A motto is a short phrase that states an ideal: India’s Satyameva Jayate, “Truth alone triumphs,” or France’s Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité. This list gives 767 mottoes from A to Z, of countries, states, cities, universities, armed forces and institutions, each with its meaning in English.
What the list covers
This A-to-Z reference lists notable national, state, royal, personal and institutional mottoes. A motto is adopted to last, often in a constitution, a law, a charter or a coat of arms; a slogan is written to sell or to win a campaign, so slogans are left out. Each row names the owner, the motto as officially written, its meaning and its status: official mottoes are told apart from unofficial and former ones, and related inscriptions, maxims and fictional mottoes are labeled as such. Some owners use more than one motto, and different owners may share the same words. Many mottoes are in Latin, the old language of heraldry, the church and the universities; Indian mottoes are mostly in Sanskrit, drawn from the Vedas, the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita.
Reading the table
The second column gives each motto as it is officially written, with a romanization after any non-Latin script. The notes give the meaning in English, the language and where the words come from, down to the scripture and verse where it is known, then when the motto was adopted and where it appears. Each note opens with the kind and status of the motto, such as National motto, Unofficial national motto, Royal motto or U.S. state motto, so a search for a kind lists them all. The two buttons beside the search box show every country’s motto, official or not, and every U.S. state motto; typing in the box searches the whole list again. Mottoes of fictional houses, schools and groups are set in purple italics.
Mottoes and What They Mean
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| Motto of | Motto | Meaning and notes |
|---|---|---|
| 101st Airborne Division | Rendezvous with Destiny | Military motto Taken from Franklin D. Roosevelt's speech accepting renomination in Philadelphia on June 27, 1936: "This generation of Americans has a rendezvous with destiny.". |
| 11 Gorkha Rifles | Yatraham Vijayastatra | Military motto “Victory resides where I reside.” Sanskrit. |
| 1st Infantry Division (United States) | No Mission Too Difficult. No Sacrifice Too Great. Duty First! | Military motto Motto of the U.S. Army division nicknamed the Big Red One. |
| 5 Gorkha Rifles (Frontier Force) | Shaurya Evam Nishtha | Military motto “Courage and determination.” Hindi. War cry: Ayo Gorkhali. |
| 82nd Airborne Division | All the Way! | Military motto The division also uses Death from Above and is nicknamed America's Guard of Honor. |
A
| Motto of | Motto | Meaning and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen | Bon Accord | City motto “Good agreement.” French. By legend it was the password of Robert the Bruce's men when they besieged and destroyed Aberdeen Castle in 1308. |
| Académie française | À l’immortalité | Organization motto “To immortality.” French. A tribute to the lasting life of the French language; members of the academy are called les immortels. |
| Adelaide | Ut prosint omnibus conjuncti | City motto “United for the common good.” Latin. Motto on the coat of arms of the City of Adelaide. |
| Afghanistan | لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا ٱللَّٰهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ ٱللَّٰهِ (Lā ilāha illā llāh, Muḥammadun rasūlu llāh) | National flag inscription “There is no god but God; Muhammad is the messenger of God.” Arabic. The motto is the shahada, the Islamic declaration of faith, which is written on the national flag. |
| African Union | A United and Strong Africa | International organization motto Motto of the continental body launched in Durban on July 9, 2002, and headquartered in Addis Ababa. |
| Ahmadiyya Muslim Community | Love for All, Hatred for None | Religious organization motto |
| AIIMS | शरीरमाद्यं खलु धर्मसाधनम् (Sharīramādyam khalu dharmasādhanam) | University motto “The body is indeed the primary instrument of dharma.” Sanskrit. From Kalidasa's Kumarasambhava (5.33), in the episode where Shiva, disguised as a Brahmin, visits Parvati during her penance.Listed under All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi |
| AIR | बहुजन हिताय बहुजन सुखाय (Bahujan Hitāya Bahujan Sukhāya) | Government motto “For the welfare of the many, for the happiness of the many.” Sanskrit. A Buddhist ideal drawn from the Buddha's teachings, adopted when the broadcaster was set up in 1930. The service took the name All India Radio on June 8, 1936.Listed under All India Radio (Akashvani) |
| Air Force Academy (India) | श्रम से सिद्धि (Shram Se Siddhi) | Military motto “Achievement through diligence.” Hindi. The academy is at Dundigal near Hyderabad. |
| Akashvani | बहुजन हिताय बहुजन सुखाय (Bahujan Hitāya Bahujan Sukhāya) | Government motto “For the welfare of the many, for the happiness of the many.” Sanskrit. A Buddhist ideal drawn from the Buddha's teachings, adopted when the broadcaster was set up in 1930. The service took the name All India Radio on June 8, 1936.Listed under All India Radio (Akashvani) |
| Alabama | Audemus jura nostra defendere | U.S. state motto “We dare maintain our rights.” Latin. Adopted as the state motto in 1939. It paraphrases lines from William Jones' poem What Constitutes a State?: Men who their duties know, But know their rights, and knowing, dare maintain. |
| Alaska | North to the Future | U.S. state motto Adopted as the state motto in 1967. |
| Albania | Ti Shqipëri, më jep nder, më jep emrin Shqipëtar | Unofficial national motto “You, Albania, give me honor, give me the name Albanian.” Albanian. A line from Naim Frashëri's poem O malet e Shqipërisë; popular as a national motto but not set by law. |
| Alberta | Fortis et liber | Canadian province motto “Strong and free.” Latin. Provincial motto of Alberta. |
| Algeria | بالشعب وللشعب (Bil-shaʿb wa lil-shaʿb) | National motto “By the people and for the people.” Arabic. Algeria's constitution names it the motto of the state. |
| Aligarh Muslim University | عَلَّمَ الْإِنْسَانَ مَا لَمْ يَعْلَمْ (ʿAllama al-insāna mā lam yaʿlam) | University motto “Taught man what he knew not.” Arabic. The motto is a verse of the Quran (96:5). |
| All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi | शरीरमाद्यं खलु धर्मसाधनम् (Sharīramādyam khalu dharmasādhanam) | University motto “The body is indeed the primary instrument of dharma.” Sanskrit. From Kalidasa's Kumarasambhava (5.33), in the episode where Shiva, disguised as a Brahmin, visits Parvati during her penance. |
| All India Radio (Akashvani) | बहुजन हिताय बहुजन सुखाय (Bahujan Hitāya Bahujan Sukhāya) | Government motto “For the welfare of the many, for the happiness of the many.” Sanskrit. A Buddhist ideal drawn from the Buddha's teachings, adopted when the broadcaster was set up in 1930. The service took the name All India Radio on June 8, 1936. |
| Alphabet Inc. | Do the right thing | Company motto Adopted in October 2015 in the code of conduct of Alphabet, the new parent company of Google, in place of Google's "Don't be evil." The preface tells employees to "do the right thing: follow the law, act honorably and treat co-workers with courtesy, support and respect.". |
| American Samoa | Sāmoa, Muamua Le Atua | U.S. territory motto “Samoa, let God be first.” Samoan. Adopted as the territorial motto in 1973. |
| Amsterdam | Heldhaftig, Vastberaden, Barmhartig | City motto “Valiant, steadfast, compassionate.” Dutch. The words were added to the city arms in recognition of Amsterdam's conduct in World War II. |
| AMU | عَلَّمَ الْإِنْسَانَ مَا لَمْ يَعْلَمْ (ʿAllama al-insāna mā lam yaʿlam) | University motto “Taught man what he knew not.” Arabic. The motto is a verse of the Quran (96:5).Listed under Aligarh Muslim University |
| Andhra University | तेजस्वि नावधीतमस्तु (Tejasvi Navadhitamastu) | University motto “May our learning be brilliant.” Sanskrit. From the Taittiriya Aranyaka of the Krishna Yajurveda. The Visakhapatnam university was founded in 1926. |
| Andorra | Virtus unita fortior | National motto “United virtue is stronger.” Latin. Andorran law allows it at the base of the coat of arms, made official under the 1993 constitution. The arms' quarters recall the co-princes, the Bishop of Urgell and the Count of Foix, plus Catalonia and Béarn. |
| Anna University | Progress Through Knowledge | University motto The motto of the Chennai technical university founded in 1978 and named after former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. N. Annadurai. |
| Annapolis | Ex Scientia Tridens | Military motto “From knowledge, sea power.” Latin.Listed under United States Naval Academy |
| Anne Boleyn | The Most Happy | Royal motto Her personal motto as queen, often spelled The Most Happye. |
| Antigua and Barbuda | Each endeavouring, all achieving | National motto Written by civil servant James Carott, who won a $100 prize for it. It appears on the coat of arms designed by Gordon Christopher and adopted on Feb. 16, 1967. |
| Argentina | En unión y libertad | Unofficial national motto “In union and liberty.” Spanish. Unofficial national motto, first struck on the gold and silver coins ordered by the Assembly of the Year XIII in 1813; it appears on current peso coins and banknotes. |
| Arizona | Ditat Deus | U.S. state motto “God enriches.” Latin. Adopted as the territorial motto in 1863 and as the state motto in 1911. |
| Arkansas | Regnat populus | U.S. state motto “The people rule.” Latin. The earlier form Regnant populi was on the territorial seal kept at statehood in 1836; the 1907 legislature corrected the grammar to Regnat populus. |
| Armed Forces Medical College, Pune | सर्वे सन्तु निरामयाः (Sarve Santu Niramayah) | Military motto “Let all be healthy.” Sanskrit. The motto of the tri-service medical college of the Indian armed forces, established in 1948. |
| Army Aviation Corps (India) | सुवेग व सुदृढ़ (Suveg va Sudridh) | Military motto “Swift and sure.” Sanskrit. The corps was formally designated on Nov. 1, 1986, and supports troops on the Siachen Glacier. |
| Army Medical Corps (India) | सर्वे सन्तु निरामयाः (Sarve Santu Niramayah) | Military motto “May all be free from sickness.” Sanskrit. The corps came into being on April 3, 1943, its raising day, through the merger of the Indian Medical Service, Indian Medical Department and Indian Hospital Corps. |
| Army Ordnance Corps (India) | Shastra Se Shakti | Military motto “Strength through arms.” Hindi. Adopted in 1978 and placed on the crest scroll; the corps's first crest of 1855 carried the Latin motto Sua Tela Tonanti. |
| Army Service Corps (India) | Seva Asmakam Dharma | Military motto “Service is our creed.” Sanskrit. Shown on the scroll of the corps emblem and adopted officially in 1950. The corps traces its origins to 1760 and is the oldest administrative service of the Indian Army. |
| Arsenal F.C. | Victoria Concordia Crescit | Sports club motto “Victory grows through harmony.” Latin. First printed in the club program on Sept. 20, 1913, and later claimed by program editor Harry Homer. It stood at the foot of the 1949 crest designed by Bob Wall and Jack Crayston. |
| Arya Samaj | कृण्वन्तो विश्वमार्यम् (Krinvanto Vishvam Aryam) | Religious organization motto “Make the world noble.” Sanskrit. The phrase comes from the Rigveda (9.63.5). |
| ASEAN | One Vision, One Identity, One Community | International organization motto Set out in Article 36 of the ASEAN Charter, signed in Singapore in 2007.Listed under Association of Southeast Asian Nations |
| Assam Regiment | असम विक्रम (Assam Vikram) | Military motto “Unique valor.” Hindi. Raised at Shillong on June 15, 1941; the regiment's insignia is the one-horned rhino and its war cry is Rhino Charge. |
| Assam Rifles | Friends of the Hill People | Central armed police motto India's oldest paramilitary force was raised in 1835 as the Cachar Levy and took the name Assam Rifles in 1917 for its World War I service. It is also known as the Sentinels of the North East. |
| Assassin Brotherhood (Assassin's Creed) | Nothing is true, everything is permitted | Fictional motto Central maxim of the Assassins in the Assassin's Creed video game series. |
| Association of Southeast Asian Nations | One Vision, One Identity, One Community | International organization motto Set out in Article 36 of the ASEAN Charter, signed in Singapore in 2007. |
| Atlanta | Resurgens | City motto “Rising again.” Latin. The motto appears on the city seal with a phoenix rising from flames, marking Atlanta's rebuilding after the Civil War. |
| Augustus | Festina lente | Personal motto “Make haste slowly.” Latin. Latin form of the Greek σπεῦδε βραδέως, which Suetonius records as a favorite saying of Augustus; later linked to printer Aldus Manutius. |
| Australia | Advance Australia | Former national motto Former motto on the 1908 Commonwealth coat of arms; the 1912 arms carry no motto. |
| Australian National University | Naturam primum cognoscere rerum | University motto “First, to learn the nature of things.” Latin. The motto is taken from Book 6 of Lucretius' De rerum natura. |
| Austria-Hungary | Indivisibiliter ac inseparabiliter | Former national motto “Indivisibly and inseparably.” Latin. Former motto of the Dual Monarchy, which dissolved in 1918; Franz Joseph I's personal motto was Viribus Unitis. |
B
| Motto of | Motto | Meaning and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bahamas | Forward, Upward, Onward Together | National motto Set at the foot of the coat of arms adopted Dec. 7, 1971. It replaced the colonial badge motto Expulsis piratis restituta commercia (Pirates expelled, commerce restored). |
| Banaras Hindu University | विद्ययाऽमृतमश्नुते (Vidyayā'mṛtamaśnute) | University motto “Knowledge imparts immortality.” Sanskrit. Madan Mohan Malaviya's university was founded under the Banaras Hindu University Act of 1915; Lord Hardinge laid its foundation stone on Vasant Panchami, Feb. 4, 1916. |
| Bangladesh Army | Samare amra shantite amra sarbatra amra desher tare | Military motto “In war, in peace, we are everywhere for our country.” Bengali. |
| Barbados | Pride and Industry | National motto Appears on the scroll of the national coat of arms, granted by royal warrant of Queen Elizabeth II on Feb. 14, 1966. The arms were designed by Neville Connell, longtime curator of the Barbados Museum. |
| Bata | Náš zákazník, náš pán | Company motto “Our customer, our master.” Czech. The business maxim of the shoe company Tomáš Baťa founded in Zlín in 1894; Czechs still name it as the phrase they most link to the firm. |
| BBC | Nation shall speak peace unto nation | Company motto The motto appears on the BBC coat of arms. |
| Beijing Normal University | 学为人师，行为世范 (Xue wei ren shi, xing wei shi fan) | University motto “Learn, so as to instruct others; act, to serve as example to all.” Chinese. The university's own rendering. |
| Belfast | Pro tanto quid retribuamus | City motto “What shall we give in return for so much.” Latin. The motto is drawn from the Vulgate translation of Psalm 116 and is shared by Queen's University Belfast. |
| Belgium | L'union fait la force / Eendracht maakt macht / Einigkeit macht stark | National motto “Unity makes strength.” French, Dutch and German. Launched in 1827 and 1828 by Liège newspapers backing the unionism behind the 1830 revolution and adopted after independence, first in French. It is used in all three official languages. |
| Belize | Sub umbra floreo | National motto “Under the shade I flourish.” Latin. Alludes to the mahogany tree above the shield of the coat of arms, recalling the timber trade that drove the economy in the 18th and 19th centuries. The arms sit at the center of the national flag. |
| Benin | Fraternité, Justice, Travail | National motto “Fraternity, justice, labor.” French. Set out in Article 1 of the 1990 constitution, which also places it on a banderole of the national coat of arms. |
| Bermuda | Quo fata ferunt | Territory motto “Whither the fates carry us.” Latin. Placed beneath the coat of arms, which shows the 1609 wreck of the Sea Venture and was formally granted by royal warrant on Oct. 4, 1910. |
| Bharat Scouts and Guides | Be Prepared | Organization motto The Indian scouting body, formed in 1950, keeps the motto of the worldwide Scout Movement. |
| Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan | आ नो भद्राः क्रतवो यन्तु विश्वतः (Ā no bhadrāḥ kratavo yantu viśvataḥ) | Organization motto “Let noble thoughts come to us from every side.” Sanskrit. From the Rigveda (1.89.1); K. M. Munshi founded the Bhavan in 1938. |
| BHU | विद्ययाऽमृतमश्नुते (Vidyayā'mṛtamaśnute) | University motto “Knowledge imparts immortality.” Sanskrit. Madan Mohan Malaviya's university was founded under the Banaras Hindu University Act of 1915; Lord Hardinge laid its foundation stone on Vasant Panchami, Feb. 4, 1916.Listed under Banaras Hindu University |
| Bihar Regiment | कर्म ही धर्म (Karam Hi Dharam) | Military motto “Work is worship.” Hindi. |
| Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani | ज्ञानं परमं बलम् (Jnanam Paramam Balam) | University motto “Knowledge is the ultimate power.” Sanskrit. |
| Birmingham (city) | Forward | City motto |
| Bishop Cotton School, Shimla | Overcome Evil With Good | School motto From St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans 12:21, which inspired founder Bishop George Cotton. The school was founded in 1859. |
| BITS Pilani | ज्ञानं परमं बलम् (Jnanam Paramam Balam) | University motto “Knowledge is the ultimate power.” Sanskrit.Listed under Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani |
| Bolivia | La unión es la fuerza | National motto “Unity is strength.” Spanish. Appears on Bolivian coins and expresses the same idea as Belgium's L'union fait la force, also found on Haiti's coat of arms since 1807. |
| Bologna | Libertas | City motto “Liberty.” Latin. In gold on the blue shield of the city arms, dating from the 1376 revolt against papal rule. |
| Bombay | यतो धर्मस्ततो जयः (Yato Dharmastato Jayah) | City motto “Where there is righteousness, there shall be victory.” Sanskrit. From the Mahabharata. It replaced the colonial Latin motto Urbs Prima in Indis.Listed under Mumbai |
| Bond family (James Bond) | Orbis non sufficit | Fictional motto “The world is not enough.” Latin. Bond discovers the family motto in Ian Fleming's novel On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1963). |
| Border Roads Organisation | Shramena Sarvam Sadhyam | Government agency motto “Everything is achievable through hard work.” Sanskrit. |
| Border Security Force | जीवन पर्यन्त कर्तव्य (Jīvana Paryanta Kartavya) | Central armed police motto “Duty unto death.” Hindi. The force was raised on Dec. 1, 1965, after the 1965 war, with K. F. Rustamji as its first director general; it is the world's largest border guarding force. |
| Boston | Sicut patribus sit Deus nobis | City motto “God be with us as He was with our fathers.” Latin. The motto is drawn from 1 Kings 8:57. |
| Boston College | αἰὲν ἀριστεύειν (Aièn aristeúein) | University motto “Ever to excel.” Ancient Greek. From Book 6 of Homer's Iliad and shared with the University of St Andrews. |
| Boston University | Learning, Virtue, Piety | University motto The motto reflects the university's Methodist roots; it began in 1839 as a Methodist seminary in Vermont and was incorporated as Boston University in 1869. |
| Botswana | Pula | National motto “Rain.” Tswana. Inscribed on the scroll at the base of the national coat of arms, adopted Jan. 25, 1966, whose three water waves allude to it. Pula is also the name of the national currency. |
| Boys' Brigade | Sure and Stedfast | Organization motto From Hebrews 6:19 in the King James Version. Adopted by the youth movement William Alexander Smith founded in Glasgow in 1883. |
| Brandeis University | אמת (Emet) | University motto “Truth.” Hebrew. The Hebrew word is embedded in the university seal, and the full motto is rendered "Truth even unto its innermost parts." Brandeis was founded in 1948. |
| Brazil | Ordem e Progresso | National motto “Order and progress.” Portuguese. Proposed by Raimundo Teixeira Mendes, it condenses Auguste Comte's positivist maxim. It is lettered in green on the white band of the flag adopted by Decree No. 4 on Nov. 19, 1889. |
| Brigade of the Guards (India) | पहला हमेशा पहला (Pehla Hamesha Pehla) | Military motto “First always first.” Hindi. Raised in 1949 as India's first mixed-class regiment, the brainchild of Field Marshal K. M. Cariappa; its centre is at Kamptee near Nagpur. |
| Brisbane | Meliora sequimur | City motto “We aim for better things.” Latin. |
