Nothing is certain but death and taxes is a proverb that dates back several hundred years. We will examine the meaning of the expression nothing is certain but death and taxes, where it came from, and some examples of its use in sentences.
Nothing is certain but death and taxes is a proverb that means one cannot avoid the inevitable, that certain things in life are common to all men and cannot be avoided. A man may not escape death, and a man cannot escape paying taxes. The origin of the phrase is generally attributed to Benjamin Franklin. In a letter written to Jean-Baptiste Le Roy in 1789, Franklin says: “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.” However, an even earlier version of this sentiment was written my Daniel Defoe in his Political History of the Devil, 1726: “Things as certain as death and taxes, can be more firmly believ’d.” Like most proverbs, the sentiment is often shortened to a simple exclamation of death and taxes as a fatalistic observation that describes something that is inevitable and unavoidable.
Examples
While it is said nothing is certain but death and taxes, it also holds true that all taxes die hard. (The Epoch Times)
Nothing is certain but death and taxes, as the old saying goes, but Lake Erie erosion could probably be added to the idiom. (The Star Beacon)
“Nothing is certain but death and taxes” – oh, and one more thing: when you go camping, it will rain. (The Huffington Post)
If nothing is certain but death and taxes, it’s inevitable that some elected officials will pass away during their terms — or sometimes before they even begin. (The Nevada Independent)