“We hold these truths to be axiomatic.” Doesn’t have quite the same ring, does it? “Axiomatic” means “self-evident,” or so obvious that no evidence is needed. The Founding Fathers found life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness to be axiomatic, but it was still important to document them in the Declaration of Independence. “Axiomatic” comes from the Greek “axiōma,” which means “what is thought fitting.” It’s also the root of “axiom,” which is a noun for a statement that is accepted to be true.