| Bristol | Virtute et industria | City motto “By virtue and industry.” Latin. Motto on the coat of arms of the English port city. |
| British Antarctic Territory | Research and Discovery | Territory motto The motto of the arms first granted in 1952, chosen to honor British Antarctic explorers and the territory's role in marine science. The crest shows the RRS Discovery, Robert Falcon Scott's ship of 1901. |
| British Columbia | Splendor sine occasu | Canadian province motto “Splendor without diminishment.” Latin. Granted with the provincial arms by King Edward VII in 1906; it refers to the sun on the shield, which keeps shining even as it sets. Boise State University shares the motto. |
| British Indian Ocean Territory | In tutela nostra Limuria | Territory motto “Limuria is in our trust.” Latin. |
| British Virgin Islands | Vigilate | Territory motto “Be watchful.” Latin. On the territorial badge. |
| Brooklyn | Een Draght Mackt Maght | City motto “In unity there is strength.” Dutch. Written in early modern Dutch, reflecting the borough's 17th century Dutch founding. It appears on the borough's seal and flag. |
| Brown University | In Deo Speramus | University motto “In God we hope.” Latin. |
| Brunei | الدائمون المحسنون بالهدى (Ad-dāʾimūna al-muḥsinūna bi-l-hudā) | National motto “Always in service with God's guidance.” Arabic. Inscribed in yellow Arabic lettering on the crescent, a symbol of Islam, of the state emblem adopted in 1959. The scroll below bears the name Brunei Darussalam. |
| BSF | जीवन पर्यन्त कर्तव्य (Jīvana Paryanta Kartavya) | Central armed police motto “Duty unto death.” Hindi. The force was raised on Dec. 1, 1965, after the 1965 war, with K. F. Rustamji as its first director general; it is the world's largest border guarding force.Listed under Border Security Force |
| Bulgaria | Съединението прави силата (Saedinenieto pravi silata) | National motto “Unity makes strength.” Bulgarian. Inscribed on the present national coat of arms. Belgium uses the same motto. |
| Bureau of Indian Standards | मानकः पथप्रदर्शकः (Manakah Pathapradarshakah) | Government agency motto “Standards are the guide.” Sanskrit. The motto of India's national standards body, formed in 1987 as successor to the Indian Standards Institution of 1947. |
| Burkina Faso | La Patrie ou la Mort, nous vaincrons | National motto “Homeland or death, we will overcome.” French. Thomas Sankara's revolutionary motto, dropped in 1997, was restored by a constitutional revision adopted on Oct. 29, 2024. |
| Burundi | Unité, Travail, Progrès | National motto “Unity, work, progress.” French. On a scroll beneath the shield of the coat of arms adopted in 1966. It replaced the monarchy's motto Ganza Sabwa, used from 1962 to 1966. Chad shares the same motto. |
| Buzz Lightyear (Toy Story) | To infinity and beyond! | Fictional catchphrase Catchphrase of the Space Ranger in Pixar's Toy Story films. |
C
| Motto of | Motto | Meaning and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cabo Verde | Unidade, Trabalho, Progresso | Unofficial national motto “Unity, work, progress.” Portuguese. Not in the constitution; the national arms carry only the words República de Cabo Verde. |
| Calcutta | পুরশ্রী বিবর্ধন (Purosree Bibardhan) | City motto “Progress of the city.” Bengali. Motto of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation.Listed under Kolkata |
| California | Εὕρηκα (Eureka) | U.S. state motto “I have found it.” Greek. It first appeared on the state seal in 1849 and was designated the official state motto in 1963. |
| California Institute of Technology | The truth shall make you free | University motto The words come from John 8:32. |
| Caltech | The truth shall make you free | University motto The words come from John 8:32.Listed under California Institute of Technology |
| Cambodia | ជាតិ សាសនា ព្រះមហាក្សត្រ (Cheat, Sasna, Preah Mohaksat) | National motto “Nation, Religion, King.” Khmer. Made the official motto of the restored monarchy by Article 4 of the constitution adopted on Sept. 21, 1993; novelist Nhok Them popularized the triad with his 1950 book of the same name. |
| Cameroon | Paix – Travail – Patrie | National motto “Peace, Work, Fatherland.” French. Set at the base of the national coat of arms, whose current form dates from 1986 and is described in the constitution. |
| Canada | A mari usque ad mare | National motto “From sea to sea.” Latin. From Psalm 72:8 in the Latin Vulgate. Suggested by Joseph Pope, it was adopted with the coat of arms by royal proclamation of King George V on Nov. 21, 1921; it first appeared officially on Saskatchewan's legislative mace in 1906. |
| Canberra | For the Queen, the Law and the People | City motto Coat of arms granted in 1928 with the Latin motto Pro rege, lege et grege, later altered to this English form. |
| Cape Town | Spes Bona | City motto “Good Hope.” Latin. Appears on the city's historic coat of arms, confirmed by the College of Arms in 1899. |
| Cape Verde | Unidade, Trabalho, Progresso | Unofficial national motto “Unity, work, progress.” Portuguese. Not in the constitution; the national arms carry only the words República de Cabo Verde.Listed under Cabo Verde |
| Cardiff | Y ddraig goch ddyry cychwyn | City motto “The red dragon will lead the way.” Welsh. Cardiff also uses a second motto, Deffro mae'n ddydd (Awake, it is day). |
| Carl Jung | Vocatus atque non vocatus Deus aderit | Personal motto “Called or not called, God will be present.” Latin. Inscribed at his home and on his grave. |
| Carnegie Mellon University | My heart is in the work | University motto The words are attributed to founder Andrew Carnegie. |
| Cayman Islands | He hath founded it upon the seas | Territory motto Taken from Psalm 24:2. |
| CBI | Industry, Impartiality, Integrity | Government agency motto Appears at the base of the CBI logo, below the National Emblem and Satyameva Jayate. The agency traces its origin to the Special Police Establishment of 1941 and draws its powers from the DSPE Act, 1946.Listed under Central Bureau of Investigation |
| CBSE | असतो मा सद्गमय (Asato Ma Sadgamaya) | Education body motto “Lead us from untruth to truth.” Sanskrit. From the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (1.3.28), the opening line of the Pavamana Mantra.Listed under Central Board of Secondary Education |
| Central African Republic | Unité, Dignité, Travail | National motto “Unity, Dignity, Work.” French. Motto of the national coat of arms, first adopted May 17, 1963, and readopted Sept. 21, 1979. A ribbon on the crest carries the Sango motto Zo kwe zo (All people are people). |
| Central Board of Secondary Education | असतो मा सद्गमय (Asato Ma Sadgamaya) | Education body motto “Lead us from untruth to truth.” Sanskrit. From the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (1.3.28), the opening line of the Pavamana Mantra. |
| Central Bureau of Investigation | Industry, Impartiality, Integrity | Government agency motto Appears at the base of the CBI logo, below the National Emblem and Satyameva Jayate. The agency traces its origin to the Special Police Establishment of 1941 and draws its powers from the DSPE Act, 1946. |
| Central Industrial Security Force | संरक्षण एवं सुरक्षा (Sanrakshan Evam Suraksha) | Central armed police motto “Protection and Security.” Hindi. The force was formed on March 10, 1969, under the CISF Act of 1968. It has guarded the Delhi Metro since 2007 and Indian airports since 2000. |
| Central Intelligence Agency | And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free | Government agency motto From the Gospel of John 8:32. Director Allen Dulles chose the verse and had it carved in the lobby of the Original Headquarters Building at Langley, and officers widely treat it as the agency's unofficial motto. |
| Central Reserve Police Force | सेवा और निष्ठा (Seva Aur Nishtha) | Central armed police motto “Service and Loyalty.” Hindi. Formed on July 27, 1939, as the Crown Representative's Police and renamed by an Act of Dec. 28, 1949; it is India's largest central armed police force. |
| Cesare Borgia | Aut Caesar aut nihil | Personal motto “Either Caesar or nothing.” Latin. His personal motto, a statement of his boundless ambition to rule supreme. Charlie Chaplin used a variant of it in The Great Dictator. |
| Chad | Unité – Travail – Progrès | National motto “Unity, Work, Progress.” French. On a scroll below the shield of the coat of arms adopted in 1970 and around the state seal. Burundi shares the same motto. |
| Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor | Plus ultra | Personal motto “Further beyond.” Latin. Reverses Non plus ultra, the warning said to be inscribed on the Pillars of Hercules. Charles adopted it in French as Plus oultre in 1516 on the advice of Luigi Marliano; it is now Spain's national motto. |
| Charterhouse School | Deo dante dedi | School motto “God having given, I gave.” Latin. The school was founded by Thomas Sutton in London in 1611 and moved to Godalming, Surrey, in 1872. |
| Chicago | Urbs in horto | City motto “City in a garden.” Latin. |
| Chile | Por la razón o la fuerza | National motto “By reason or by force.” Spanish. A 1920 decree made it official on the national coat of arms, which English artist Charles Wood Taylor designed in 1834. |
| Chinese University of Hong Kong | 博文約禮 (Bowen yueli) | University motto “Through learning and temperance to virtue.” Classical Chinese. |
| Christian Medical College, Vellore | Not to be ministered unto, but to minister | University motto From the words of Jesus in Mark 10:45. The Vellore medical college and hospital grew from a clinic founded by Ida Scudder in 1900. |
| CIA | And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free | Government agency motto From the Gospel of John 8:32. Director Allen Dulles chose the verse and had it carved in the lobby of the Original Headquarters Building at Langley, and officers widely treat it as the agency's unofficial motto.Listed under Central Intelligence Agency |
| CISF | संरक्षण एवं सुरक्षा (Sanrakshan Evam Suraksha) | Central armed police motto “Protection and Security.” Hindi. The force was formed on March 10, 1969, under the CISF Act of 1968. It has guarded the Delhi Metro since 2007 and Indian airports since 2000.Listed under Central Industrial Security Force |
| City of London | Domine dirige nos | City motto “Lord, direct us.” Latin. The earliest known record of the motto dates from 1633. |
| Colombia | Libertad y Orden | National motto “Freedom and Order.” Spanish. Written on a gold scroll between the condor and the shield of the coat of arms, designed by Francisco de Paula Santander and adopted by Act 3 of May 9, 1834. |
| Colorado | Nil sine numine | U.S. state motto “Nothing without providence.” Latin. Adopted on Nov. 6, 1861, when Colorado was a territory. |
| Columbia University | In lumine Tuo videbimus lumen | University motto “In Thy light shall we see light.” Latin. Taken from Psalm 36:9. |
| Comoros | Unité – Solidarité – Développement | National motto “Unity, Solidarity, Development.” French. Written in French at the foot of the national seal adopted in 2001, beneath a crescent and four stars taken from the flag. |
| Complutense University of Madrid | Libertas perfundet omnia luce | University motto “Freedom will flood all things with light.” Latin. |
| Confederate States of America | Deo vindice | Former national motto “With God as our defender.” Latin. Former motto of the Confederacy, which existed from 1861 to 1865. |
| Connecticut | Qui transtulit sustinet | U.S. state motto “He who transplanted still sustains.” Latin. State motto of Connecticut, dated to Oct. 9, 1662. |
| Cornell University | I would found an institution where any person can find instruction in any study | University motto Ezra Cornell's founding statement of 1865; the university opened in 1868. |
| Corps of Army Air Defence (India) | आकाशे शत्रुन् जहि (Akashe Shatrun Jahi) | Military motto “Annihilate the airborne enemy.” Sanskrit. Adopted as the regimental motto in 1996. The corps came into existence on Jan. 10, 1994, when air defence was separated from the Regiment of Artillery. |
| Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (Indian Army) | Karm Hi Dharm | Military motto “Work is worship.” Hindi. It replaced the Latin motto Omnia Facimus and, since Jan. 26, 1955, has appeared in Devanagari atop the corps badge, below the National Emblem. |
| Corps of Engineers (Indian Army) | सर्वत्र (Sarvatra) | Military motto “Everywhere.” Sanskrit. Equivalent to Ubique, the motto of the Royal Engineers. The corps counts 1780, when the Madras Sappers were raised, as its birth year. |
| Corps of Military Police (India) | Seva Tatha Sahayata | Military motto “Service and assistance.” Hindi. |
| Corps of Signals (Indian Army) | तीव्र चौकस (Teevra Chaukas) | Military motto “Swift and Secure.” Hindi. Shown on the corps emblem with the figure of Mercury; the corps was formed at Fatehgarh on Feb. 15, 1911. |
| Costa Rica | ¡Vivan siempre el trabajo y la paz! | Unofficial national motto “May work and peace always live!” Spanish. Taken from the last line of the national anthem. |
| Côte d'Ivoire | Union – Discipline – Travail | National motto “Unity, Discipline, Work.” French. |
| CRPF | सेवा और निष्ठा (Seva Aur Nishtha) | Central armed police motto “Service and Loyalty.” Hindi. Formed on July 27, 1939, as the Crown Representative's Police and renamed by an Act of Dec. 28, 1949; it is India's largest central armed police force.Listed under Central Reserve Police Force |
| Cuba | ¡Patria o Muerte, Venceremos! | Unofficial national motto “Homeland or Death, We Shall Overcome!” Spanish. Traced to Fidel Castro's speech after the La Coubre explosion in Havana harbor on March 5, 1960; Venceremos was added on June 7, 1960. A revolutionary watchword rather than a motto set by law. |
| Czech Republic | Pravda vítězí | National motto “Truth prevails.” Czech. Masaryk adopted the phrase, drawn from Jan Hus's call to defend the truth until death, as the presidential motto in 1918. It appears on the standard of the Czech president, a national symbol under the constitution. |
| Czechia | Pravda vítězí | National motto “Truth prevails.” Czech. Masaryk adopted the phrase, drawn from Jan Hus's call to defend the truth until death, as the presidential motto in 1918. It appears on the standard of the Czech president, a national symbol under the constitution.Listed under Czech Republic |
D
| Motto of | Motto | Meaning and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dartmouth College | Vox clamantis in deserto | University motto “A voice crying out in the wilderness.” Latin. A quotation of Isaiah 40:3 in the Latin Vulgate, the words of a prophet calling in the wilderness. |
| Defence Research and Development Organisation | बलस्य मूलं विज्ञानम् (Balasya Mulam Vijnanam) | Government agency motto “The source of strength is science.” Sanskrit. |
| Delaware | Liberty and Independence | U.S. state motto Delaware state motto, adopted in 1847. |
| Delhi Police | शांति सेवा न्याय (Shanti Seva Nyaya) | Police motto “Peace, Service, Justice.” Hindi. |
| Delhi Public School Society | Service Before Self | School motto The motto of the society founded in 1949, shared by its network of Delhi Public Schools in India and abroad. |
| Delhi University | निष्ठा धृति सत्यम् (Nishtha Dhriti Satyam) | University motto “Dedication, steadfastness and truth.” Sanskrit. The university was established on May 1, 1922, by an Act of the Central Legislative Assembly, with Hari Singh Gour as its first vice chancellor.Listed under University of Delhi |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | Justice – Paix – Travail | National motto “Justice, Peace, Work.” French. Written on a red scroll in the national emblem introduced under the constitution that President Joseph Kabila promulgated on Feb. 18, 2006. |
| Denmark (King Frederik X) | Forbundne, forpligtet, for Kongeriget Danmark | Royal motto “United, committed, for the Kingdom of Denmark.” Danish. Royal motto of King Frederik X, introduced on his accession in 2024. |
| Detroit | Speramus meliora; resurget cineribus | City motto “We hope for better things; it shall rise from the ashes.” Latin. Written by Father Gabriel Richard after the great fire of 1805 that destroyed most of Detroit, and later adopted as the city motto. |
| District of Columbia | Justitia omnibus | Federal district motto “Justice for all.” Latin. |
| Djibouti | Unité, Égalité, Paix | National motto “Unity, Equality, Peace.” French. |
| Dogra Regiment (Indian Army) | कर्तव्यं अन्वात्मा (Kartavyam Anvatma) | Military motto “Duty before death.” Sanskrit. The regiment's war cry is Jwala Mata Ki Jai, and its centre has been at Faizabad Cantonment since 1976. |
| Dominica | Après Bondie, C'est la Ter | National motto “After God, the Earth.” Dominican Creole French. Appears below the shield of the coat of arms, adopted on July 21, 1961. It stresses the importance of the soil to the island's farm economy. |
| Dominican Order | Laudare, benedicere, praedicare | Religious order motto “To praise, to bless, to preach.” Latin. The order also uses the one-word motto Veritas. |
| Dominican Republic | Dios, Patria, Libertad | National motto “God, Homeland, Liberty.” Spanish. Written on an ultramarine ribbon above the shield of the coat of arms, first adopted Nov. 6, 1844, and set out in the constitution. |
| The Doon School | Knowledge Our Light | School motto The motto of the Dehradun boarding school for boys founded in 1935. |
| Doordarshan | सत्यम् शिवम् सुंदरम् (Satyam Shivam Sundaram) | Former government motto “Truth, auspiciousness and beauty.” Sanskrit. Carried with the original Doordarshan logo and later dropped; Doordarshan began on Sept. 15, 1959. |
| DRDO | बलस्य मूलं विज्ञानम् (Balasya Mulam Vijnanam) | Government agency motto “The source of strength is science.” Sanskrit.Listed under Defence Research and Development Organisation |
| Dublin | Obedientia civium urbis felicitas | City motto “The obedience of the citizens produces a happy city.” Latin. |
| Duke University | Eruditio et Religio | University motto “Knowledge and religion.” Latin. Coined in 1859 by Trinity College, Duke's predecessor. |
| Durham University | Fundamenta eius super montibus sanctis | University motto “Her foundations are upon the holy hills.” Latin. Taken from Psalm 87 (Psalm 86 in the Latin Psalter). |
| Dutch monarchy (House of Orange-Nassau) | Je maintiendrai | Royal motto “I will maintain.” French. Shortened from Je maintiendray Nassau, William of Orange's adaptation of his cousin René de Chalon's Je maintiendrai Chalon. King Willem I placed it on the royal arms in 1815. |
E
| Motto of | Motto | Meaning and notes |
|---|---|---|
| East India Company | Auspicio Regis et Senatus Angliae | Company motto “Under the auspices of the King and Parliament of England.” Latin. Motto on the arms of the English company chartered in 1698, carried by the merged United East India Company from 1709. The original 1600 arms bore "Deo ducente nil nocet" (Where God leads, nothing harms). |
| East Timor | Unidade, Acção, Progresso | National motto “Unity, action, progress.” Portuguese. Written on a banner below Mount Tatamailau on the national emblem introduced by Law 2/2007 on Jan. 18, 2007. It retains the spelling Acção, as Timor-Leste has not adopted the 1990 orthographic agreement.Listed under Timor-Leste |
| École Polytechnique | Pour la Patrie, les Sciences et la Gloire | University motto “For the homeland, science and glory.” French. |
| Ecuador | Dios, patria y libertad | Unofficial national motto “God, homeland and liberty.” Spanish. Not on the coat of arms and not set by law. |
| Edinburgh | Nisi Dominus frustra | City motto “Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh in vain.” Latin. The motto is drawn from Psalm 127. |
| El Salvador | Dios, Unión, Libertad | National motto “God, Union, Liberty.” Spanish. Written on a gold scroll beneath the triangle of the national coat of arms, which took its current form on Sept. 15, 1912. |
| Elizabeth I | Video et taceo; Semper eadem | Royal motto “I see and keep silent; always the same.” Latin. Two of the mottoes the Tudor queen used. |
| Emory University | Cor prudentis possidebit scientiam | University motto “The wise heart seeks knowledge.” Latin. The Atlanta university was founded as Emory College in Oxford, Georgia, in 1836. |
| Equatorial Guinea | Unidad, Paz, Justicia | National motto “Unity, Peace, Justice.” Spanish. Adopted with the coat of arms in 1968 and written on a scroll below the shield; the Macías Nguema regime briefly changed the arms and motto before their restoration in 1979. |
