nothing is certain but death and taxes

proverb

Nothing in life is certain nor can be taken for granted, except (humorously) that one will die one day and that one is required to pay taxes.

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Meanings

proverb
  1. humorousNothing in life is certain nor can be taken for granted, except (humorously) that one will die one day and that one is required to pay taxes.

Origin

Variant of a 1789 quotation from Benjamin Franklin, used in a letter to Jean-Baptiste Le Roy.

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Cite this entry
APA

nothing is certain but death and taxes. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nothing%20is%20certain%20but%20death%20and%20taxes

MLA

“nothing is certain but death and taxes.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nothing%20is%20certain%20but%20death%20and%20taxes. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “nothing is certain but death and taxes,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nothing%20is%20certain%20but%20death%20and%20taxes.

Source: nothing is certain but death and taxes on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.