Life

What Is Certain in Your Life?

How certain are you about the certainties in your life?

Can anyone be certain of anything in life? Ever? Almost everyone is familiar with the old maxim:

“Nothing is certain except death and taxes.” Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790)

But is it true? Can you even be certain Franklin was the first to write these words? There is a backstory to this old saying. It comes from one of the last things he wrote, in a letter penned two months before his death. Many believe it was his final great quote. The words were taken from the following sentence:

“Our new Constitution is now established, everything seems to promise it will be durable; but, in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes.” Benjamin Franklin (November 13, 1789)

While many cite this saying as a Ben Franklin original, a play titled The Cobbler of Preston, written in 1716, contained nearly the same words 73 years earlier!

“Tis impossible to be sure of any thing but Death and Taxes” Christopher Bullock (1690–1722)

What many of us assumed about who first wrote about the certainty of taxes and death was not certain, was it?

Can anything truly be certain in life? Absolutely and maybe! At least, I am fairly certain that is true, but it may not be so…

“To be uncertain is to be uncomfortable, but to be certain is to be ridiculous.” Socrates (470–399 BC)

The meaning of certainty

Before continuing, let’s make sure we understand the word certain. According to the Oxford Dictionary, its meaning is:

Certain (noun) firm conviction that something is the case.

Since to be certain requires a conviction, we must also understand what conviction means. According to the same dictionary:

Conviction (noun) a firmly held belief or opinion.

Well, that settles it, or does it? Certainty is not so certain! Or maybe it depends on how you look at it.

Because certainty relies on a conviction, which is based on a belief or opinion, how can one know for sure? As fallible human beings, our beliefs and opinions are not always based on truth! If we base something on a distortion of the truth, how can it be a certainty?

“We can be absolutely certain only about things we do not understand.” Eric Hoffer (1902–1983)

Supposed certainties in life

I love to read about what others perceive as certainties. For example, the former governor of the State of Delaware said:

“Benjamin Franklin said there were only two things certain in life: death and taxes. But I’d like to add a third certainty: trash. And while some in this room might want to discuss reducing taxes, I want to talk about reducing trash.” Ruth Ann Minner (1936-present)

Yes, you could add trash to the list. It is my opinion and belief, and therefore my conviction, trash is indeed as certain as death and taxes. We create enough trash to make mountains, such as Mount Trashmore in my home state of Virginia.

But what about the better-known quotes such as this one written by a professor of mathematics? While I believe he wrote it first, how can I be certain?

“Uncertainty is the only certainty there is, and knowing how to live with insecurity is the only security.” John Allen Paulos (1945-present)

Another well-known saying came from an ancient Greek philosopher born in Turkey more than 2,400 years ago:

“The only thing that is constant Is change.” Heraclitus (475–375 BC).

This is a certainty, is it not? Well, it is for as long as we live. To quote that witty founding father of our nation once again:

“When you are finished changing, you are finished.” Benjamin Franklin (1709–1790)

Following are a few additional certainties of life others have claimed to be true:

“The only unchangeable certainty in life is that nothing is unchangeable or certain.” John F. Kennedy (1917–1963)

“There are three certainties in life: honor, death, and hangovers.” Yasuo the Unforgiven

“The greatest certainty in life is death. The greatest uncertainty is the time.” Carl Sandburg (1878–1967)

“One of the few certainties in life is that persons of certainty should certainly be avoided.” Willy Russell (1946-present)

And to bring certainty into our modern age, you have:

“There are three certainties in life: death, taxes, and data breaches. Renu Zaretsky (1972-present)

The above represent only a handful of the many certainties written about in life. You can create your own maxim or proverb by completing the following sentence:

There are only three certain things in life, death, taxes, and _______________.

Imagine the number of words you could use. You can make it as serious or as humorous as you want. The only limit is your imagination!

Final thoughts

No, we have not done much to clear up the question about how much in life is certain. However, what we think of as certain is based on what we have a firm conviction. That conviction is in our belief or opinion, which can be completely contrary to someone else’s belief or opinion, taking us back to where we started — questioning what can truly be certain in life!

“Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd.” Voltaire (1694–1778)

Now, if you want to know absolutely, positively, without question what is uncertain in life, that is far easier. The answer is practically everything!

P.S. While everything in life is uncertain, I do find certainty in one thing, my belief. As a Christian, I am firm in my belief in God. I believe in His Word and in the life to follow. How certain am I? I am as certain as certain can be! By the very definition of certainty, my conviction is real; I believe in Him, my opinion is firm about Him, and therefore I am certain He is!

Become a member

LinkedIn |Twitter| Medium| UncommonSense| AmazonAuthorPage

Bill Abbate Leadership Writer and Editor in ILLUMINATION

Thank you for reading this article! If you enjoyed it, I’m sure you will like the others below.