| Erasmus | Concedo nulli | Personal motto “I yield to no one.” Latin. Erasmus took the Roman boundary god Terminus as his emblem in 1509 and paired it with this motto, which appears on his 1519 portrait medal by Quentin Metsys. Critics read it as arrogance; in 1529 he explained that the words are spoken by death, not by himself. |
| Ernest Shackleton (family motto) | Fortitudine vincimus | Family motto “By endurance we conquer.” Latin. Later adopted as the motto of the Royal Navy ships named HMS Endurance. |
| Eswatini | Siyinqaba | National motto “We are the fortress.” siSwati. Appears on a banner below the shield of the national coat of arms, adopted in 1968. |
| Ethiopian Empire | ኢትዮጵያ ታበፅዕ እደዊሃ ኀበ እግዚአብሔር (Ityopia tabetsih edewiha habe Igziabiher) | Former national motto “Ethiopia stretches her hands unto God.” Ge'ez. Former imperial motto taken from Psalm 68:31 and borne on the coat of arms of Emperor Haile Selassie; the verse also underpins early Rastafari belief. Modern Ethiopia has no official motto. |
| Eton College | Floreat Etona | School motto “May Eton flourish.” Latin. |
| EU | In varietate concordia | International organization motto “United in diversity.” Latin. Chosen in a contest among secondary school students and proclaimed at the European Parliament on May 4, 2000; Article I-8 of the failed 2004 Constitutional Treaty would have enshrined it.Listed under European Union |
| European Union | In varietate concordia | International organization motto “United in diversity.” Latin. Chosen in a contest among secondary school students and proclaimed at the European Parliament on May 4, 2000; Article I-8 of the failed 2004 Constitutional Treaty would have enshrined it. |
| Everton Football Club | Nil satis nisi optimum | Sports club motto “Nothing but the best is good enough.” Latin. |
F
| Motto of | Motto | Meaning and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Facebook (Meta) | Move fast and break things | Informal company motto Facebook's internal motto in its startup years. Mark Zuckerberg replaced it with "Move fast with stable infrastructure" at the F8 conference in 2014, and Meta's 2022 values reduced it to "Move fast.". |
| Falkland Islands | Desire the Right | Territory motto Recalls the Desire, the ship from which English captain John Davis sighted the islands in 1592. It later gave its name to the Desire the Right Party. |
| FAO | Fiat panis | International organization motto “Let there be bread.” Latin.Listed under Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |
| FBI | Fidelity, Bravery, Integrity | Government agency motto Devised in 1935, it appears on a scroll beneath the shield on the FBI seal.Listed under Federal Bureau of Investigation |
| FC Barcelona | Més que un club | Sports club motto “More than a club.” Catalan. Reflects the club's ties to Catalan identity. |
| FC Bayern Munich | Mia san mia | Sports club motto “We are who we are.” Bavarian German. |
| Federal Bureau of Investigation | Fidelity, Bravery, Integrity | Government agency motto Devised in 1935, it appears on a scroll beneath the shield on the FBI seal. |
| Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor | Fiat iustitia, et pereat mundus | Personal motto “Let justice be done, though the world perish.” Latin. Immanuel Kant cited it in Perpetual Peace in 1795 to sum up his moral philosophy. |
| FIDE | Gens una sumus | Sports motto “We are one people.” Latin. |
| Fiji | Rerevaka na Kalou ka Doka na Tui | National motto “Fear God and honor the king.” Fijian. Drawn from 1 Peter 2:17. It appears at the bottom of the coat of arms, granted by royal warrant on July 4, 1908. |
| Florida | In God We Trust | U.S. state motto First appeared on the state seal in 1868 and was designated the official state motto in 2006. |
| Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations | Fiat panis | International organization motto “Let there be bread.” Latin. |
| Fordham University | Sapientia et doctrina | University motto “Wisdom and learning.” Latin. |
| France | Liberté, égalité, fraternité | National motto “Liberty, equality, fraternity.” French. Robespierre popularized the phrase in a Dec. 5, 1790, speech on the National Guard. It was first officially adopted in 1848 and is written into the 1946 and 1958 constitutions. |
| Franciscan Order | Pax et bonum | Religious order motto “Peace and good.” Latin. Motto of St. Francis of Assisi and his monastery in Assisi, rendered in Italian as Pace e bene. |
| Free University of Berlin | Veritas, iustitia, libertas | University motto “Truth, justice, liberty.” Latin. |
| French Foreign Legion | Legio Patria Nostra; Honneur et Fidélité | Military motto “The Legion is our fatherland; honor and fidelity.” Latin and French. Honneur et Fidélité is the French motto on the regimental colors. |
| Fudan University | 博学而笃志，切问而近思 (Boxue er duzhi, qiewen er jinsi) | University motto “Learn widely and hold firmly to your purpose, inquire earnestly and reflect on what is at hand.” Chinese. |
G
| Motto of | Motto | Meaning and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Gabon | Union, Travail, Justice | National motto “Union, work, justice.” French. On the ribbon below the shield of the coat of arms designed by Swiss heraldist Louis Mühlemann and adopted on July 15, 1963. A second ribbon carries the Latin motto Uniti progrediemur. |
| Gadsden flag | Dont Tread on Me | Historic motto Designed by Christopher Gadsden in 1775 and flown by the Continental Marines early in the Revolutionary War; modern versions often add the apostrophe. |
| The Gambia | Progress, Peace, Prosperity | National motto Inscribed at the base of the coat of arms, in use since Nov. 18, 1964. Nicholas Potin of the Department of Surveys designed the arms after winning a national competition. |
| Garhwal Rifles | युद्धाय कृतनिश्चय (Yudhaya Krit Nishchaya) | Military motto “Fight with determination.” Sanskrit. From the Bhagavad Gita (2.37), where Krishna tells Arjuna to rise, resolved to fight. |
| Geneva | Post tenebras lux | City motto “After darkness, light.” Latin. Drawn from the Vulgate text of Job 17:12, it became the Calvinist motto and appears on the seal of the Canton of Geneva. |
| George Cross | For Gallantry | Military decoration motto |
| George Washington (Washington family) | Exitus acta probat | Family motto “The result is the test of the actions.” Latin. On Washington's armorial bookplate, in Mount Vernon's rendering. |
| Georgetown University | Utraque Unum | University motto “Both into one.” Latin. The university's own rendering; the motto signifies the union of faith and reason. |
| Georgia | ძალა ერთობაშია (Dzala ertobashia) | National motto “Strength is in unity.” Georgian. Motto of the national coat of arms, whose current rendition was adopted Oct. 1, 2004. |
| Georgia (U.S. state) | Wisdom, Justice, Moderation | U.S. state motto Georgia never officially adopted a state motto; the words come from the state seal specified by a 1799 act under the 1798 constitution. |
| Georgia Institute of Technology | Progress and Service | University motto Motto of the Atlanta public research university established in 1885. |
| German Empire | Gott mit uns | Former national motto “God with us.” German. Former national motto of the German Empire from 1871 to 1918. |
| Germany | Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit | Unofficial national motto “Unity and justice and freedom.” German. Opens the third stanza of the Deutschlandlied, written by Hoffmann von Fallersleben on Heligoland in 1841; Germany has no official motto. It is on the edge of German 2 euro coins and on Bundeswehr belt buckles. |
| Ghana | Freedom and Justice | National motto Borne on a scroll beneath the coat of arms designed by artist Nii Amon Kotei and adopted on March 4, 1957. |
| Ghent University | Sapere aude | University motto “Dare to think.” Latin. The Belgian university, founded in 1817, also uses the Dutch form Durf denken. The Latin phrase comes from Horace's Epistles. |
| Gibraltar | Montis Insignia Calpe | Territory motto “Badge of the Mount of Calpe.” Latin. Mons Calpe was the Latin name of the Rock of Gibraltar; the motto was added to the arms in 1836. |
| Girl Scouts of the USA | Be Prepared | Organization motto The early Girl Scout handbook pairs the motto with the slogan Do a Good Turn Daily. |
| Glasgow | Let Glasgow Flourish | City motto City motto of Glasgow. |
| Goa | सर्वे भद्राणि पश्यन्तु मा कश्चिद् दुःखमाप्नुयात् (Sarve bhadrāṇi paśyantu mā kaścid duḥkhamāpnuyāt) | Indian state motto “May everyone see goodness, may none suffer any pain.” Sanskrit. Appears above a Vriksha Deep lamp ringed by stylized coconut leaves on the state emblem of Goa, which carries the Lions of Sarnath as its crest. |
| Don't be evil | Informal company motto Suggested by early employees around 2000 and quoted in the founders' 2004 IPO letter, it opened Google's code of conduct until 2018. It now appears only in the code's closing line: And remember, don't be evil, and if you see something that you think isn't right, speak up! Alphabet, the parent company formed in 2015, adopted Do the right thing. | |
| Gordonstoun | Plus est en vous | School motto “There is more in you.” French. The Scottish boarding school founded by Kurt Hahn in 1934 calls the motto the ethos at the core of everything it does. |
| Gorkha Rifles | कायर हुनु भन्दा मर्नु राम्रो (Kayar hunu bhanda marnu ramro) | Military motto “Better to die than live like a coward.” Nepali. Shared by the seven Gorkha Rifles regiments of the Indian Army; six came to India under the 1947 Tripartite Agreement and the 11th Gorkha Rifles was raised later. |
| Great Seal of the United States (reverse) | Annuit cœptis; Novus ordo seclorum | Inscription “He has favored our undertakings; A new order of the ages.” Latin. Both mottos appear on the reverse of the Great Seal and are traced to Virgil. |
| Greece | Ελευθερία ή θάνατος (Eleftheria i thanatos) | National motto “Freedom or death.” Greek. Adopted by the secret society Filiki Eteria in 1814, it became the war cry of the War of Independence that began in 1821. One account links the flag's nine stripes to its nine syllables. |
| Grenada | Ever Conscious of God We Aspire, Build and Advance as One People | National motto On the ribbon of the national coat of arms, granted by royal warrant of Queen Elizabeth II on Dec. 6, 1973. It replaced the colonial badge motto Clarior e Tenebris, used from 1903 to 1974. |
| The Grenadiers (Indian Army) | सर्वदा शक्तिशाली (Sarvada Shaktishali) | Military motto “Ever powerful.” Sanskrit. Regimental motto of the Grenadiers of the Indian Army, whose Param Vir Chakra winners include Abdul Hamid (1965), Hoshiar Singh (1971) and Yogendra Singh Yadav (1999). |
| Groton School | Cui servire est regnare | School motto “To serve God is to reign.” Latin. Attributed to St. Augustine; the Book of Common Prayer renders it In whose service is perfect freedom. The Massachusetts school was founded by Endicott Peabody in 1884, and Franklin D. Roosevelt is an alumnus. |
| Guatemala | Libre Crezca Fecundo | Unofficial national motto “Grow free and fertile.” Spanish. The central bank calls it an old patriotic motto; it appears on the five centavo coin. |
| Guinea | Travail, Justice, Solidarité | National motto “Work, justice, solidarity.” French. |
| Guinea-Bissau | Unidade, Luta, Progresso | National motto “Unity, Struggle, Progress.” Portuguese. Written on the banner of the coat of arms adopted with the national flag in 1973, a design close to the symbol of the PAIGC liberation party. The banner changed from red to white in 1994. |
| Guyana | One People, One Nation, One Destiny | National motto Motto beneath the national coat of arms adopted Feb. 25, 1966. The colonial arms of 1954 bore the Latin motto Damus Petimusque Vicissim. |
H
| Motto of | Motto | Meaning and notes |
|---|---|---|
| The Hague | Vrede en Recht | City motto “Peace and justice.” Dutch. Added to the city's coat of arms on Sept. 27, 2012. |
| Haiti | Liberté, égalité, fraternité | National motto “Liberty, equality, fraternity.” French. Adopted from the motto of the French Revolution. Article 4 of the 1987 Constitution names it the national motto, while Article 3 places L'Union fait la Force (Unity makes strength) on the coat of arms. |
| Hamburg | Libertatem quam peperere maiores digne studeat servare posteritas | City motto “May posterity strive to preserve with dignity the freedom our forefathers won.” Latin. The city's motto is inscribed over the balcony of Hamburg City Hall. |
| Harrow School | Stet fortuna domus | School motto “May the fortune of the house stand.” Latin. Harrow also uses a second Latin motto, Donorum Dei dispensatio fidelis. |
| Harvard University | Veritas | University motto “Truth.” Latin. The motto appears on the Appleton Seal adopted by the Harvard Corporation in 1885. |
| Hawaii | Ua mau ke ea o ka ʻāina i ka pono | U.S. state motto “The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness.” Hawaiian. First said by King Kamehameha III on July 31, 1843, after the restoration of Hawaiian sovereignty. It appeared on the kingdom's coat of arms in May 1845 and became the state motto on May 1, 1959. |
| Heidelberg University | Semper apertus | University motto “Always open.” Latin. |
| Hiroshima Peace Memorial cenotaph | 安らかに眠って下さい 過ちは繰返しませぬから (Yasuraka ni nemutte kudasai; ayamachi wa kurikaeshimasenu kara) | Inscription “Please rest in peace, for the error shall not be repeated.” Japanese. Written by English professor Tadayoshi Saika for the cenotaph completed in 1952. The inscription deliberately names no subject, which drew criticism from Indian jurist Radhabinod Pal in November 1952. |
| The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy | Don't Panic | Fictional inscription In Douglas Adams' novel the words are inscribed in large, friendly letters on the cover of the Guide. |
| Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Harry Potter) | Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus | Fictional motto “Never tickle a sleeping dragon.” Latin. |
| Honduras | Libre, Soberana e Independiente | National motto “Free, sovereign and independent.” Spanish. Inscribed in gold letters on the oval of the coat of arms, adopted in 1825, together with the independence date of Sept. 15, 1821. |
| Horatio Nelson | Palmam qui meruit ferat | Personal motto “Let whoever has earned the palm bear it.” Latin. His personal and heraldic motto. |
| House Baratheon (A Song of Ice and Fire) | Ours Is the Fury | Fictional motto House words in George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire. |
| House Greyjoy (A Song of Ice and Fire) | We Do Not Sow | Fictional motto |
| House Lannister (A Song of Ice and Fire) | Hear Me Roar! | Fictional motto |
| House of Habsburg | A.E.I.O.U. | Royal motto Latin initials. Device of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III. One common reading is Austriae est imperare orbi universo (Austria is to rule the whole world), but the meaning of the five vowels is disputed. |
| House Stark (A Song of Ice and Fire) | Winter Is Coming | Fictional motto |
| House Targaryen (A Song of Ice and Fire) | Fire and Blood | Fictional motto |
| Howard University | Veritas et Utilitas | University motto “Truth and service.” Latin. Congress chartered the university in 1867. |
| Hudson's Bay Company | Pro pelle cutem | Company motto “A pelt for a skin.” Latin. Adopted soon after the fur-trading company received its royal charter in 1670 and carried on its coat of arms. It was dropped from the arms during a 2002 to 2013 rebranding and then restored. |
| Hugo Grotius | Ruit hora | Personal motto “Time flies.” Latin. Personal motto of the Dutch jurist known as a founder of international law, reflecting the single-minded zeal of his life. |
I
| Motto of | Motto | Meaning and notes |
|---|---|---|
| IAEA | Atoms for Peace and Development | International organization motto Listed under International Atomic Energy Agency |
| IBM | Think | Company motto Thomas J. Watson Sr. made it the company motto; by the 1930s it hung in IBM offices and factories worldwide. |
| ICRC | Inter arma caritas; Per humanitatem ad pacem | International organization motto “Charity amid arms; through humanity towards peace.” Latin. Article 3 of the ICRC Statutes gives the first as its motto and also recognizes the second.Listed under International Committee of the Red Cross |
| Idaho | Esto perpetua | U.S. state motto “Let it be perpetual.” Latin. In official use since 1890. |
| IIM Ahmedabad | विद्या विनियोगात् विकासः (Vidya Viniyogat Vikasah) | University motto “Progress comes from proper application of knowledge.” Sanskrit. Proposed by Prof. H. N. Pathak and added in 1967 to the institute's logo, which was adopted on July 1, 1964, and inspired by a window of the Sidi Saiyyed mosque.Listed under Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad |
| IIM Bangalore | तेजस्वि नावधीतमस्तु (Tejasvi Navadhitamastu) | University motto “Let our study be enlightening.” Sanskrit. Taken from the Shanti Mantra found in the Taittiriya and Katha Upanishads.Listed under Indian Institute of Management Bangalore |
| IIM Calcutta | Jñānam Sarvahitāya | University motto “Knowledge for the benefit of all.” Sanskrit.Listed under Indian Institute of Management Calcutta |
| IIM Indore | Siddhi Moolam Prabandhanam | University motto “The root of all achievement is management.” Sanskrit.Listed under Indian Institute of Management Indore |
| IIM Kozhikode | योगः कर्मसु कौशलम् (Yogah Karmasu Kaushalam) | University motto “Excellence in action is yoga.” Sanskrit. From the Bhagavad Gita (2.50). VNIT Nagpur uses the same motto.Listed under Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode |
| IIM Lucknow | Suprabandhe Rashtra Samriddhi | University motto “A nation's prosperity rests on good management.” Sanskrit.Listed under Indian Institute of Management Lucknow |
| IIT BHU | संस्कार ही शिक्षा (Sanskar Hi Shiksha) | University motto “Education is character.” Hindi.Listed under Indian Institute of Technology (BHU) Varanasi |
| IIT Bombay | ज्ञानं परमं ध्येयम् (Jnanam Paramam Dhyeyam) | University motto “Knowledge is the supreme goal.” Sanskrit. The institute was established in 1958 as the second IIT, with UNESCO support and Soviet funding.Listed under Indian Institute of Technology Bombay |
| IIT Dhanbad | Uttiṣṭhata jāgrata prāpya varānnibodhata | University motto “Arise, awake and stop not till the goal is reached.” Sanskrit. From the Katha Upanishad (1.3.14), Yama's teaching to Nachiketa, popularized by Swami Vivekananda in the late 19th century. IIEST Shibpur shares the motto.Listed under Indian Institute of Technology (ISM) Dhanbad |
| IIT Guwahati | Jnana hi shakti hai | University motto “Knowledge is power.” Hindi.Listed under Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati |
| IIT Hyderabad | नवोन्मेषेण देशनिर्माणम् (Navonmeshena Deshanirmanam) | University motto “Nation building through innovation.” Sanskrit. Introduced with the institute's new logo in July 2026.Listed under Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad |
| IIT Indore | Jñānam Sarvajana-hitāya | University motto “Knowledge for the benefit of all.” Sanskrit.Listed under Indian Institute of Technology Indore |
| IIT Kanpur | तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय (Tamaso Ma Jyotirgamaya) | University motto “Lead me from darkness to light.” Sanskrit. From the Pavamana Mantra of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (1.3.28), which begins Asato ma sadgamaya.Listed under Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur |
| IIT Kharagpur | योगः कर्मसु कौशलम् (Yogah Karmasu Kaushalam) | University motto “Excellence in work is true yoga.” Sanskrit. From the Bhagavad Gita (2.50), Krishna's counsel to Arjuna. The first IIT began in 1950 in the old Hijli Detention Camp.Listed under Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur |
| IIT Madras | सिद्धिर्भवति कर्मजा (Siddhirbhavati Karmaja) | University motto “Effort yields success.” Sanskrit. From the Bhagavad Gita (4.12). The institute's logo bearing the motto is laid out in brick and cement in front of the Building Sciences Block.Listed under Indian Institute of Technology Madras |
| IIT Patna | Vidyārthī labhate vidyām | University motto “One who aspires to wisdom attains it.” Sanskrit.Listed under Indian Institute of Technology Patna |
| IIT Roorkee | श्रमम् विना न किमपि साध्यम् (Shramam Vina Na Kimapi Sadhyam) | University motto “Without effort nothing is possible.” Sanskrit.Listed under Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee |
| IIT Ropar | Dhiyo yo naḥ pracodayāt | University motto “Deploy our intellect on the right path.” Sanskrit. The closing line of the Gayatri Mantra (Rigveda 3.62.10), attributed to the sage Vishvamitra. Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya uses the same line.Listed under Indian Institute of Technology Ropar |
