On 13 November 1789, in a letter to French scientist Jean-Baptiste Le Roy, Benjamin Franklin penned one of his most memorable observations on the inevitabilities of human existence: "In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes."
This succinct declaration, born of Franklin's wit and pragmatism, underscored the harsh truths of life's unchanging guarantees—mortality and fiscal obligations.
Coming from one of America's Founding Fathers, his words not only encapsulated the burden of government and life itself but also have continued to resonate across centuries as an enduring adage of unavoidable realities.
