Vol. 06 · Misquoted ·Attribution ·217 of 348
"Nothing is certain but death and taxes."
They never said that.
What people say
"Nothing is certain but death and taxes."
What was actually said
"In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes." Benjamin Franklin — Letter to Jean-Baptiste Le Roy, 13 November 1789
Why it stuck
Franklin bracketed the claim — "in this world," "can be said to be" — as a throwaway aside. The modern form is flat aphorism; Franklin's original was modestly hedged.
The sentiment predates Franklin (Defoe, 1726). Franklin's version is the one that stuck because of the hedging syntax.
Know another line by heart?
Play the duel and see how many you can spot. Or browse the whole shelf.