| Illinois | State sovereignty, national union | U.S. state motto Adopted in 1819. |
| ILO | Si vis pacem, cole justitiam | International organization motto “If you desire peace, cultivate justice.” Latin. Engraved on the foundation stone of the ILO's first Geneva headquarters, occupied in 1926, and cited when the ILO won the 1969 Nobel Peace Prize.Listed under International Labour Organization |
| IMA | वीरता और विवेक (Veerta Aur Vivek) | Military motto “Valor and wisdom.” Hindi. The academy at Dehradun was inaugurated on Dec. 10, 1932, by Gen. Sir Philip Chetwode, whose credo is inscribed in Chetwode Hall; its first batch included Sam Manekshaw.Listed under Indian Military Academy |
| Immanuel Kant | Sapere aude | Maxim “Dare to know.” Latin. From Horace, Epistles, Book I, letter 2, line 40. Kant made it the motto of the Enlightenment in his 1784 essay Answering the Question: What Is Enlightenment?. |
| Imperial College London | Scientia imperii decus et tutamen | University motto “Scientific knowledge, the crowning glory and the safeguard of the empire.” Latin. The arms bearing the motto were granted by Royal Warrant on June 6, 1908; Imperial stopped putting the motto on new crest material in 2020. |
| Income Tax Department (India) | कोष मूलो दण्डः (Kosha Mulo Dandah) | Government agency motto “Treasury is the root of administration.” Sanskrit. From Kautilya's Arthashastra (part 8, chapter 1); it appears in Devanagari on the department's logo. Income Tax Day, July 24, marks India's first income tax law of 1860. |
| India | सत्यमेव जयते (Satyameva Jayate) | National motto “Truth alone triumphs.” Sanskrit. From the Mundaka Upanishad (3.1.6). Adopted with the State Emblem on Jan. 26, 1950, and inscribed below it in Devanagari script; Madan Mohan Malaviya popularized it in 1918. |
| India Meteorological Department | आदित्यात् जायते वृष्टिः (Adityat Jayate Vrishti) | Government agency motto “Rain is born of the sun.” Sanskrit. The phrase is embedded in the IMD logo, including the logo released for its 150th year in December 2023. |
| India Post | डाक सेवा जन सेवा (Dak Sewa Jan Sewa) | Government motto “Postal service is service to the people.” Hindi. The line appears beside India Post branding on its official publications. |
| Indian Air Force | नभः स्पृशं दीप्तम् (Nabhah Sprisham Diptam) | Military motto “Touch the sky with glory.” Sanskrit. From the Bhagavad Gita (11.24), Arjuna's words on seeing the cosmic form of Krishna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. |
| Indian Army | सेवा परमो धर्मः (Seva Paramo Dharmah) | Military motto “Service before self.” Sanskrit. Army Day, Jan. 15, marks K. M. Cariappa taking over as the first Indian commander in chief of the army in 1949. |
| Indian Coast Guard | वयम् रक्षामः (Vayam Rakshamah) | Military motto “We protect.” Sanskrit. The service was formally established under the Coast Guard Act on Aug. 18, 1978, after an interim force set up in February 1977; Coast Guard Day falls on Feb. 1. |
| Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad | विद्या विनियोगात् विकासः (Vidya Viniyogat Vikasah) | University motto “Progress comes from proper application of knowledge.” Sanskrit. Proposed by Prof. H. N. Pathak and added in 1967 to the institute's logo, which was adopted on July 1, 1964, and inspired by a window of the Sidi Saiyyed mosque. |
| Indian Institute of Management Bangalore | तेजस्वि नावधीतमस्तु (Tejasvi Navadhitamastu) | University motto “Let our study be enlightening.” Sanskrit. Taken from the Shanti Mantra found in the Taittiriya and Katha Upanishads. |
| Indian Institute of Management Calcutta | Jñānam Sarvahitāya | University motto “Knowledge for the benefit of all.” Sanskrit. |
| Indian Institute of Management Indore | Siddhi Moolam Prabandhanam | University motto “The root of all achievement is management.” Sanskrit. |
| Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode | योगः कर्मसु कौशलम् (Yogah Karmasu Kaushalam) | University motto “Excellence in action is yoga.” Sanskrit. From the Bhagavad Gita (2.50). VNIT Nagpur uses the same motto. |
| Indian Institute of Management Lucknow | Suprabandhe Rashtra Samriddhi | University motto “A nation's prosperity rests on good management.” Sanskrit. |
| Indian Institute of Technology (BHU) Varanasi | संस्कार ही शिक्षा (Sanskar Hi Shiksha) | University motto “Education is character.” Hindi. |
| Indian Institute of Technology (ISM) Dhanbad | Uttiṣṭhata jāgrata prāpya varānnibodhata | University motto “Arise, awake and stop not till the goal is reached.” Sanskrit. From the Katha Upanishad (1.3.14), Yama's teaching to Nachiketa, popularized by Swami Vivekananda in the late 19th century. IIEST Shibpur shares the motto. |
| Indian Institute of Technology Bombay | ज्ञानं परमं ध्येयम् (Jnanam Paramam Dhyeyam) | University motto “Knowledge is the supreme goal.” Sanskrit. The institute was established in 1958 as the second IIT, with UNESCO support and Soviet funding. |
| Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati | Jnana hi shakti hai | University motto “Knowledge is power.” Hindi. |
| Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad | नवोन्मेषेण देशनिर्माणम् (Navonmeshena Deshanirmanam) | University motto “Nation building through innovation.” Sanskrit. Introduced with the institute's new logo in July 2026. |
| Indian Institute of Technology Indore | Jñānam Sarvajana-hitāya | University motto “Knowledge for the benefit of all.” Sanskrit. |
| Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur | तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय (Tamaso Ma Jyotirgamaya) | University motto “Lead me from darkness to light.” Sanskrit. From the Pavamana Mantra of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (1.3.28), which begins Asato ma sadgamaya. |
| Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur | योगः कर्मसु कौशलम् (Yogah Karmasu Kaushalam) | University motto “Excellence in work is true yoga.” Sanskrit. From the Bhagavad Gita (2.50), Krishna's counsel to Arjuna. The first IIT began in 1950 in the old Hijli Detention Camp. |
| Indian Institute of Technology Madras | सिद्धिर्भवति कर्मजा (Siddhirbhavati Karmaja) | University motto “Effort yields success.” Sanskrit. From the Bhagavad Gita (4.12). The institute's logo bearing the motto is laid out in brick and cement in front of the Building Sciences Block. |
| Indian Institute of Technology Patna | Vidyārthī labhate vidyām | University motto “One who aspires to wisdom attains it.” Sanskrit. |
| Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee | श्रमम् विना न किमपि साध्यम् (Shramam Vina Na Kimapi Sadhyam) | University motto “Without effort nothing is possible.” Sanskrit. |
| Indian Institute of Technology Ropar | Dhiyo yo naḥ pracodayāt | University motto “Deploy our intellect on the right path.” Sanskrit. The closing line of the Gayatri Mantra (Rigveda 3.62.10), attributed to the sage Vishvamitra. Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya uses the same line. |
| Indian Military Academy | वीरता और विवेक (Veerta Aur Vivek) | Military motto “Valor and wisdom.” Hindi. The academy at Dehradun was inaugurated on Dec. 10, 1932, by Gen. Sir Philip Chetwode, whose credo is inscribed in Chetwode Hall; its first batch included Sam Manekshaw. |
| Indian National Army (Azad Hind Fauj) | اتفاق، اعتماد اور قربانی (Ittefaq, Itmad aur Qurbani) | Military motto “Concord, faith and sacrifice.” Hindustani. Motto of the army raised under Subhas Chandra Bose during World War II. |
| Indian Naval Academy | विद्ययाऽमृतमश्नुते (Vidyaya Amritam Ashnute) | Military motto “Become immortal through knowledge.” Sanskrit. From the Isha Upanishad 11; the academy is at Ezhimala, Kerala. |
| Indian Navy | शं नो वरुणः (Sham No Varunah) | Military motto “May the lord of the waters be auspicious unto us.” Sanskrit. From the Taittiriya Upanishad, a prayer to Varuna, the Vedic god of the waters. Navy Day, Dec. 4, marks Operation Trident's 1971 strike on Karachi. |
| Indian Space Research Organisation | Space technology in the service of humankind | Government agency motto Long used as ISRO's motto; the agency was founded in 1969. |
| Indian Statistical Institute | भिन्नेष्वैक्यस्य दर्शनम् (Bhinneshvaikyasya Darshanam) | University motto “Even in differences, see the unity.” Sanskrit. Part of the institute's logo. Founded by P.C. Mahalanobis on Dec. 17, 1931, the institute was declared an Institute of National Importance under the Indian Statistical Institute Act, 1959. |
| Indiana | The Crossroads of America | U.S. state motto State motto since 1937. |
| Indiana University | Lux et Veritas | University motto “Light and truth.” Latin. Motto of the public university system centered in Bloomington, Indiana, cited by its leaders in commencement addresses. |
| Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) | The People's University | University motto The motto of the distance learning university founded by an act of Parliament in 1985. |
| Indo-Tibetan Border Police | शौर्य दृढ़ता कर्म निष्ठा (Shaurya, Dridhata, Karm Nishtha) | Central armed police motto “Valor, steadfastness and commitment to duty.” Hindi. Raised on Oct. 24, 1962, after the Sino-Indian War, the force guards the 3,488 km India-China border from the Karakoram Pass to Diphu La. |
| Indonesia | Bhinneka Tunggal Ika | National motto “Unity in diversity.” Old Javanese. From canto 139, stanza 5 of the Kakawin Sutasoma, a 14th-century poem by Mpu Tantular of the Majapahit empire. It is written on the scroll held by the Garuda Pancasila and was added to the constitution in 2000. |
| INS Vikramaditya | Strike Far, Strike Sure | Military motto Indian Navy aircraft carrier commissioned in 2013. |
| INS Vikrant (aircraft carrier) | जयेम सं युधि स्पृधः (Jayema Sam Yudhi Spridhah) | Military motto “I defeat those who dare to fight against me.” Sanskrit. From the Rigveda (1.8.3), a hymn to Indra. Carried over from the first INS Vikrant (1961 to 1997); the indigenous carrier built by Cochin Shipyard was commissioned on Sept. 2, 2022. |
| Institute of Chartered Accountants of India | य एष सुप्तेषु जागर्ति (Ya Esha Supteshu Jagarti) | Organization motto “The one who is awake in those who sleep.” Sanskrit. Adopted from the Katha Upanishad. The institute was set up by an act of Parliament in 1949. |
| Institute of Company Secretaries of India | सत्यं वद धर्मं चर (Satyam Vada Dharmam Chara) | Organization motto “Speak the truth, abide by the law.” Sanskrit. The motto of the statutory professional body founded in 1968. |
| Intelligence Bureau (India) | जागृतं अहर्निशं (Jagritam Aharnisham) | Government agency motto “Always alert.” Sanskrit. The motto of India's domestic intelligence agency, which works under the Ministry of Home Affairs. |
| Intelligence Corps (Indian Army) | Sada Satark | Military motto “Ever alert.” Hindi. |
| International Atomic Energy Agency | Atoms for Peace and Development | International organization motto |
| International Business Machines | Think | Company motto Thomas J. Watson Sr. made it the company motto; by the 1930s it hung in IBM offices and factories worldwide.Listed under IBM |
| International Committee of the Red Cross | Inter arma caritas; Per humanitatem ad pacem | International organization motto “Charity amid arms; through humanity towards peace.” Latin. Article 3 of the ICRC Statutes gives the first as its motto and also recognizes the second. |
| International Labour Organization | Si vis pacem, cole justitiam | International organization motto “If you desire peace, cultivate justice.” Latin. Engraved on the foundation stone of the ILO's first Geneva headquarters, occupied in 1926, and cited when the ILO won the 1969 Nobel Peace Prize. |
| International Paralympic Committee | Spirit in Motion | Sports motto Introduced at the 2004 Athens Paralympics, replacing Mind, Body, Spirit. |
| Iowa | Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain | U.S. state motto State motto since 1847. |
| Iran | الله أكبر (Allahu Akbar) | National flag inscription “God is the greatest.” Arabic. The takbir is written along the edges of the flag's green and red bands under Article 18 of the constitution; the de facto motto is Esteqlal, Azadi, Jomhuri ye Eslami (Independence, freedom, the Islamic Republic). |
| Iraq | الله أكبر (Allahu Akbar) | National flag inscription “God is the greatest.” Arabic. Written on the national flag since January 1991; the 2008 flag dropped the three stars and kept the words in Kufic script. |
| Isle of Man | Quocunque jeceris stabit | Territory motto “Whithersoever you throw it, it will stand.” Latin. Refers to the triskelion, which always lands on a foot however it falls. First recorded on Manx coins in 1668, it is the motto of the arms granted by Elizabeth II on July 12, 1996. |
| ISM Dhanbad | Uttiṣṭhata jāgrata prāpya varānnibodhata | University motto “Arise, awake and stop not till the goal is reached.” Sanskrit. From the Katha Upanishad (1.3.14), Yama's teaching to Nachiketa, popularized by Swami Vivekananda in the late 19th century. IIEST Shibpur shares the motto.Listed under Indian Institute of Technology (ISM) Dhanbad |
| ISRO | Space technology in the service of humankind | Government agency motto Long used as ISRO's motto; the agency was founded in 1969.Listed under Indian Space Research Organisation |
| ITBP | शौर्य दृढ़ता कर्म निष्ठा (Shaurya, Dridhata, Karm Nishtha) | Central armed police motto “Valor, steadfastness and commitment to duty.” Hindi. Raised on Oct. 24, 1962, after the Sino-Indian War, the force guards the 3,488 km India-China border from the Karakoram Pass to Diphu La.Listed under Indo-Tibetan Border Police |
| Ivory Coast | Union – Discipline – Travail | National motto “Unity, Discipline, Work.” French.Listed under Côte d'Ivoire |
J
| Motto of | Motto | Meaning and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Jagiellonian University | Plus ratio quam vis | University motto “Let reason prevail over force.” Latin. |
| Jamaica | Out of Many, One People | National motto Announced on April 3, 1962, in preparation for independence on Aug. 6, replacing the Latin Indus Uterque Serviet Uni on the arms first granted to the colony in 1661. |
| Jamia Millia Islamia | عَلَّمَ الْإِنسَانَ مَا لَمْ يَعْلَمْ ('Allama al-insana ma lam ya'lam) | University motto “Taught man what he knew not.” Arabic. From the Quran, Surah Al-Alaq 96:5. The Delhi university was founded in 1920. |
| Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry | बलिदानं वीरलक्षणम् (Balidanam Veer Lakshanam) | Military motto “Sacrifice is a characteristic of the brave.” Sanskrit. War cry: Bharat Mata ki Jai. |
| Jammu and Kashmir Rifles | Prashasta Ranveerta | Military motto “Valour in battle is praiseworthy.” Sanskrit. War cry: Durga Mata ki Jai. |
| Jat Regiment | संगठन व वीरता (Sangathan Va Veerta) | Military motto “Unity and valor.” Hindi. The regiment's war cry is Jat Balwan, Jai Bhagwan, adopted in 1955. It traces its origin to the Calcutta Native Militia of 1795. |
| Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya | प्रज्ञानं ब्रह्म (Prajñānam Brahma) | School motto “Knowledge is Brahman.” Sanskrit. From the Aitareya Upanishad (3.3) of the Rigveda, one of the four Mahavakyas; Brahman here is the ultimate reality, not the god Brahma. |
| Jedi Order (Star Wars) | There is no emotion, there is peace. | Fictional motto First line of the Jedi Code, which comes from the West End Games Star Wars roleplaying game. |
| Johns Hopkins University | Veritas vos liberabit | University motto “The truth will set you free.” Latin. |
| Jordan | الله، الوطن، الملك (Allah, al-Watan, al-Malik) | Unofficial national motto “God, homeland, king.” Arabic. A widely used patriotic phrase; it does not appear on the coat of arms. |
| Juventus Football Club | Fino alla fine | Sports club motto “Until the end.” Italian. Longtime club motto of Juventus. |
K
| Motto of | Motto | Meaning and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas | Ad astra per aspera | U.S. state motto “To the stars through difficulties.” Latin. State motto since 1861. |
| Karl Marx | De omnibus dubitandum | Personal motto “Doubt everything.” Latin. Marx gave it as his motto in a parlor-game Confession questionnaire dated April 1, 1865, kept in his daughter Jenny's album. |
| Keio University | Calamus gladio fortior | University motto “The pen is mightier than the sword.” Latin. |
| Kendriya Vidyalaya | तत् त्वं पूषन् अपावृणु (Tat Tvam Pushan Apavrinu) | School motto “O Sun, remove the covering that hides the face of truth.” Sanskrit. From the Isha Upanishad 15; shared by Kendriya Vidyalaya schools across India.Listed under Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan |
| Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan | तत् त्वं पूषन् अपावृणु (Tat Tvam Pushan Apavrinu) | School motto “O Sun, remove the covering that hides the face of truth.” Sanskrit. From the Isha Upanishad 15; shared by Kendriya Vidyalaya schools across India. |
| Kentucky | United we stand, divided we fall; Deo gratiam habeamus | U.S. state motto English and Latin. The English motto dates from 1942; the Latin motto, meaning Let us be grateful to God, was added in 2002. |
| Kenya | Harambee | National motto “All pull together.” Swahili. Adopted by Jomo Kenyatta after independence in 1963 as a call to build the new nation; it appears on a scroll on the coat of arms adopted that year. A 2018 petition to remove it was rejected. |
| King's College London | Sancte et sapienter | University motto “With holiness and wisdom.” Latin. |
| Kingdom of France | Montjoie Saint Denis! | Royal war cry “Mountjoy Saint Denis!” French. The royal war cry of the French kings, not a motto of the French state. |
| Kingdom of Prussia | Suum cuique | Former national motto “To each his own.” Latin. A motto of the Prussian kings; the Kingdom of Prussia existed from 1701 to 1918. |
| Kiribati | Te Mauri, Te Raoi ao Te Tabomoa | National motto “Health, peace and prosperity.” Gilbertese. On the ribbon under the shield since 1979, when the colonial arms were adapted for independent Kiribati. It replaced the colony's motto Fear God, Honour the King, used from 1937. |
| Kiwanis International | Serving the children of the world | Organization motto |
| Knights Templar | Non nobis Domine, non nobis, sed nomini tuo da gloriam | Religious order motto “Not to us, Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory.” Latin. From Psalm 115:1. |
| Kolkata | পুরশ্রী বিবর্ধন (Purosree Bibardhan) | City motto “Progress of the city.” Bengali. Motto of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation. |
| Kolkata Police | তোমার সহিত – সর্বদা (Tomar Sahit, Sarbada) | Police motto “With you, always.” Bengali. The force also uses the English form With You Always. |
| Korea University | 자유, 정의, 진리 (Jayu, Jeongui, Jilli) | University motto “Liberty, Justice, Truth.” Korean. The Seoul university announced the motto to mark its 50th anniversary. |
| KU Leuven | Sedes sapientiae | University motto “Seat of wisdom.” Latin. |
| Kuala Lumpur | Maju dan Makmur | City motto “Progress and prosper.” Malay. Motto on the coat of arms of Kuala Lumpur City Hall, adopted on Jan. 31, 1992. |
| Kumaon Regiment | पराक्रमो विजयते (Parakramo Vijayate) | Military motto “Valor triumphs.” Sanskrit. Its Param Vir Chakra recipients include Maj. Somnath Sharma (1947) and Maj. Shaitan Singh of Rezang La; the regiment is centred at Ranikhet and has produced three army chiefs. |
| Kuwait | الله، الوطن، الأمير (Allah, al-Watan, al-Amir) | Unofficial national motto “God, homeland, emir.” Arabic. A widely used patriotic phrase; the state emblem carries only the words State of Kuwait. |
| KVS | तत् त्वं पूषन् अपावृणु (Tat Tvam Pushan Apavrinu) | School motto “O Sun, remove the covering that hides the face of truth.” Sanskrit. From the Isha Upanishad 15; shared by Kendriya Vidyalaya schools across India.Listed under Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan |
L
| Motto of | Motto | Meaning and notes |
|---|---|---|
| La Francophonie | Égalité, complémentarité, solidarité | International organization motto “Equality, complementarity, solidarity.” French. The three words come from the 1970 Niamey Convention that founded the organization. |
| La Martinière schools (Lucknow and Kolkata) | Labore et Constantia | School motto “By labor and constancy.” Latin. Adopted by founder Claude Martin with his coat of arms and shared by all the schools endowed by his will, in Lucknow, Kolkata and Lyon. |
| Lady Shri Ram College for Women | सा विद्या या विमुक्तये (Sa Vidya Ya Vimuktaye) | University motto “That is knowledge which liberates.” Sanskrit. From the Vishnu Purana. The Delhi University women's college was founded in 1956. |
| Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) | शीलं परम भूषणम् (Sheelam Param Bhushanam) | Government motto “Character is the highest virtue.” Sanskrit. The academy in Mussoorie trains officers of the IAS and other civil services. |
| Laos | ສັນຕິພາບ ເອກະລາດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ເອກະພາບ ວັດທະນາຖາວອນ (Santiphap, Ekalat, Paxathipatai, Ekaphap, Vatthanathavon) | National motto “Peace, independence, democracy, unity and prosperity.” Lao. Written on the red ribbons beside the rice stalks of the national emblem described in Article 90 of the constitution. A 1991 revision replaced the emblem's hammer and sickle with the Pha That Luang shrine. |
| LAPD | To Protect and to Serve | Police motto Listed under Los Angeles Police Department |
| The Lawrence School, Sanawar | Never Give In | School motto The motto of the Himachal Pradesh boarding school founded by Sir Henry Lawrence in 1847. |
| Leeds | Pro rege et lege | City motto “For the king and the law.” Latin. Motto on the city's coat of arms, whose shield dates from about 1662; the crest and supporters were granted in 1921. |
| Legion of Honor (France) | Honneur et Patrie | Order of chivalry motto “Honor and fatherland.” French. Rings the crossed tricolors on the reverse of the badge of the order, which Napoleon Bonaparte established as First Consul on May 19, 1802. |
| Lego Group | Det bedste er ikke for godt | Company motto “The best is never too good.” Danish. Founder Ole Kirk Christiansen coined it to keep quality first, and the company still uses it. |
| Leiden University | Praesidium Libertatis | University motto “Bastion of liberty.” Latin. |
| Lesotho | Khotso, Pula, Nala | National motto “Peace, rain, prosperity.” Sesotho. Written on a banner on the coat of arms adopted at independence on Oct. 4, 1966. The white, blue and green of the flag represent its three ideals. |
| Liberia | The love of liberty brought us here | National motto Placed on a scroll above the shield of the national arms adopted at the 1847 constitutional convention. A 1978 commission proposed replacing it with Love, Liberty, Justice, Equality, but the change was never made. |
| Liberty Bell | Proclaim LIBERTY throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants thereof | Inscription The inscription cites Leviticus 25:10, and the abolitionist Anti-Slavery Record first called it the Liberty Bell in 1835. |
| LIC | योगक्षेमं वहाम्यहम् (Yogakshemam Vahamyaham) | Company motto “Your welfare is my responsibility.” Sanskrit. Taken from Bhagavad Gita 9.22.Listed under Life Insurance Corporation of India |
| Liechtenstein | Für Gott, Fürst und Vaterland | Unofficial national motto “For God, prince and fatherland.” German. A popular expression of national values with no legal status. |
| Life Insurance Corporation of India | योगक्षेमं वहाम्यहम् (Yogakshemam Vahamyaham) | Company motto “Your welfare is my responsibility.” Sanskrit. Taken from Bhagavad Gita 9.22. |
| Lima | Hoc signum vere regum est | City motto “This is the true sign of the kings.” Latin. Granted with the city arms by Emperor Charles V and Queen Joanna on Dec. 7, 1537. |
| Lions Clubs International | We Serve | Organization motto Motto of the service club founded by Melvin Jones in Chicago in 1917. |
| Liverpool | Deus Nobis Haec Otia Fecit | City motto “God hath granted us this ease.” Latin. Part of the city arms granted in 1797. |
| Liverpool Football Club | You'll Never Walk Alone | Sports club motto Title of the club anthem. |
| Lloyd's of London | Fidentia | Company motto “Confidence.” Latin. The motto, drawn from Cicero's Tusculan Disputations, appears on the arms granted on Dec. 10, 1926. |
| Lok Sabha | धर्मचक्रप्रवर्तनाय (Dharma Chakra Pravartanaya) | Government motto “For the turning of the wheel of dharma.” Sanskrit. The words are displayed behind the Speaker's seat and recall the Dharma Chakra Pravartana Sutra, the Buddha's first sermon at Sarnath. |
| Lomonosov Moscow State University | Наука есть ясное познание истины, просвещение разума (Nauka est yasnoye poznaniye istiny, prosveshcheniye razuma) | University motto “Science is the clear knowledge of truth and the enlightenment of the mind.” Russian. |
| London School of Economics and Political Science | Rerum cognoscere causas | University motto “To know the causes of things.” Latin. From Virgil's Georgics; adopted with the school's arms in February 1922 on the suggestion of Edwin Cannan. |
| London Stock Exchange | Dictum meum pactum | Company motto “My word is my bond.” Latin. |
| Lorenzo de' Medici | Le temps revient | Personal motto “The time comes again.” French. Personal motto of the Florentine ruler known as Lorenzo the Magnificent; its theme of cyclical time is echoed in the frieze of his villa at Poggio a Caiano. |
| Los Angeles Police Department | To Protect and to Serve | Police motto |
| Louis XIV of France | Nec pluribus impar | Royal motto “Not unequal to many.” Latin. Used alongside his sunburst emblem as the Sun King. |
| Louisiana | Union, Justice, Confidence | U.S. state motto State motto since 1902. |
| Loyola College, Chennai | Luceat Lux Vestra | University motto “Let your light shine.” Latin. From Matthew 5:16 in the Latin Vulgate. The Jesuit college was founded in 1925. |
| LSE | Rerum cognoscere causas | University motto “To know the causes of things.” Latin. From Virgil's Georgics; adopted with the school's arms in February 1922 on the suggestion of Edwin Cannan.Listed under London School of Economics and Political Science |
| Lund University | Ad utrumque paratus | University motto “Prepared for both.” Latin. The two implied alternatives are the book and the sword, study and defense of the nation. The U.S. III Marine Expeditionary Force and the Spanish Submarine Force use the same motto. |
| Luxembourg | Mir wëlle bleiwe wat mir sinn | National motto “We want to remain what we are.” Luxembourgish. Traced to De Feierwon, a patriotic song written in 1859 to celebrate the country's first international railway. |
M
| Motto of | Motto | Meaning and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Madagascar | Fitiavana, Tanindrazana, Fandrosoana | National motto “Love, ancestral land, progress.” Malagasy. |
| Madras Regiment | स्वधर्मे निधनं श्रेयः (Swadharme Nidhanam Shreyaha) | Military motto “It is a glory to die doing one's duty.” Sanskrit. From the Bhagavad Gita, chapter 3, verse 35; adopted on June 8, 1955. |
| Madrid | Fui sobre agua edificada, mis muros de fuego son. Esta es mi insignia y blasón | City motto “On water I was built, my walls are made of fire, this is my ensign and escutcheon.” Spanish. Traditional verse motto of the city. |
| Mahar Regiment | यश सिद्धि (Yash Siddhi) | Military motto “Success and attainment.” Sanskrit. Since 1947 the motto has stood in Devanagari on the crest's upper scroll, replacing the word Koregaon. The regiment's war cry is Bolo Hindustan Ki Jai. |
| Maharashtra | प्रतिपच्चंद्रलेखेव वर्धिष्णुर्विश्व वंदिता महाराष्ट्रस्य राज्यस्य मुद्रा भद्राय राजते (Pratipaccandralēkhēva vardhiṣṇurviśva vanditā mahārāṣṭrasya rājyasya mudrā bhadrāya rājatē) | Indian state motto “The seal of the state of Maharashtra will grow like the crescent moon of the first day, will be honored by the world, and shines only for the welfare of its people.” Sanskrit. Adapted from the Rajmudra, the royal seal of Chhatrapati Shivaji, with the monarch's name replaced by the state's. On the state emblem it encircles a Samai lamp amid 16 lotus blossoms. |
| Maharashtra Police | सद्रक्षणाय खलनिग्रहणाय (Sadrakshanaya Khalanigrahanaya) | Police motto “To protect the good and to punish the wicked.” Sanskrit. The force traces its roots to a militia organized by Gerald Aungier in Bombay in 1669; its headquarters is the former Royal Alfred Sailors' Home designed by Frederick William Stevens. |
| Maine | Dirigo | U.S. state motto “I lead.” Latin. State motto since 1820, written on a label above the shield of the state seal beside the North Star, which the adopting resolution called the mariner's guide and director. |
| Makerere University | We build for the future | University motto |
| Malawi | Unity and Freedom | National motto Written on a scroll beneath the lion and leopard supporters of the coat of arms adopted in 1964. |
| Malaysia | Bersekutu Bertambah Mutu | National motto “Unity is strength.” Malay. Replaced the English Unity is Strength of the 1952 Federation of Malaya arms when Malaysia was formed in 1963. The original arms bore Dipelihara Allah, now Selangor's motto. |
| Mali | Un peuple, un but, une foi | National motto “One people, one goal, one faith.” French. |
| Malta | Virtute et constantia | Former national motto “With virtue and constancy.” Latin. Former national motto on the 1964 independence arms until the 1975 emblem replaced them; the National Order of Merit still uses it. |
| Manchester (city) | Concilio et Labore | City motto “By counsel and labor.” Latin. |
| Manchester City Football Club | Superbia in Proelio | Former sports club motto “Pride in battle.” Latin. Former crest motto of the club. |
| Mandalorians (Star Wars) | This Is the Way | Fictional motto An affirmation Mandalorians share in The Mandalorian, tied to their code of Six Actions. |
| Manitoba | Gloriosus et liber | Canadian province motto “Glorious and free.” Latin. Derived from the words of O Canada, it was granted in 1992 by Governor General Ramon Hnatyshyn along with the crest and supporters added to the 1905 arms. |
| Maratha Light Infantry | Duty, Honour, Courage | Military motto The regiment traces its lineage to the Bombay Sepoys raised in 1768, making it the most senior light infantry regiment of the Indian Army; its centre is at Belgaum. |
| MARCOS (Indian Navy Marine Commandos) | The Few, The Fearless | Military motto |
| Maria Theresa | Iustitia et clementia | Personal motto “By justice and clemency.” Latin. Personal motto of the Habsburg ruler of Austria, Hungary and Bohemia, who reigned from 1740 to 1780. |
| Marshall Islands | Jepilpilin ke Ejukaan | National motto “Accomplishment through joint effort.” Marshallese. |
| Mary, Queen of Scots | En ma fin gît mon commencement | Royal motto “In my end is my beginning.” French. One of the personal mottoes of the Scottish queen. |
| Maryland | Fatti maschii, parole femine | U.S. state motto “Strong deeds, gentle words.” Italian. Family motto of the Calverts, adopted by George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore, in 1622. Maryland is the only state with an Italian motto, and it appears on the reverse of the Great Seal. |
| Massachusetts | Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem | U.S. state motto “By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty.” Latin. Taken from a poem by Algernon Sidney written around 1660 and adopted in 1775. |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Mens et manus | University motto “Mind and hand.” Latin. Appears on the institute's seal. |
| Mauritania | شرف، إخاء، عدل (Sharaf, Ikhāʾ, ʿAdl) | National motto “Honor, fraternity, justice.” Arabic. Set out in Article 9 of the constitution adopted on July 12, 1991. |
| Mauritius | Stella Clavisque Maris Indici | National motto “Star and key of the Indian Ocean.” Latin. Appears on the coat of arms granted by Edward VII in 1906. |
| Mayo College | Let there be Light | School motto Taken from the Bible (Genesis 1:3). The Ajmer school was founded in 1875 to educate the sons of Indian princely families. |
| McGill University | Grandescunt aucta labore | University motto “By work all things increase and grow.” Latin. Shown on the scroll beneath the university's coat of arms. |
| Mechanised Infantry Regiment (India) | Faith and Valour | Military motto |
| Medicine (medical ethics) | Primum non nocere | Maxim “First, do no harm.” Latin. The exact phrase is not in the Hippocratic Oath; the Latin form traces to the 19th century, echoing Epidemics. |
| Melbourne | Vires acquirit eundo | City motto “It gathers strength as it goes.” Latin. Taken from Virgil's Aeneid and carried on the city arms granted in 1940. |
| Meta | Move fast and break things | Informal company motto Facebook's internal motto in its startup years. Mark Zuckerberg replaced it with "Move fast with stable infrastructure" at the F8 conference in 2014, and Meta's 2022 values reduced it to "Move fast.".Listed under Facebook (Meta) |
| Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | Ars gratia artis | Company motto “Art for art's sake.” Latin. Appears on the studio logo around Leo the Lion. |
| MI5 | Regnum Defende | Government agency motto “Defend the realm.” Latin. The service was founded in 1909 as the Secret Service Bureau.Listed under Security Service (MI5) |
| MI6 | Semper Occultus | Government agency motto “Always secret.” Latin.Listed under Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) |
| Michel de Montaigne | Que sais-je? | Personal motto “What do I know?” French. The motto sums up the skepticism of his essay Apology for Raymond Sebond; it was originally spelled Que sçais-je?. |
| Michigan | Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice | U.S. state motto “If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you.” Latin. Adopted on June 2, 1835. |
| Micronesia | Peace, Unity, Liberty | National motto Appears on the national seal. |
| Minas Gerais | Libertas quae sera tamen | Brazilian state motto “Freedom, even if late.” Latin. On the state flag; the words come from Virgil and were taken up by the 1789 Inconfidência Mineira. |
| Minnesota | L'Étoile du Nord | U.S. state motto “The star of the north.” French. Remains the state motto, though the seal adopted in 2024 replaced it with the Dakota phrase Mni Sóta Makoce. |
| Miranda House | स्वाध्यायान्न प्रमदितव्यम् (Svadhyayanna Pramaditavyam) | University motto “Never neglect self-study.” Sanskrit. The motto of the Delhi University women's college founded in 1948. |
| Mississippi | Virtute et armis | U.S. state motto “By valor and arms.” Latin. Adopted on Feb. 7, 1894. |
| Missouri | Salus populi suprema lex esto | U.S. state motto “Let the welfare of the people be the supreme law.” Latin. Taken from Cicero's De Legibus and adopted with the Great Seal on Jan. 11, 1822. |
| MIT | Mens et manus | University motto “Mind and hand.” Latin. Appears on the institute's seal.Listed under Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Monaco | Deo juvante | National motto “With God's help.” Latin. Linked to Lambert Grimaldi, who used the expression in his letters after foiling a 1458 plot against him; it features on the coat of arms and on coins. |
| Monash University | Ancora imparo | University motto “I am still learning.” Italian. The phrase is attributed to Michelangelo. |
| Montana | Oro y plata | U.S. state motto “Gold and silver.” Spanish. State motto of Montana, adopted on Feb. 9, 1865. |
| Montenegro | Čojstvo i junaštvo | Unofficial national motto “Humaneness and gallantry.” Montenegrin. Traditional ethical ideal of Montenegrin culture rather than an official state motto. |
| Montreal | Concordia salus | City motto “Well-being through harmony.” Latin. Also appears on the coat of arms of the Bank of Montreal. |
| Morocco | الله، الوطن، الملك (Allāh, al-Waṭan, al-Malik) | National motto “God, country, king.” Arabic. The coat of arms, introduced on Aug. 14, 1957, carries a second motto from the Quran, Surah Muhammad, verse 7. |
| Mossad | בְּאֵין תַּחְבֻּלוֹת יִפָּל עָם וּתְשׁוּעָה בְּרֹב יוֹעֵץ (Be'ein tachbulot yipol am, u'teshua berov yo'etz) | Government agency motto “Without counsel a people falls, but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.” Hebrew. Taken from Proverbs 11:14 and chosen for the agency's emblem in the early 1970s. |
| Mounties | Maintiens le droit | Police motto “Uphold the right.” French.Listed under Royal Canadian Mounted Police |
| Mumbai | यतो धर्मस्ततो जयः (Yato Dharmastato Jayah) | City motto “Where there is righteousness, there shall be victory.” Sanskrit. From the Mahabharata. It replaced the colonial Latin motto Urbs Prima in Indis. |
N
| Motto of | Motto | Meaning and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Naga Regiment | Parakramo Vijayate | Military motto “Valour triumphs.” Sanskrit. Shares its motto with the Kumaon Regiment; war cry: Jai Durga Naga. |
| Nagaland | Unity | Indian state motto Local artist Merimvü Doulo designed the emblem that carries the motto. The state assembly approved it in June 2005, and it took effect Aug. 15, 2005, replacing a design based on the Ashoka emblem. |
| Nalanda University | आ नो भद्राः क्रतवो यन्तु विश्वतः (A No Bhadrah Kratavo Yantu Vishvatah) | University motto “Let noble thoughts come to us from all directions.” Sanskrit. From the Rigveda 1.89.1. The modern university, set up in 2010 near the ruins of ancient Nalanda, opened its Rajgir campus in 2024. |
| Namibia | Unity, Liberty, Justice | National motto Part of the coat of arms introduced at independence in 1990, which shows two oryx, an African fish eagle and a Welwitschia on a Namib sand dune. |
| Narcotics Control Bureau | आसूचना प्रवर्तन समन्वय (Asuchana Pravartan Samanvay) | Government agency motto “Intelligence, enforcement, coordination.” Hindi. |
| National Archives Building (Washington, D.C.) | What is past is prologue | Inscription From Shakespeare's The Tempest, Act 2, Scene 1. It is carved on the base of the statue Future outside the National Archives Building. |
| National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) | Por mi raza hablará el espíritu | University motto “For my people the spirit will speak.” Spanish. Proposed by rector José Vasconcelos with the university shield, which shows a map of Latin America held by an eagle and a condor; both were approved on April 27, 1921. It reflects his idea of a mixed cosmic race. |
| National Cadet Corps (India) | एकता और अनुशासन (Ekta aur Anushasan) | Military motto “Unity and discipline.” Hindi. Selected at the NCC Central Advisory Committee meeting of October 12, 1980. |
| National Council of Educational Research and Training | विद्यया अमृतमश्नुते (Vidyaya Amritam Ashnute) | Education body motto “Life eternal through learning.” Sanskrit. From the Isha Upanishad, verse 11. |
| National Defence Academy (India) | सेवा परमो धर्मः (Seva Paramo Dharmah) | Military motto “Service before self.” Sanskrit. Nehru laid the foundation stone on Oct. 6, 1949, and the academy at Khadakwasla, the world's first tri-service academy, was formally commissioned on Dec. 7, 1954. |
| National Disaster Response Force | आपदा सेवा सदैव सर्वत्र (Aapda Seva Sadaiv Sarvatra) | Government agency motto “Disaster service, always and everywhere.” Hindi. The force was formed on Jan. 19, 2006, under the Disaster Management Act of 2005, and works under the National Disaster Management Authority. |
| National Guard of the United States | Always Ready, Always There | Military motto |
| National Investigation Agency | Rashtrarakshanam Adyakartavyam | Government agency motto “Nation's protection is the first duty.” Sanskrit. |
| National Law School of India University | धर्मो रक्षति रक्षितः (Dharmo Rakshati Rakshitah) | University motto “Values protect the protector of values.” Sanskrit. From the Manusmriti (8.15); the phrase also appears in the Mahabharata. The Research and Analysis Wing uses the same motto. |
| National Security Guard (India) | सर्वत्र सर्वोत्तम सुरक्षा (Sarvatra Sarvottam Suraksha) | Central armed police motto “Best security everywhere.” Sanskrit. The Black Cats were formed on Oct. 16, 1984, after Operation Blue Star and formalized by the National Security Guard Act of 1986; their operations include Black Tornado during the 2008 Mumbai attacks. |
| National Service Scheme (India) | Not Me But You | Government motto The motto of the student volunteer program of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, launched in 1969. |
| National Taiwan University | 敦品勵學，愛國愛人 (Dunpin lixue, aiguo airen) | University motto “Integrity, diligence, fidelity, compassion.” Chinese. The university's official rendering. |
| NATO | Animus in consulendo liber | International organization motto “In discussion a free mind.” Latin. NATO's own rendering. Proposed by Belgian envoy André de Staercke at Secretary General Paul-Henri Spaak's request, from an inscription he saw in San Gimignano; displayed at NATO headquarters since 1959.Listed under North Atlantic Treaty Organization |
| Nauru | God's Will First | National motto |
| NCC | एकता और अनुशासन (Ekta aur Anushasan) | Military motto “Unity and discipline.” Hindi. Selected at the NCC Central Advisory Committee meeting of October 12, 1980.Listed under National Cadet Corps (India) |
| NCERT | विद्यया अमृतमश्नुते (Vidyaya Amritam Ashnute) | Education body motto “Life eternal through learning.” Sanskrit. From the Isha Upanishad, verse 11.Listed under National Council of Educational Research and Training |
