Context

This line was written by Benjamin Franklin in a letter (1789).

Benjamin Franklin, America's smartest nudist, was a prolific inventor. He invented bifocals, a stove, the lightning rod (no, he didn't "invent" electricity), and he said many snappy, quotable things along the way—no wonder his mug dominates the $100 bill.

One of Franklin's most famous quotes states, "In this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes." We're also certain that he was probably naked when he wrote that. Good thing that image isn't on our currency.

Where you've heard it

You hear this annually around April 15, which is Tax Day in the United States. It is also sometimes erroneously ascribed to Mark Twain, a man who has plenty of other brilliant quotes—that he actually said—to choose from.

Additional Notable References:

• Where do your tax dollars go? Check out the Death & Taxes infographic to find out.
• What if death weren't certain? Are vampires and zombies subject to income tax? Adam Chodorow ponders the most essential question of our time in his paper "Death and Taxes and Zombies."
• SpinMedia's social blog is called Death & Taxes, although we have no idea why.

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

Nothing in life is certain, except death, taxes, and… this quote not being very pretentious.