Nothing is surer than death.

Death is the one outcome no one can escape. However uncertain the course of a life may be, its end is inevitable.

The proverb sets that certainty against the unpredictability of other events. It can temper confidence in plans, promises, or expectations about the future.

Use it to emphasize the limits of certainty when discussing future outcomes, or to acknowledge mortality directly. Its bluntness may be unwelcome when someone is grieving.