Vol. 06 · Misquoted ·Book ·154 of 348
"In this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes. — Benjamin Franklin."
They never said that.
What people say
"In this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes. — Benjamin Franklin."
What was actually said
"In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes." Benjamin Franklin — Benjamin Franklin — letter to Jean-Baptiste Le Roy, 1789
Why it stuck
The line is older — Daniel Defoe used it in 1726, Christopher Bullock in 1716. Franklin popularised it, but his phrasing is hedged ("nothing can be said to be").
Know another line by heart?
Play the duel and see how many you can spot. Or browse the whole shelf.