Vol. 06 · Misquoted ·Book ·56 of 348
"Custom is the great guide of human life."
They never said that.
What people say
"Custom is the great guide of human life."
What was actually said
"Custom, then, is the great guide of human life." David Hume — An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, Section V (1748)
Why it stuck
Hume's "then" — the connective particle — is usually dropped. In context, he's drawing a conclusion from the preceding argument, not making a standalone pronouncement.
The loss of "then" is the philosophical loss: Hume's point is argumentative, not declarative.
Know another line by heart?
Play the duel and see how many you can spot. Or browse the whole shelf.