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"If it isn't written down, it didn't happen."

I notice this common quote use past simple tense. I can't get why using this tense here.

I think it should be "If it isn't written down, it doesn't happen" to describe a general thing.

And What's the difference between these two?

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The sense of "If it isn't written down, it didn't happen" is that, if there is no written record of an incident, there is no proof that it actually happened. The reference is to remembering past events, not to something that never happens in reality.

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  • Oh, it seems I misunderstand the sentence. I thought it means, "You should write down your to-do list. If you don't write down, nothing happens." If I want to describe this notion, is "If it isn't written down, it didn't happen" proper? Can I use "If it isn't written down, it doesn't happen"? Or I should use other sentences.
    – aster
    Commented Sep 16, 2022 at 11:16
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    There is no idiomatic expression for this idea. You could say "If I don't write it down, it won't happen", "If I don't make a list, I won't remember to do it", for example.
    – Kate Bunting
    Commented Sep 16, 2022 at 11:30
  • Thanks, @Kate Bunting
    – aster
    Commented Sep 16, 2022 at 12:27

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