised and updated edition of Anderson’s biography. The National Security Archive’s chronology, which cites Anderson’s 1997 Grove Press edition, gives the line without the word “coward”: “I know you’ve come to kill me. Shoot, you are only going to kill a man.”
The National Security Archive summarizes a US Department of Defense intelligence report dated 28 November 1967. In it, Guevara’s last words to the sergeant are “Know this now, you are killing a man.” National Security Archive ↗
The same chronology quotes Jon Lee Anderson’s account as “I know you’ve come to kill me. Shoot, you are only going to kill a man,” with no “coward.” It also notes that other sources tell the execution differently. NSA chronology ↗
Decades later, the shooter Mario Terán gave his own version, reported by AFP: “‘Be calm,’ he told me, ‘and aim well. You are going to kill a man.’” Dawn / AFP, March 2022 ↗
Wikiquote lists the popular wording under “Capture and Death (1967)” as what “reportedly” were his last words. It adds that “much confusion and uncertainty exists about his actual last words” and gives two variant translations, one without “coward.” Wikiquote ↗
These are spoken words, reported in several differing versions. The best-known English text appears in Jon Lee Anderson’s biography (first published 1997, so in copyright), but Anderson presents the wording as legend, so the origin of this exact rendering is unknown. It should not be treated as public domain.
Rights status is our research, not legal advice — and copyright varies by country and edition. For commercial or published use, confirm with the rightsholder. See terms.
Fact-check
How the legend version took over
No one disputes that Guevara spoke to his executioner. The open question is which words he used. The version that circulates online is the most dramatic of several, and its best-known source flags it as legend.
✕
The popular wordingLegend, as relayed by Jon Lee Anderson Legend
Anderson’s biography introduces “Shoot, coward, you are only going to kill a man” with “There are different versions, but according to legend.” Online quote sites drop that framing. This wording is quoted from the revised and updated edition (Grove Press, 2010). The 1997 edition, as quoted by the National Security Archive, gives “Shoot, you are only going to kill a man,” without “coward.” Anderson, revised and updated edition, 2010 (publisher) ↗
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The 1967 official reportUS Department of Defense intelligence report Documented
This report, summarized by the National Security Archive, has Guevara standing and saying “Know this now, you are killing a man.” It contains no “Shoot” and no “coward.” National Security Archive ↗
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The shooter’s own memoryMario Terán Eyewitness
Terán’s account, as reported by AFP: “Be calm ... and aim well. You are going to kill a man.” In his telling, Guevara steadies the soldier and does not taunt him. Dawn / AFP ↗
✓The documented line is “you are going to kill a man.” “Shoot, coward” is the legend version that Anderson repeats and labels as legend. Compare the declassified accounts ↗
Context
Why these words travel
Guevara was captured in Bolivia and shot the next day at La Higuera. US documents now declassified and collected by the National Security Archive show that accounts of his last hours differ on many details, down to how the shooter was chosen, whether others also fired, and what was said.
The line that circulates fits the Che legend: defiant, unafraid, and saying that killing the man would not kill the cause. The documented versions are quieter. In the 1967 report and in the shooter’s own memory, Guevara tells the soldier that he is about to kill a man, and in Terán’s telling he urges him to stay calm and aim well.
“Be calm, and aim well. You are going to kill a man.”
Which sergeant?
The National Security Archive chronology and Wikiquote call the executioner “Sergeant Jaime Terán.” Press obituaries in 2022 name him Mario Terán. Accounts also disagree on whether he volunteered or was chosen by drawing lots.
Explore
Filed under
More provenance-checked quotes on the same theme, each with its reuse status.
Ernesto “Che” Guevara was an Argentine-born physician turned guerrilla and a leading figure of the Cuban Revolution. He left Cuba to lead guerrilla campaigns abroad and was captured in Bolivia, where he was executed on 9 October 1967. His image and supposed sayings have since become some of the most widely reproduced, and most often embellished, in modern political culture.
For writers & researchers
Cite this
Best-known printed form
Popular wording given “according to legend” in Jon Lee Anderson, Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life, revised and updated edition (New York: Grove Press, 2010). The first edition (Grove Press, 1997), as quoted by the National Security Archive, gives the line without “coward.” For the documented versions, compare The National Security Archive, “The Death of Che Guevara: Declassified,” Electronic Briefing Book No. 5.
This verification page
Quotle.info. “Who really said ‘I know you've come to kill me. Shoot, coward, you are only going to kill a man’?” Last verified 2 Nov 2026. https://quotle.info/who-said/i-know-youve-come-to-kill-me-shoot-coward-you-are-only/