What Does “nothing is certain but death and taxes” mean?
Definition:
The phrase nothing is certain but death and taxes means that everything in life is uncertain. The only things that you can be sure of are:
1. You will undoubtedly die.
2. You will certainly have to pay taxes.
Origin
This saying comes from the letters of Benjamin Franklin where he states:
Our new Constitution is now established, and has an appearance that promises permanency; but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.
Benjamin Franklin, in a letter to Jean-Baptiste Leroy, 1789
However, Franklin’s letter is not the origin of the phrase; it appeared earlier in Daniel Defoe’s The History of the Devil:
Things as certain as Death and Taxes, can be more firmly believ’d.
Daniel Defoe The Political History of the Devil 1726.
Example(s)
Lacy: I can’t believe how much tax money I have to pay for starting this business.
Alice: You know, nothing is certain but death and taxes.