| NDA | सेवा परमो धर्मः (Seva Paramo Dharmah) | Military motto “Service before self.” Sanskrit. Nehru laid the foundation stone on Oct. 6, 1949, and the academy at Khadakwasla, the world's first tri-service academy, was formally commissioned on Dec. 7, 1954.Listed under National Defence Academy (India) |
| Nebraska | Equality before the law | U.S. state motto Adopted in 1867. |
| Nepal | जननी जन्मभूमिश्च स्वर्गादपि गरीयसी (Janani Janmabhumishcha Swargadapi Gariyasi) | National motto “Mother and motherland are greater than heaven.” Sanskrit. Attributed to the Ramayana, though found only in some recensions and not the Critical Edition. It appears on a red scroll at the base of the emblem adopted on May 28, 2008. |
| Netherlands | Je maintiendrai | National motto “I will maintain.” French. William of Orange adapted it from his cousin René of Chalon's motto Je maintiendrai Chalon; King Willem I placed it in the royal arms in 1815. It is the motto of the House of Orange Nassau. |
| Nevada | All for Our Country | U.S. state motto Adopted on Feb. 24, 1866, after statehood, replacing the territorial motto Volens et potens, which appeared on the seal approved on Nov. 29, 1861. |
| New Brunswick | Spem reduxit | Canadian province motto “Hope was restored.” Latin. Refers to the province's role as a haven for Loyalist refugees who fled there after the American Revolution; it appears on the provincial coat of arms. |
| New Caledonia | Terre de parole, terre de partage | Territory motto “Land of speech, land of sharing.” French. Motto of the French territory of New Caledonia. |
| New Hampshire | Live Free or Die | U.S. state motto In official use since 1945. |
| New Jersey | Liberty and Prosperity | U.S. state motto An unofficial state motto, accepted through its use on the state seal presented in 1777. |
| New Mexico | Crescit eundo | U.S. state motto “It grows as it goes.” Latin. From Book VI of Lucretius' De rerum natura, describing a thunderbolt gaining power as it moves. Added to the territorial seal in 1882 and adopted by the legislature in 1887. |
| New South Wales | Orta recens quam pura nites | Australian state motto “Newly risen, how brightly you shine.” Latin. Devised for the 1879 Sydney exhibition and adopted as the state motto in 1906. |
| New York | Excelsior | U.S. state motto “Ever upward.” Latin. State motto since 1778. |
| New York City Police Department | Fidelis ad mortem | Police motto “Faithful unto death.” Latin. |
| New York Times | All the News That's Fit to Print | Newspaper motto Introduced by publisher Adolph S. Ochs, it first ran on the front page on Feb. 10, 1897, and has stood in the upper left corner beside the nameplate ever since. Often called the most famous words in American journalism. |
| New York University | Perstare et praestare | University motto “To persevere and to excel.” Latin. |
| New Zealand | Onward | Former national motto Former motto on the 1911 coat of arms; New Zealand has no official motto today. |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | Quaerite Prime Regnum Dei | Canadian province motto “Seek ye first the kingdom of God.” Latin. From Matthew 6:33, on arms granted by King Charles I in 1637. |
| Nicaragua | En Dios confiamos | Unofficial national motto “In God we trust.” Spanish. Inscribed on Nicaraguan coins rather than designated as a national motto. |
| Niger | Fraternité, Travail, Progrès | National motto “Fraternity, work, progress.” French. |
| Nigeria | Unity and Faith, Peace and Progress | National motto Adopted in 1978, replacing Peace, Unity, Freedom. It appears on the banderole at the base of the coat of arms, adopted on May 20, 1960. |
| Nobel Prize medal | Inventas vitam iuvat excoluisse per artes | Inscription “It is beneficial to have improved human life through discovered arts.” Latin. Adapted from Virgil, Aeneid, Book 6, line 663. It appears on the Nobel medals for physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine and literature but not on the peace and economics medals. |
| North Atlantic Treaty Organization | Animus in consulendo liber | International organization motto “In discussion a free mind.” Latin. NATO's own rendering. Proposed by Belgian envoy André de Staercke at Secretary General Paul-Henri Spaak's request, from an inscription he saw in San Gimignano; displayed at NATO headquarters since 1959. |
| North Carolina | Esse quam videri | U.S. state motto “To be, rather than to seem.” Latin. Adopted in 1893. |
| North Dakota | Liberty and Union, Now and Forever, One and Inseparable; Serit ut alteri saeclo prosit | U.S. state motto English and Latin. The English motto, adapted from Daniel Webster, was adopted in 1863; the Latin motto, meaning One sows for the benefit of another age, was added in 2011. |
| Northern Ireland | Quis separabit? | Former UK nation motto “Who shall separate us?” Latin. Former motto of the defunct Government of Northern Ireland arms, from Romans 8:35, and also the motto of the Order of St. Patrick. |
| Northwestern University | Quaecumque sunt vera | University motto “Whatsoever things are true.” Latin. Taken from Philippians 4:8. |
| Norway (King Harald V) | Alt for Norge | Royal motto “All for Norway.” Norwegian. Royal motto of King Harald V; Norway has no official national motto. |
| Nova Scotia | Munit haec et altera vincit | Canadian province motto “One defends and the other conquers.” Latin. Provincial motto of Nova Scotia, on arms that date from 1625 and were reinstated by King George V in 1929, replacing arms granted by Queen Victoria in 1868. |
| NSG | सर्वत्र सर्वोत्तम सुरक्षा (Sarvatra Sarvottam Suraksha) | Central armed police motto “Best security everywhere.” Sanskrit. The Black Cats were formed on Oct. 16, 1984, after Operation Blue Star and formalized by the National Security Guard Act of 1986; their operations include Black Tornado during the 2008 Mumbai attacks.Listed under National Security Guard (India) |
| NSS | Not Me But You | Government motto The motto of the student volunteer program of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, launched in 1969.Listed under National Service Scheme (India) |
| Nunavut | ᓄᓇᕗᑦ ᓴᙱᓂᕗᑦ (Nunavut Sannginivut) | Canadian territory motto “Our land, our strength.” Inuktitut. On the territorial arms granted in 1999. |
| NYPD | Fidelis ad mortem | Police motto “Faithful unto death.” Latin.Listed under New York City Police Department |
| NYT | All the News That's Fit to Print | Newspaper motto Introduced by publisher Adolph S. Ochs, it first ran on the front page on Feb. 10, 1897, and has stood in the upper left corner beside the nameplate ever since. Often called the most famous words in American journalism.Listed under New York Times |
O
| Motto of | Motto | Meaning and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Officers Training Academy, Chennai | Serve with Honour | Military motto Opened on Jan. 15, 1963, as an Officers Training School and renamed in 1988; the first 25 women Army officers trained here from 1992. The Gaya academy's motto is Shaurya, Gyan, Sankalp. |
| Ohio | With God, all things are possible | U.S. state motto Adopted on Oct. 1, 1959. From 1866 to 1868 the state seal carried a Latin phrase meaning "empire within an empire.". |
| Ohio State University | Disciplina in civitatem | University motto “Education for citizenship.” Latin. Motto of the public university in Columbus, Ohio, founded in 1870. |
| Oklahoma | Labor omnia vincit | U.S. state motto “Labor conquers all things.” Latin. Adopted on March 10, 1893, on the territorial seal; the 1907 state constitution made it a feature of the state seal. |
| Olympic Games (International Olympic Committee) | Citius, Altius, Fortius, Communiter | Sports motto “Faster, higher, stronger, together.” Latin. Coubertin adopted the first three words in 1894 from Henri Didon; the IOC added Communiter on July 20, 2021. |
| Olympique de Marseille | Droit au but | Sports club motto “Straight to the goal.” French. |
| Ontario | Ut incepit fidelis sic permanet | Canadian province motto “Loyal she began, loyal she remains.” Latin. Provincial motto of Ontario. |
| Order of Canada | Desiderantes meliorem patriam | Order of chivalry motto “They desire a better country.” Latin. Taken from Hebrews 11:16. |
| Order of Merit | For Merit | Order of chivalry motto |
| Order of Saint Benedict | Ora et labora | Religious order motto “Pray and work.” Latin. Associated with the Rule of St. Benedict, whose Chapter 48 warns that idleness is the enemy of the soul. Dalhousie University adopted it as its motto in 1870. |
| Order of St Michael and St George | Auspicium melioris ævi | Order of chivalry motto “Token of a better age.” Latin. British order of chivalry founded on April 28, 1818, and now awarded mainly for diplomatic and overseas service. |
| Order of St Patrick | Quis separabit? | Order of chivalry motto “Who will separate us?” Latin. Alludes to Romans 8:35 in the Latin Vulgate. Created by King George III in 1783 for Ireland, the order is dormant; the last knight was appointed in 1936. |
| Order of St. Andrew | За веру и верность (Za veru i vernost) | Order of chivalry motto “For faith and loyalty.” Russian. Founded by Peter the Great in 1698, it was dropped under the Soviet Union and restored as the country's highest award by presidential decree on June 1, 1998. |
| Order of the Bath | Tria juncta in uno | Order of chivalry motto “Three joined in one.” Latin. Encircles the three crowns on the badge of the order, which George I founded by letters patent dated May 18, 1725; the triad is read as three kingdoms or the Holy Trinity. |
| Order of the Black Eagle | Suum cuique | Order of chivalry motto “To each his own.” Latin. The highest order of the Kingdom of Prussia, founded on Jan. 17, 1701. It was a state order until 1918 and survives as a house order of the Hohenzollerns. |
| Order of the British Empire | For God and the Empire | Order of chivalry motto Inscribed on the circlet of the badge and star of the order, which King George V established on June 4, 1917. Since 1937 the circlet has framed effigies of George V and Queen Mary instead of Britannia. |
| Order of the Companions of Honour | In Action Faithful and in Honour Clear | Order of chivalry motto From Alexander Pope's Epistle to Mr Addison. Founded by King George V on June 4, 1917. |
| Order of the Elephant | Magnanimi pretium | Order of chivalry motto “The prize of greatness.” Latin. Denmark's highest honor, instituted in its present form by King Christian V on Dec. 1, 1693. |
| Order of the Garter | Honi soit qui mal y pense | Order of chivalry motto “Shame on whoever thinks evil of it.” Anglo-Norman French. Motto of the order founded by Edward III, traditionally in 1348, and written in gold on its garter emblem. Legend links it to the Countess of Salisbury's slipped garter, but it also points to Edward's claim to the French throne. |
| Order of the Golden Fleece | Ante ferit quam flamma micet | Order of chivalry motto “Strikes before the flame flashes.” Latin. The order was founded by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in Bruges on Jan. 10, 1430, to celebrate his marriage to Isabella of Portugal. Its collar of firesteels and flints also bears Pretium laborum non vile. |
| Order of the Indian Empire | Imperatricis auspiciis | Order of chivalry motto “Under the auspices of the Empress.” Latin. Refers to Queen Victoria as the first Empress of India. The British order was founded in 1878, made no new appointments after 1947 and became dormant in 2010. |
| Order of the Star of India | Heaven's Light Our Guide | Order of chivalry motto British-era order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria on June 25, 1861; the motto rings the sovereign's effigy on its badge. It became dormant in 2009 with the death of its last knight, the Maharaja of Alwar. |
| Order of the Thistle | Nemo me impune lacessit | Order of chivalry motto “No one provokes me with impunity.” Latin. It is also the motto of Scotland and appears on the milled edge of some British pound coins; Poe gave it to the Montresor family in The Cask of Amontillado. |
| Oregon | Alis volat propriis | U.S. state motto “She flies with her own wings.” Latin. Adopted in 1854, replaced by The Union from 1957 and restored in 1987. |
| Oslo | Unanimiter et constanter | City motto “United and constant.” Latin. First appeared on the 1659 seal of Christiania, as the city was then called; it rings the city seal, which serves as Oslo's coat of arms. |
| Osmania University | तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय (Tamaso Ma Jyotirgamaya) | University motto “Lead us from darkness to light.” Sanskrit. From the Pavamana Mantra of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (1.3.28). |
| Ottawa | Advance Ottawa en avant | City motto “Advance Ottawa, forward.” English and French. Appears on the city arms granted in 1954 and reissued unchanged in 2001 after amalgamation. |
| Ottoman Empire | دولت ابدمدت (Devlet-i Ebed-müddet) | Former national motto “The eternal state.” Ottoman Turkish. Former motto of the empire, which ended in 1922. |
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| Motto of | Motto | Meaning and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pakistan | ایمان، اتحاد، نظم (Iman, Ittihad, Nazm) | National motto “Faith, unity, discipline.” Urdu. Introduced and adopted as the national motto by Muhammad Ali Jinnah at independence; it is inscribed in Urdu at the base of the state emblem. |
| Pakistan Army | Iman, Taqwa, Jihad fi Sabilillah | Military motto “Faith, piety, striving in the path of God.” Urdu. Introduced by Gen. Zia-ul-Haq, who became army chief March 1, 1976, when Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto let him change the army's motto. |
| Panama | Pro Mundi Beneficio | National motto “For the benefit of the world.” Latin. Printed on the silver ribbon held in the eagle's beak on the coat of arms, adopted with the national flag by Law 64 of June 4, 1904. |
| Panjab University | तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय (Tamaso Ma Jyotirgamaya) | University motto “Lead us from darkness into light.” Sanskrit. The Chandigarh university traces its origin to the University of the Punjab, founded in Lahore in 1882, and was reestablished in India in 1947. |
| Papua New Guinea | Unity in Diversity | Unofficial national motto Not set by law; the National Identity Act prescribes the emblem without any motto. |
| Para (Special Forces) | Men Apart, Every Man an Emperor | Military motto The unit also carries the Parachute Regiment motto Shatrujeet. |
| Paracelsus | Alterius non sit qui suus esse potest | Personal motto “Let no man be another's who can be his own.” Latin. From the medieval Latin version of Aesop's fable The Frogs Who Wished for a King. Paracelsus adopted it as his personal motto and had it inscribed in German on his portraits, including one of 1538 attributed to Augustin Hirschvogel. |
| Parachute Regiment (India) | शत्रुजीत (Shatrujeet) | Military motto “The conqueror.” Hindi. The Shatrujeet, a winged half-horse, half-man archer, replaced Pegasus on the formation sign when the regiment was re-raised on April 15, 1952. |
| Paraguay | Paz y Justicia | National motto “Peace and justice.” Spanish. Appears on the treasury seal on the reverse of the flag adopted by Congress on Nov. 25, 1842, making it the only national flag with a different design on each side. |
| Paris | Fluctuat nec mergitur | City motto “Tossed by the waves, she does not founder.” Latin. A shortened form of a longer medieval Latin verse, officially adopted on Nov. 24, 1853, under Seine prefect Haussmann. It became a symbol of defiance on social media after the November 2015 terrorist attacks. |
| The Party (Nineteen Eighty-Four) | War Is Peace. Freedom Is Slavery. Ignorance Is Strength. | Fictional slogan The three slogans appear on the face of the Ministry of Truth in Orwell's novel. |
| Pennsylvania | Virtue, Liberty and Independence | U.S. state motto Adopted as the state motto in 1875. |
| Perth (Western Australia) | Floreat | City motto “May it flourish.” Latin. Motto of the City of Perth; Perth in Scotland uses a different motto. |
| Peru | Firme y feliz por la unión | National motto “Firm and happy for the union.” Spanish. First appeared on the 8 reales coin in 1825 and on the gold 8 escudos in 1826; it later ran on all the silver sun coins minted from 1863. |
| Phi Beta Kappa | Φιλοσοφία βίου κυβερνήτης (Philosophia biou kybernetes) | Organization motto “Love of learning is the guide of life.” Ancient Greek. The honor society was founded on Dec. 5, 1776, at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. |
| Philadelphia | Philadelphia maneto | City motto “Let brotherly love continue.” Latin. The phrase echoes Hebrews 13:1 and plays on the city's Greek name. |
| Philippines | Maka-Diyos, Maka-Tao, Makakalikasan at Makabansa | National motto “For God, for the people, for nature and for the country.” Filipino. Set by Republic Act 8491 of 1998. |
| Phillips Academy (Andover) | Non Sibi | School motto “Not for oneself.” Latin. The school seal, designed by Paul Revere, also bears Finis Origine Pendet. |
| Phillips Exeter Academy | Non sibi | School motto “Not for oneself.” Latin. Founded in 1781 in Exeter, New Hampshire, the academy also uses Finis origine pendet (The end depends on the beginning); Huc venite pueri ut viri sitis is carved over the Academy Building door. |
| Pittsburgh | Benigno Numine | City motto “By divine providence.” Latin. The motto of the Pitt family, taken with the arms of William Pitt the Elder, Earl of Chatham, for whom the city is named. The city officially adopted it in 1950. |
| Poland | Bóg, Honor, Ojczyzna | Unofficial national motto “God, honor, fatherland.” Polish. Poland has no official motto; this phrase appears on Polish military colors. |
| Pontifical Swiss Guard | Acriter et Fideliter | Military motto “Fiercely and faithfully.” Latin. The guard was founded in 1506 under Pope Julius II. |
| Pope Benedict XVI | Cooperatores veritatis | Personal motto “Co-workers of the truth.” Latin. His episcopal motto, from the Third Letter of John; it was not shown on his papal arms. |
| Pope Francis | Miserando atque eligendo | Personal motto “By having mercy and by choosing.” Latin. Taken from a homily of the Venerable Bede on the call of St. Matthew. |
| Pope John Paul II | Totus Tuus | Personal motto “Totally yours.” Latin. Chosen when he became a bishop and kept as pope, it comes from St. Louis de Montfort's Treatise on True Devotion. |
| Pope John XXIII | Obedientia et pax | Personal motto “Obedience and peace.” Latin. The episcopal motto he took as a bishop in 1925 and kept as pope. |
| Pope Leo XIV | In illo uno unum | Personal motto “In the one Christ we are one.” Latin. His papal motto, explained by the Vatican in 2025; it comes from a sermon of St. Augustine. |
| Porto | Antiga, Mui Nobre, Sempre Leal e Invicta Cidade do Porto | City motto “Ancient, most noble, always loyal and unvanquished city of Porto.” Portuguese. The honorific title displayed on the city's coat of arms. |
| Prague | Praga caput rei publicae | City motto “Prague, head of the republic.” Latin. Earlier mottos were Praga caput regni and Praga mater urbium. |
| Presidency University, Kolkata | अप्रमत्तः प्रमत्तेषु (Apramattah Pramatteshu) | University motto “Vigilant among the heedless.” Sanskrit. The motto of the former Presidency College, founded in 1817 as Hindu College, which became a university in 2010. |
| President's Bodyguard (India) | Bharat Mata Ki Jai | Military motto “Victory to Mother India.” Hindi. |
| Prince Edward Island | Parva sub ingenti | Canadian province motto “The small under the protection of the great.” Latin. Taken from Book 2 of Virgil's Georgics, it appeared on the first provincial seal, used from 1769 to 1815, and was granted with the arms by King Edward VII in 1905. |
| Prince of Wales | Ich dien | Royal motto “I serve.” German. Appears with the three ostrich feathers on the Black Prince's tomb in Canterbury Cathedral; the story that he took it from King John of Bohemia at Crécy in 1346 lacks sound historical basis. The badge was on British 2 pence coins from 1971 to 2008. |
| Princeton University | Dei Sub Numine Viget | University motto “Under God's power she flourishes.” Latin. |
| Puerto Rico | Joannes est nomen ejus | U.S. territory motto “John is his name.” Latin. It refers to St. John the Baptist, the island's original namesake. The Spanish Crown granted the coat of arms bearing it in 1511, and the Commonwealth officially adopted the arms on March 9, 1905. |
| Punjab Regiment (India) | स्थल व जल (Sthal Wa Jal) | Military motto “By land and sea.” Hindi. Also given as Khushki wa Tari. The regiment's galley insignia honors the 69th Punjabis' readiness to serve overseas; it is the second oldest regiment in the Indian Army. |
