Vol. 06 · Misquoted ·Book ·67 of 348
"Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die."
They never said that.
What people say
"Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die."
What was actually said
"A fusion of Ecclesiastes 8:15 and Isaiah 22:13: "Let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we shall die."" Composite biblical — Ecclesiastes 8:15 + Isaiah 22:13 (KJV, 1611)
Why it stuck
Two separate biblical passages get welded together. The Ecclesiastes line is a mild endorsement of pleasure; the Isaiah line is a condemnation of reckless fatalism.
Know another line by heart?
Play the duel and see how many you can spot. Or browse the whole shelf.