Vol. 06 · Misquoted ·Saying ·295 of 348
"There but for the grace of God go I."
They never said that.
What people say
"There but for the grace of God go I."
What was actually said
"There, but for the grace of God, goes John Bradford." John Bradford — Attributed to John Bradford (c. 1553)
Why it stuck
Bradford, imprisoned in the Tower, supposedly said it watching condemned men pass. "Go I" is the modern form; the original third-person use names himself.
Know another line by heart?
Play the duel and see how many you can spot. Or browse the whole shelf.