Q
| Motto of | Motto | Meaning and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Quebec | Je me souviens | Canadian province motto “I remember.” French. Provincial motto. Eugène-Étienne Taché had it carved below the coat of arms over the Parliament Building's main entrance in 1883, and it replaced La belle province on license plates in 1978. |
| Quebec City | Don de Dieu feray valoir | City motto “I shall put God's gift to good use.” French. |
| Queen's University Belfast | Pro tanto quid retribuamus | University motto “What shall we give in return for so much?” Latin. |
| Queensland | Audax at Fidelis | Australian state motto “Bold but faithful.” Latin. Granted with the state arms by Queen Victoria in 1893. |
R
| Motto of | Motto | Meaning and notes |
|---|---|---|
| RAF | Per ardua ad astra | Military motto “Through adversity to the stars.” Latin. The phrase appears in H. Rider Haggard's novel The People of the Mist. The Royal Australian and Royal New Zealand air forces share it.Listed under Royal Air Force |
| Railway Protection Force | यशो लभस्व (Yasho Labhasva) | Central armed police motto “Attain honor.” Sanskrit. From the Bhagavad Gita (11.33), where Krishna tells Arjuna to rise and win glory. The force was set up under the RPF Act of 1957 and made an armed force of the Union in 1985. |
| Rajput Regiment | सर्वत्र विजय (Sarvatra Vijay) | Military motto “Victory everywhere.” Sanskrit. The regiment's war cry is Bol Bajrang Bali Ki Jai; its Param Vir Chakra went to Naik Jadunath Singh at Naushera in 1948. The centre is at Fatehgarh. |
| Rajputana Rifles | वीर भोग्या वसुंधरा (Veer Bhogya Vasundhara) | Military motto “The brave shall inherit the earth.” Sanskrit. The regiment's war cry is Raja Ramchandra Ki Jai. Raised in 1775 as the 5th Battalion, Bombay Sepoys, it is the oldest rifle regiment of the Indian Army. |
| Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission | आत्मनो मोक्षार्थम् जगद्धिताय च (Atmano Mokshartham Jagaddhitaya Cha) | Religious organization motto “For one's own liberation and for the welfare of the world.” Sanskrit. Formulated by Swami Vivekananda, who also designed the order's emblem of waves, lotus and rising sun. The headquarters is Belur Math on the Hooghly. |
| Rangers Football Club | Ready | Sports club motto The word on the club’s READY crest. |
| Rashtriya Indian Military College | बल विवेक (Bal Vivek) | School motto “Strength and conscience.” Hindi. The motto of the Dehradun feeder school for the armed forces, founded in 1922 as the Prince of Wales Royal Indian Military College. |
| Rashtriya Rifles | दृढ़ता और वीरता (Dridhta aur Veerta) | Military motto “Determination and valor.” Hindi. Raised on Oct. 1, 1990, under army chief Gen. S. F. Rodrigues as a counterinsurgency force for Jammu and Kashmir. |
| RAW | धर्मो रक्षति रक्षितः (Dharmo Rakshati Rakshitah) | Government agency motto “Dharma protects those who protect it.” Sanskrit. A well-known phrase from the Mahabharata. India's external intelligence agency was founded in 1968.Listed under Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) |
| RCMP | Maintiens le droit | Police motto “Uphold the right.” French.Listed under Royal Canadian Mounted Police |
| Red Cross | Inter arma caritas; Per humanitatem ad pacem | International organization motto “Charity amid arms; through humanity towards peace.” Latin. Article 3 of the ICRC Statutes gives the first as its motto and also recognizes the second.Listed under International Committee of the Red Cross |
| Regiment of Artillery (Indian Army) | सर्वत्र इज्जत-ओ-इकबाल (Sarvatra Izzat-o-Iqbal) | Military motto “Everywhere with honor and glory.” Hindustani. |
| Reliance Industries | Growth is Life | Company motto |
| Remount and Veterinary Corps (India) | Pashu Seva Asmakam Dharma | Military motto “Service to animals is our creed.” Sanskrit. |
| Republic of the Congo | Unité, Travail, Progrès | National motto “Unity, work, progress.” French. |
| Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) | धर्मो रक्षति रक्षितः (Dharmo Rakshati Rakshitah) | Government agency motto “Dharma protects those who protect it.” Sanskrit. A well-known phrase from the Mahabharata. India's external intelligence agency was founded in 1968. |
| Rhode Island | Hope | U.S. state motto Dates to May 4, 1664, and appears with an anchor on the state seal and flag. |
| Rice University | Letters, Science, Art | University motto Motto of the Houston university, which began classes on Sept. 23, 1912. |
| Richmond, Virginia | Sic itur ad astra | City motto “Thus one goes to the stars.” Latin. From Virgil's Aeneid. It runs along the top arch of the city seal, where it appeared by 1806 and was restored in 1872. |
| The Ritz-Carlton | We are Ladies and Gentlemen serving Ladies and Gentlemen | Company motto The motto of the hotel company's Gold Standards, the service code every staff member learns. |
| Rotary International | Service Above Self; One Profits Most Who Serves Best | Organization motto Rotary has two official mottoes; Service Above Self was made the principal one in 1989. |
| Rothschild family | Concordia, Integritas, Industria | Family motto “Unity, integrity, diligence.” Latin. |
| Rotterdam | Sterker door strijd | City motto “Stronger through struggle.” Dutch. |
| Royal Air Force | Per ardua ad astra | Military motto “Through adversity to the stars.” Latin. The phrase appears in H. Rider Haggard's novel The People of the Mist. The Royal Australian and Royal New Zealand air forces share it. |
| Royal Artillery | Ubique; Quo Fas et Gloria Ducunt | Military motto “Everywhere; where right and glory lead.” Latin. Ubique was granted by King William IV in 1832 in place of battle honors; Quo fas et gloria ducunt is the regiment’s second motto. |
| Royal Canadian Mounted Police | Maintiens le droit | Police motto “Uphold the right.” French. |
| Royal Engineers | Ubique; Quo Fas et Gloria Ducunt | Military motto “Everywhere; Where right and glory lead.” Latin. Granted in 1832, the motto stands in place of battle honors, which the corps does not carry. |
| Royal Gurkha Rifles | कायर हुनु भन्दा मर्नु राम्रो (Kaphar hunnu bhanda marnu ramro) | Military motto “Better to die than live a coward.” Nepali. |
| Royal Marines | Per Mare, Per Terram | Military motto “By sea, by land.” Latin. |
| Royal Military Academy Sandhurst | Serve to Lead | Military motto |
| Royal Society | Nullius in verba | Organization motto “Take nobody's word for it.” Latin. Shortened from Horace's first Epistle, nullius addictus iurare in verba magistri. Founding fellow John Evelyn proposed it and designed the society's coat of arms. |
| Royal Spanish Academy | Limpia, fija y da esplendor | Organization motto “Cleans, fixes and gives splendor.” Spanish. |
| Royal Victorian Order | Victoria | Order of chivalry motto “Victoria (the founding queen's name, Latin for victory).” Latin. Founded by Queen Victoria on April 21, 1896, to recognize distinguished personal service to the monarch. |
| Rugby School | Orando laborando | School motto “By praying, by working.” Latin. The English public school was founded in 1567 under the will of Lawrence Sheriff. |
| Russian Empire | Съ нами Богъ! (S nami Bog!) | Former national motto “God is with us!” Russian. Historic motto on the Great State Emblem, written in pre-1918 orthography. |
| Rutgers University | Sol iustitiae et occidentem illustra | University motto “Sun of righteousness, shine also upon the West.” Latin. |
| Rwanda | Ubumwe, Umurimo, Gukunda Igihugu | National motto “Unity, work, patriotism.” Kinyarwanda. Carried on the national emblem adopted on Dec. 31, 2001, whose design is set out in Article 3 of the constitution. |
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| Motto of | Motto | Meaning and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic | حرية، ديمقراطية، وحدة (Ḥurriyya, Dīmuqrāṭiyya, Waḥda) | Territory motto “Freedom, Democracy, Unity.” Arabic. Also rendered in Spanish as Libertad, Democracia, Unidad. |
| Saint Helena | Loyal and Unshakeable | Territory motto On the coat of arms of Saint Helena. |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | Country Above Self | National motto Motto of the national coat of arms adopted in 1983. The nearly identical 1967 arms of Saint Christopher Nevis Anguilla carried the motto Unity in Trinity. |
| Saint Lucia | The Land, the People, the Light | National motto Written beneath the shield of the coat of arms designed by Sydney Bagshaw in 1967. |
| Saint Pierre and Miquelon | A mare labor | Territory motto “From the sea, work.” Latin. |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Pax et justitia | National motto “Peace and justice.” Latin. Appears on the coat of arms granted on Nov. 29, 1912, where two women in Roman dress, one with an olive branch and one with the scales of justice, stand for peace and justice. |
| The Salvation Army | Blood and Fire | Religious organization motto |
| Samoa | Fa'avae i le Atua Samoa | National motto “God be the foundation of Samoa.” Samoan. Inscribed on the shield of the coat of arms adopted in 1962, the year of independence, whose design draws on the United Nations emblem. |
| San Francisco | Oro en Paz, Fierro en Guerra | City motto “Gold in peace, iron in war.” Spanish. |
| San Marino | Libertas | National motto “Liberty.” Latin. Linked to the last words attributed to founder Saint Marinus, Relinquo vos liberos ab utroque homine. It sits on a ribbon below the shield of the coat of arms, formally established by decree on April 6, 1862. |
| Sandhurst | Serve to Lead | Military motto Listed under Royal Military Academy Sandhurst |
| São Paulo (city) | Non ducor, duco | City motto “I am not led; I lead.” Latin. City motto of São Paulo. |
| São Paulo (state) | Pro Brasilia fiant eximia | Brazilian state motto “Let great things be done for Brazil.” Latin. On the state coat of arms set by a 1932 decree. |
| São Tomé and Príncipe | Unidade, Disciplina, Trabalho | National motto “Unity, discipline, work.” Portuguese. |
| SAS | Who Dares Wins | Military motto Credited to Col. David Stirling, who founded the regiment as a force to strike behind enemy lines. The German form Wer wagt, gewinnt dates to at least the 18th century.Listed under Special Air Service (British Army) |
| Sashastra Seema Bal | सेवा, सुरक्षा और बंधुत्व (Seva, Suraksha aur Bandhutva) | Central armed police motto “Service, security and brotherhood.” Hindi. Set up as the Special Service Bureau on March 15, 1963, it took its present name in 2001 and guards India's borders with Nepal and Bhutan. |
| Saskatchewan | Multis e gentibus vires | Canadian province motto “From many peoples, strength.” Latin. |
| Saudi Arabia | لا إله إلا الله محمد رسول الله (La ilaha illa Allah, Muhammad rasul Allah) | National flag inscription “There is no god but God; Muhammad is the messenger of God.” Arabic. The shahada, the Islamic declaration of faith, inscribed on the national flag. |
| Savitribai Phule Pune University | यः क्रियावान् स पण्डितः (Yah Kriyavan Sa Panditah) | University motto “Where actions prove knowledge.” Sanskrit. The motto appears on the emblem of the university, founded in 1949 as the University of Poona and renamed in 2014. |
| The Scindia School | Knowledge Liberates | School motto The motto of the Gwalior boarding school founded by Maharaja Madho Rao Scindia in 1897 as the Sardar's School. |
| Scotland | In My Defens God Me Defend; Nemo me impune lacessit | UK nation motto “In my defense God me defend; No one provokes me with impunity.” Scots; Latin. The first is the royal motto of Scotland and the second the motto of the Order of the Thistle; both appear on the Scottish royal arms. |
| Scout Movement | Be Prepared | Organization motto Devised by Robert Baden-Powell in 1907 and published in Scouting for Boys in 1908, its initials deliberately match his own. He defined it as being always ready in mind and body to do your duty. |
| Scouting America (formerly Boy Scouts of America) | Be Prepared | Organization motto The organization changed its name to Scouting America on Feb. 8, 2025. |
| Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) | Semper Occultus | Government agency motto “Always secret.” Latin. |
| Security Service (MI5) | Regnum Defende | Government agency motto “Defend the realm.” Latin. The service was founded in 1909 as the Secret Service Bureau. |
| Senegal | Un Peuple, Un But, Une Foi | National motto “One people, one goal, one faith.” French. Identical to the motto of Mali, Senegal's partner in the Mali Federation until 1960; it forms part of the coat of arms used since 1965. |
| Seoul National University | Veritas lux mea | University motto “Truth is my light.” Latin. |
| Serbia | Само слога Србина спасава (Samo sloga Srbina spasava) | Unofficial national motto “Only unity saves the Serbs.” Serbian. A popular reading of the four firesteels of the Serbian cross; the line comes from Jovan Dragašević's 1860 poem. |
| Seville | NO8DO (No me ha dejado) | City motto “It has not abandoned me.” Spanish. NO8DO is a rebus read aloud as No me ha dejado. |
| Seychelles | Finis coronat opus | National motto “The end crowns the work.” Latin. A phrase traditionally attributed to Ovid. It appeared on the colonial badge of 1903 and sits beneath the shield of the coat of arms granted by royal warrant on May 27, 1976. |
| Shanghai Jiao Tong University | 饮水思源，爱国荣校 (Yinshui siyuan, aiguo rongxiao) | University motto “Remember the source when drinking; love your country and honor your university.” Chinese. |
| Sierra Leone | Unity, Freedom, Justice | National motto Appears at the base of the coat of arms, developed by the College of Arms and granted in 1960; the shield's green, white and blue also form the national flag. |
| Sikh Empire | ਅਕਾਲ ਸਹਾਇ (Akāl Sahāi) | Former national motto “With God's grace.” Punjabi. Inscribed on coins of the Sikh Empire, founded when Ranjit Singh took Lahore in 1799 and annexed by the British in 1849; the Khalsa formula Deg Tegh Fateh also appears on its coins. |
| Sikh Light Infantry | ਦੇਗ ਤੇਗ਼ ਫ਼ਤਿਹ (Deg Tegh Fateh) | Military motto “Prosperity in peace and victory in war.” Punjabi. Khalsa slogan naming the cauldron and the sword, symbols of charity and arms, once used on Banda Singh Bahadur's seal and on Sikh coins. |
| Sikh Regiment | ਨਿਸਚੈ ਕਰਿ ਅਪੁਨੀ ਜੀਤ ਕਰੋਂ (Nischai Kar Apni Jeet Karon) | Military motto “With determination, I will be triumphant.” Punjabi. The regiment's war cry is Jo Bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akal. The most highly decorated regiment of the Indian Army, it marks the Battle of Saragarhi (Sept. 12, 1897) as its anniversary. |
| Sikkim | ཁམས་གསུམ་དབང་འདུས (Kham-sum-wangdu) | Indian state motto “Conqueror of the three worlds.” Tibetan. Kham-sum-wangdu is also the name of the state emblem, designed by Robert Taylor in 1877 as the arms of the House of Namgyal; before 1975 the emblem bore Om Mani Padme Hum. |
| Singapore | Majulah Singapura | National motto “Onward Singapore.” Malay. Inscribed on a banner below the shield of the state arms, designed by a committee led by Toh Chin Chye and approved on Nov. 18, 1959. Also the title of the national anthem. |
| Sint Maarten | Semper progrediens | Territory motto “Always progressing.” Latin. Appears on the coat of arms. |
| Sir Francis Drake | Sic parvis magna | Personal motto “Greatness from small beginnings.” Latin. |
| Smithsonian Institution | Per Orbem | Organization motto “Throughout the world.” Latin. The words appear on the Smithsonian seal designed by sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens, approved by the Board of Regents in 1893 and first used in 1894. The seal also carries the founding phrase For the Increase and Diffusion of Knowledge Among Men. |
| Society of Jesus | Ad maiorem Dei gloriam | Religious order motto “For the greater glory of God.” Latin. Attributed to founder Ignatius of Loyola, in full Ad maiorem Dei gloriam inque hominum salutem. Students at Jesuit schools once wrote the initials AMDG atop their pages, and Elgar dedicated The Dream of Gerontius with it. |
| Solomon Islands | To Lead is to Serve | National motto Displayed under the shield of the national coat of arms, adopted about 1978. |
| South Africa | ǃke e꞉ ǀxarra ǁke | National motto “Diverse people unite.” ǀXam. Launched with the coat of arms by President Thabo Mbeki on Freedom Day, April 27, 2000, replacing Ex Unitate Vires, used since 1910. ǀXam is an extinct Khoisan language. |
| South Carolina | Dum spiro spero; Animis opibusque parati | U.S. state motto “While I breathe, I hope; prepared in mind and resources.” Latin. The state has two mottoes, both on the state seal adopted May 22, 1777. |
| South Dakota | Under God the People Rule | U.S. state motto State motto since 1885. |
| South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands | Leo terram propriam protegat | Territory motto “May the lion protect its own land.” Latin. On the territorial coat of arms. |
| South Korea | 홍익인간 (Hongik Ingan) | Unofficial national motto “Benefit broadly the human world.” Korean. De facto motto taken from the founding principle of Gojoseon, credited to its legendary founder Dangun Wanggeom. The Framework Act on Education sets it as the ideal of South Korean education. |
| South Sudan | Justice, Liberty, Prosperity | National motto |
| Sovereign Military Order of Malta | Tuitio fidei et obsequium pauperum | Religious order motto “Defense of the faith and assistance to the poor.” Latin. |
| Soviet Union | Пролетарии всех стран, соединяйтесь! (Proletarii vsekh stran, soyedinyaytes'!) | Former national motto “Workers of the world, unite!” Russian. Former state motto from the Communist Manifesto, shown on the Soviet emblem in the languages of the union republics. |
| Spain | Plus ultra | National motto “Further beyond.” Latin. Reverses non plus ultra, the warning linked to the Pillars of Hercules. Charles V adopted it as his personal motto in 1516 at the suggestion of his adviser Luigi Marliano; it appears on the pillars of Spain's coat of arms. |
| Special Air Service (British Army) | Who Dares Wins | Military motto Credited to Col. David Stirling, who founded the regiment as a force to strike behind enemy lines. The German form Wer wagt, gewinnt dates to at least the 18th century. |
| Special Protection Group (India) | शौर्यम् समर्पणम् सुरक्षणम् (Shauryam Samarpanam Surakshanam) | Police motto “Bravery, dedication, security.” Sanskrit. The motto of the force set up in 1985 to protect the Prime Minister of India. |
| Spider-Man | With great power there must also come great responsibility | Fictional catchphrase Narrator's closing caption in Amazing Fantasy No. 15 (1962), credited to Stan Lee; often shortened to with great power comes great responsibility. |
| Sport Lisboa e Benfica | E Pluribus Unum | Sports club motto “Out of many, one.” Latin. |
| St John Ambulance (Order of St John) | Pro fide, pro utilitate hominum | Organization motto “For the faith, in the service of humanity.” Latin. The twin mottoes of the Order of St John, which delivers its charitable work through St John Ambulance organizations worldwide. |
| St Paul's School, London | Fide et literis | School motto “By faith and by learning.” Latin. Founded in 1509 by John Colet, dean of St Paul's Cathedral. |
| St. Stephen's College, Delhi | Ad Dei Gloriam | University motto “To the glory of God.” Latin. |
| St. Xavier's College, Kolkata | Nihil Ultra | University motto “Nothing beyond.” Latin. The motto of the Jesuit college founded in 1860 and named after St. Francis Xavier. |
| St. Xavier's College, Mumbai | Provocans ad Volandum | University motto “Encouraging to fly.” Latin. From the Bible (Deuteronomy 32:11), the eagle that stirs its young to fly. The Jesuit college was founded in 1869. |
| Stanford University | Die Luft der Freiheit weht | University motto “The wind of freedom blows.” German. Unofficial motto taken from Ulrich von Hutten by founding president David Starr Jordan; never formally adopted. |
| Starfleet Academy (Star Trek) | Ex Astris, Scientia | Fictional motto “From the stars, knowledge.” Latin. The motto appears on the academy emblem. |
| Sudan | النصر لنا (An-Naṣr Lanā) | National motto “Victory is ours.” Arabic. |
| Superman | Truth, Justice and a Better Tomorrow | Fictional motto DC's current wording since 2021; the earlier Truth, Justice and the American Way dates to the early 1940s. |
| Supreme Court of India | यतो धर्मस्ततो जयः (Yato Dharmastato Jayah) | Government motto “Where there is dharma, there is victory.” Sanskrit. From the Mahabharata. The court's motto has always been this phrase and was never Satyameva Jayate. |
| Supreme Court of the United States | Equal Justice Under Law | Inscription Inscribed on the West Pediment over the front entrance of the Supreme Court Building and approved in 1932. |
