Vol. 06 · Misquoted ·Speech ·271 of 348
"The exception proves the rule (meaning: exceptions somehow strengthen rules)."
They never said that.
What people say
"The exception proves the rule (meaning: exceptions somehow strengthen rules)."
What was actually said
"Prove" here means "test" — exceptio probat regulam in casibus non exceptis. Cicero — Cicero, Pro Balbo (56 BCE)
Why it stuck
In the original legal Latin, "probat" means "tests." The modern English gloss uses "proves" in its everyday sense — giving the proverb an impossible-looking logic.
Know another line by heart?
Play the duel and see how many you can spot. Or browse the whole shelf.