A man’s home is his castle…

THE FAMOUS COKE QUOTE: “A man’s house is his castle.”        Sir Edward Coke (1552-1634)        English jurist, member of parliament and writer        Although the saying “a man’s house [or home] is his castle” is an old English proverb, many books of famous quotations include this quote by Coke, who used the phrase in several of his writings and rulings. One of his most noted uses is in his legal treatise The Institutes of the Laws of England (1628). In that, Coke wrote “A man’s house is his castle and fortress, et domus sua cuique tutissimum refugium.” The Latin part at the end translates as “and each man’s home is his safest refuge.” Coke’s use helped establish the general legal principle that no one may enter a person’s home without permission.

THE MORE ACCURATE QUOTE: “A man’s home is his wife’s castle.”        Alexander Chase        American journalist         In his book Perspectives (1966)

THE HAPPY WIFE VERSION: “The sun of a man’s home is his wife.”        A quote from The Kolbrin Bible        The Kolbrin Bible is an obscure, Druid-influenced version of the Bible dating back to the Twelfth Century

THE UNHAPPY WIFE’S VERSION: “He said ‘A man’s home is his castle It always has been and so it remains’ But he holds the keys in a fist of rage His home is his castle And mine is a cage.”        Faith Hill         Lyrics from her song “A Man's Home Is His Castle,” written by Ariel Caten        On Hill’s 1995 album It Matters To Me

THE MONEY PIT VERSION: “Taxes are higher. Mortgages are higher. Fuel prices are higher. Verily, in these times a man’s home is his hassle.”        Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine, December 1974, in the “Changing Times” humor section

THE MAN’S SANCTUARY VARIATION: “A MAN’S HOME IS HIS CASTLE BUT HIS BAR IS HIS SANCTUARY”        Sign sold on The Saucy Minx Toy Box site

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Further reading: books of proverbs from around the world…