Vol. 06 · Misquoted ·Book ·221 of 348
"Ours is not to reason why; ours is but to do or die."
They never said that.
What people say
"Ours is not to reason why; ours is but to do or die."
What was actually said
"Theirs not to reason why, / Theirs but to do and die." Alfred, Lord Tennyson — "The Charge of the Light Brigade" (1854)
Why it stuck
"Ours" vs "theirs" — the original is narrated, not spoken. And "do and die" becomes "do or die" (conditional) in retelling.
Tennyson wrote the poem after reading a Times report of the 1854 Balaclava charge.
Know another line by heart?
Play the duel and see how many you can spot. Or browse the whole shelf.