| Suriname | Justitia, Pietas, Fides | National motto “Justice, piety, loyalty.” Latin. Appears on the banner below the shield, carried by two Indigenous figures, on the coat of arms adopted on Nov. 25, 1975, the year of independence. |
| Swaziland | Siyinqaba | National motto “We are the fortress.” siSwati. Appears on a banner below the shield of the national coat of arms, adopted in 1968.Listed under Eswatini |
| Sweden (King Carl XVI Gustaf) | För Sverige – i tiden | Royal motto “For Sweden, with the times.” Swedish. Royal motto of King Carl XVI Gustaf; Sweden has no official national motto. |
| Swedish Academy | Snille och smak | Organization motto “Talent and taste.” Swedish. |
| Switzerland | Unus pro omnibus, omnes pro uno | Unofficial national motto “One for all, all for one.” Latin. Unofficial motto with no legal basis, written in the Federal Palace dome in 1902. |
| Sydney | I take but I surrender | Former city motto Former motto on the city arms granted in 1908, dropped when the arms were redesigned in 1996. |
| Symbiosis International University | वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम् (Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam) | University motto “The world is one family.” Sanskrit. The Pune university grew from the Symbiosis society founded in 1971 to support foreign students. |
| Syracuse University | Suos cultores scientia coronat | University motto “Knowledge crowns those who seek her.” Latin. |
T
| Motto of | Motto | Meaning and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tamil Nadu | வாய்மையே வெல்லும் (Vaymaiye Vellum) | Indian state motto “Truth alone triumphs.” Tamil. The Tamil rendering of Satyameva Jayate, carried on the state emblem adopted in 1949; Puducherry uses the same words. |
| Tanzania | Uhuru na Umoja | National motto “Freedom and unity.” Swahili. Written below the national coat of arms, adopted into law with the Union flag on May 6, 1971. |
| Tasmania | Ubertas et fidelitas | Australian state motto “Fruitfulness and faithfulness.” Latin. Motto on the state coat of arms granted by King George V in 1917. |
| Temple of Apollo, Delphi | Γνῶθι σεαυτόν (Gnōthi seauton); Μηδὲν ἄγαν (Mēden agan) | Inscription “Know thyself; nothing in excess.” Ancient Greek. The two best known Delphic maxims, said to have been inscribed at the temple, though ancient accounts differ on exactly where. |
| Tennessee | Agriculture and Commerce | U.S. state motto The words appeared on the first state seal in 1802 and became the official motto in 1987. |
| Territorial Army (India) | Savdhani Va Shoorta | Military motto “Vigilance and valour.” Hindi. The force was constituted under the Territorial Army Act of 1948. Territorial Army Day, Oct. 9, marks the first camp opened by C. Rajagopalachari in 1949. |
| Texas | Friendship | U.S. state motto Adopted in 1930. |
| Thailand | ชาติ ศาสนา พระมหากษัตริย์ (Chat, Satsana, Phra Maha Kasat) | Unofficial national motto “Nation, religion, king.” Thai. Unofficial national motto coined by King Vajiravudh (Rama VI) in the early 20th century; the red, white and blue of the flag are said to stand for its three pillars. |
| The New York Times | All the News That's Fit to Print | Newspaper motto Introduced by publisher Adolph S. Ochs, it first ran on the front page on Feb. 10, 1897, and has stood in the upper left corner beside the nameplate ever since. Often called the most famous words in American journalism.Listed under New York Times |
| Thermopylae Epitaph | Ὦ ξεῖν᾽, ἀγγέλλειν Λακεδαιμονίοις ὅτι τῇδε κείμεθα τοῖς κείνων ῥήμασι πειθόμενοι (Ō xein', angellein Lakedaimoniois hoti tēide keimetha tois keinōn rhēmasi peithomenoi) | Inscription “Go tell the Spartans, stranger passing by, that here, obedient to their laws, we lie.” Ancient Greek. Epitaph for the Spartans who fell at Thermopylae in 480 BC, popularly attributed to Simonides. |
| Thomas Jefferson | Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God | Personal motto The motto on his personal seal; Jefferson did not coin the phrase. |
| The Three Musketeers | Tous pour un, un pour tous | Fictional motto “All for one, one for all.” French. Called the musketeers' motto in Alexandre Dumas's 1844 novel. |
| The Times of India | Let the Truth Prevail | Company motto The paper was founded in 1838 as The Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce. |
| Times of India | Let the Truth Prevail | Company motto The paper was founded in 1838 as The Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce.Listed under The Times of India |
| Timor-Leste | Unidade, Acção, Progresso | National motto “Unity, action, progress.” Portuguese. Written on a banner below Mount Tatamailau on the national emblem introduced by Law 2/2007 on Jan. 18, 2007. It retains the spelling Acção, as Timor-Leste has not adopted the 1990 orthographic agreement. |
| Togo | Travail, Liberté, Patrie | National motto “Work, liberty, homeland.” French. On a ribbon of the national coat of arms adopted March 14, 1962; a Constitutional Court decision of June 2008 standardized the emblem. |
| Tokelau | Tokelau mo te Atua | Territory motto “Tokelau for the Almighty.” Tokelauan. Inscribed on a banner below a carved wooden tuluma on the territorial emblem, adopted in May 2008. |
| Tonga | Ko e ʻOtua mo Tonga ko hoku Tofiʻa | National motto “God and Tonga are my inheritance.” Tongan. Inscribed on the national coat of arms, adopted in 1862 and designed by Prince Uelingatoni Ngu Tupoumalohi with Methodist pastor Shirley Baker. |
| Toronto | Diversity Our Strength | City motto On the city coat of arms, granted on Jan. 11, 1999. |
| Tottenham Hotspur Football Club | Audere est Facere | Sports club motto “To dare is to do.” Latin. |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Together We Aspire, Together We Achieve | National motto On the coat of arms designed in 1962 by a committee including artist Carlisle Chang and Carnival designer George Bailey, and approved by the College of Arms. |
| Trinity College Dublin | Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam | University motto “It will last into endless future times.” Latin. The college was founded by royal charter of Elizabeth I in 1592. |
| Tristan da Cunha | Our faith is our strength | Territory motto |
| Tsinghua University | 自强不息，厚德载物 (Zìqiáng bùxī, hòudé zàiwù) | University motto “Self-discipline and social commitment.” Chinese. Drawn from the I Ching (Book of Changes), which the scholar Liang Qichao quoted in a 1914 speech at the university on the ideal gentleman. |
| Tufts University | Pax et Lux | University motto “Peace and light.” Latin. Motto of the Massachusetts university founded in 1852 as Tufts College. |
| Tulane University | Non Sibi Sed Suis | University motto “Not for oneself, but for one's own.” Latin. Motto of the New Orleans university founded in 1834 as the Medical College of Louisiana. |
| Tunisia | حرية، نظام، عدالة (Ḥurriyya, Niẓām, ʿAdāla) | National motto “Freedom, order, justice.” Arabic. Adopted with the coat of arms by a beylical decree on June 21, 1956, and enshrined in Article 4 of the 1959 constitution. Article 9 of the 2022 constitution restored it, replacing the 2014 wording Freedom, Dignity, Justice, Order. |
| Turkey | Yurtta sulh, cihanda sulh | Unofficial national motto “Peace at home, peace in the world.” Turkish. Atatürk said it on April 20, 1931, during his tours of Anatolia, describing his party's policy; it became a guiding principle of Turkish foreign policy. Turkey has no official national motto. |
| Türkiye | Yurtta sulh, cihanda sulh | Unofficial national motto “Peace at home, peace in the world.” Turkish. Atatürk said it on April 20, 1931, during his tours of Anatolia, describing his party's policy; it became a guiding principle of Turkish foreign policy. Turkey has no official national motto.Listed under Turkey |
| Tuvalu | Tuvalu mo te Atua | National motto “Tuvalu for the Almighty.” Tuvaluan. Also the title of the national anthem by Afaese Manoa, adopted at independence in 1978. It is the motto of the coat of arms granted by royal warrant on Dec. 3, 1976. |
| Tycho Brahe | Non haberi sed esse | Personal motto “Not to seem, but to be.” Latin. Motto of the Danish astronomer, inscribed on the pedestal of a bronze bust of him. |
U
| Motto of | Motto | Meaning and notes |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Air Force | Aim High ... Fly-Fight-Win | Military motto Announced as the official Air Force motto on Oct. 7, 2010.Listed under United States Air Force |
| U.S. Army | This We'll Defend | Military motto Appears on the Army emblem and flag.Listed under United States Army |
| U.S. Coast Guard | Semper Paratus | Military motto “Always ready.” Latin. Long a Revenue Cutter watchword, it first appeared on the commandant's stationery and the ensign in 1910. Also the title of the service's official march, written by Capt. Francis Saltus Van Boskerck in 1922.Listed under United States Coast Guard |
| U.S. Marine Corps | Semper fidelis | Military motto “Always faithful.” Latin. Adopted in 1883.Listed under United States Marine Corps |
| U.S. Marines | Semper fidelis | Military motto “Always faithful.” Latin. Adopted in 1883.Listed under United States Marine Corps |
| U.S. Navy | Non sibi sed patriae | Military motto “Not for self, but for country.” Latin. A traditional motto; the Navy has never adopted an official one, and Semper Fortis is also used unofficially.Listed under United States Navy |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | United in Pride and Hope | U.S. territory motto Official territorial motto since Jan. 1, 1991. |
| Uganda | For God and My Country | National motto Written at the base of the coat of arms, approved by Gov. Walter Coutts and formally established by law on Oct. 9, 1962. |
| UGC | ज्ञान-विज्ञान विमुक्तये (Gyan-Vigyan Vimuktaye) | Education body motto “Knowledge liberates.” Sanskrit. The motto appears in Devanagari on the UGC logo beside an open book and a flying bird.Listed under University Grants Commission (India) |
| United Kingdom (royal arms) | Dieu et mon droit | Royal motto “God and my right.” French. The sovereign's motto, on a scroll beneath the royal arms; the UK has no official national motto. |
| United States | In God We Trust | National motto First put on the two cent coin in 1864 and made the national motto by law on July 30, 1956; the House reaffirmed it in 2011. A variant appears in the fourth stanza of The Star Spangled Banner (1814). |
| United States (Great Seal) | E pluribus unum | Great Seal motto “Out of many, one.” Latin. On the Great Seal adopted on June 20, 1782; long the de facto national motto before 1956, and still required on U.S. coins. |
| United States Air Force | Aim High ... Fly-Fight-Win | Military motto Announced as the official Air Force motto on Oct. 7, 2010. |
| United States Army | This We'll Defend | Military motto Appears on the Army emblem and flag. |
| United States Army Corps of Engineers | Essayons | Military motto “Let us try.” French. Motto of the Army's engineer branch, which traces its origin to 1775. |
| United States Army Rangers | Rangers Lead the Way | Military motto Traced to Omaha Beach on D-Day in 1944; the 75th Ranger Regiment also uses Sua Sponte. |
| United States Army Special Forces | De oppresso liber | Military motto “To free the oppressed.” Latin. |
| United States Coast Guard | Semper Paratus | Military motto “Always ready.” Latin. Long a Revenue Cutter watchword, it first appeared on the commandant's stationery and the ensign in 1910. Also the title of the service's official march, written by Capt. Francis Saltus Van Boskerck in 1922. |
| United States Coast Guard Academy | Scientiæ Cedit Mare | Military motto “The sea yields to knowledge.” Latin. Motto of the Coast Guard's officer academy in New London, Connecticut, founded in 1876. |
| United States Department of Justice | Qui Pro Domina Justitia Sequitur | Government agency motto “Who prosecutes on behalf of justice (or Lady Justice).” Latin. Traced to Lord Coke's Institutes, which recount a Latin phrase used before Queen Elizabeth I. It appears in an arc on the department's seal, whose design was revised by executive order in 1934. |
| United States Marine Corps | Semper fidelis | Military motto “Always faithful.” Latin. Adopted in 1883. |
| United States Marshals Service | Justice, Integrity, Service | Police motto Motto of the oldest U.S. federal law enforcement agency, used across its official website. |
| United States Military Academy | Duty, Honor, Country | Military motto West Point's motto, made famous by Gen. Douglas MacArthur's 1962 farewell speech. |
| United States Naval Academy | Ex Scientia Tridens | Military motto “From knowledge, sea power.” Latin. |
| United States Navy | Non sibi sed patriae | Military motto “Not for self, but for country.” Latin. A traditional motto; the Navy has never adopted an official one, and Semper Fortis is also used unofficially. |
| United States Navy SEALs | The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday | Military motto Unofficial training motto posted at the BUD/S compound in Coronado, California. |
| United States of America | In God We Trust | National motto First put on the two cent coin in 1864 and made the national motto by law on July 30, 1956; the House reaffirmed it in 2011. A variant appears in the fourth stanza of The Star Spangled Banner (1814).Listed under United States |
| United States of America (Great Seal) | E pluribus unum | Great Seal motto “Out of many, one.” Latin. On the Great Seal adopted on June 20, 1782; long the de facto national motto before 1956, and still required on U.S. coins.Listed under United States (Great Seal) |
| United States Postal Service | Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds | Inscription Adapted from Herodotus, Histories, Book 8, 98, on Persian mounted couriers. Carved over the James A. Farley Post Office in Manhattan in 1914, it is popularly taken as the postal motto, though the Postal Service has no official motto. |
| United States Secret Service | Worthy of Trust and Confidence | Government agency motto |
| United States Space Force | Semper Supra | Military motto “Always above.” Latin. Unveiled with the service's official logo in July 2020. |
| University College Dublin | Ad astra | University motto “To the stars.” Latin. The university also uses the Irish motto Cothrom na Féinne (Justice and equality). It traces its origins to the Catholic University of Ireland, opened in 1854 with John Henry Newman as rector. |
| University College London | Cuncti adsint meritaeque expectent praemia palmae | University motto “Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward.” Latin. |
| University Grants Commission (India) | ज्ञान-विज्ञान विमुक्तये (Gyan-Vigyan Vimuktaye) | Education body motto “Knowledge liberates.” Sanskrit. The motto appears in Devanagari on the UGC logo beside an open book and a flying bird. |
| University of Aberdeen | Initium sapientiae timor domini | University motto “The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord.” Latin. |
| University of Adelaide | Sub cruce lumen | University motto “The light of learning under the Southern Cross.” Latin. The motto of the university founded in 1874. It merged with the University of South Australia on Jan. 5, 2026, to form Adelaide University, and the coat of arms bearing the motto has been retired for new students. |
| University of Allahabad | Quot Rami Tot Arbores | University motto “As many branches, so many trees.” Latin. |
| University of Auckland | Ingenio et labore | University motto “By natural ability and hard work.” Latin. |
| University of Birmingham | Per ardua ad alta | University motto “Through efforts to high achievements.” Latin. |
| University of Bologna | Alma Mater Studiorum | University motto “Nourishing mother of studies.” Latin. Carried on the university's emblem and part of its official name; Bologna, founded in 1088, is the oldest university in continuous operation. |
| University of Bristol | Vim promovet insitam | University motto “Learning promotes one's innate power.” Latin. From Horace, Odes, Book IV, poem 4. The university received its royal charter in 1909. |
| University of British Columbia | Tuum est | University motto “It is yours.” Latin. |
| University of Calcutta | Advancement of Learning | University motto Founded in 1857. |
| University of California | Fiat lux | University motto “Let there be light.” Latin. Shared by all University of California campuses; the phrase comes from Genesis 1:3. |
| University of Cambridge | Hinc lucem et pocula sacra | University motto “From here, light and sacred draughts.” Latin. Derived from an emblem traditionally used by the University Press, showing alma mater holding a sun and a cup catching drops from the sky. Its literary source has never been found. |
| University of Cape Town | Spes bona | University motto “Good hope.” Latin. Alludes to the Cape of Good Hope. |
| University of Chicago | Crescat scientia; vita excolatur | University motto “Let knowledge grow from more to more; and so be human life enriched.” Latin. |
| University of Copenhagen | Coelestem adspicit lucem | University motto “It looks at the celestial light.” Latin. |
| University of Delhi | निष्ठा धृति सत्यम् (Nishtha Dhriti Satyam) | University motto “Dedication, steadfastness and truth.” Sanskrit. The university was established on May 1, 1922, by an Act of the Central Legislative Assembly, with Hari Singh Gour as its first vice chancellor. |
| University of Geneva | Post tenebras lux | University motto “After darkness, light.” Latin. Taken from the Vulgate text of Job 17:12, it became the motto of the Calvinist Reformation and is shared with the city and canton of Geneva. |
| University of Glasgow | Via, Veritas, Vita | University motto “The way, the truth, the life.” Latin. From John 14:6. |
| University of Göttingen | In publica commoda | University motto “For the common good.” Latin. |
| University of Groningen | Verbum Domini lucerna pedibus nostris | University motto “The word of the Lord is a light for our feet.” Latin. |
| University of Hong Kong | Sapientia et Virtus; 明德格物 (Mingde gewu) | University motto “Wisdom and virtue; illustrious virtue and investigation of things.” Latin and Chinese. The Chinese motto in HKU's own rendering corresponds to the Latin rather than translating it. |
| University of Ibadan | Recte sapere fons | University motto “For knowledge and sound judgement.” Latin. The university's own rendering. |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | Learning & Labor | University motto Motto of the land grant university founded in 1867. |
| University of Kerala | കർമണി വ്യജ്യതേ പ്രജ്ഞാ (Karmani Vyajyate Prajna) | University motto “Wisdom manifests itself in action.” Sanskrit. The Sanskrit motto is written in Malayalam script. The university was founded in 1937 as the University of Travancore. |
| University of Lucknow | Light and Learning | University motto The motto of the university founded in 1920, which absorbed Canning College, founded in 1864. |
| University of Madras | Doctrina Vim Promovet Insitam | University motto “Learning promotes natural talent.” Latin. Its Tamil motto is கற்றனைத்தூறும் அறிவும் ஆற்றலும். |
| University of Manchester | Cognitio, sapientia, humanitas | University motto “Knowledge, wisdom, humanity.” Latin. On the university crest. |
| University of Melbourne | Postera crescam laude | University motto “I shall grow in the esteem of future generations.” Latin. |
| University of Michigan | Artes, Scientia, Veritas | University motto “Arts, knowledge, truth.” Latin. |
| University of Mumbai | शीलवृत्तफला विद्या (Shilavrittaphala Vidya) | University motto “The fruit of learning is character and righteous conduct.” Sanskrit. Founded in 1857. |
| University of Mysore | न हि ज्ञानेन सदृशम् (Na Hi Jnanena Sadrisham) | University motto “Nothing is equal to knowledge.” Sanskrit. From the Bhagavad Gita 4.38. The university was founded in 1916. |
| University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney) | Scientia corde manu et mente | University motto “Knowledge by heart, hand and mind.” Latin. |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Lux libertas | University motto “Light and liberty.” Latin. Chartered by the North Carolina General Assembly on Dec. 11, 1789, it is one of three universities that claim to be the oldest public university in the United States. |
| University of Notre Dame | Vita, Dulcedo, Spes | University motto “Life, sweetness, hope.” Latin. Drawn from the Marian hymn Salve Regina. |
| University of Otago | Sapere aude | University motto “Dare to be wise.” Latin. |
| University of Oxford | Dominus illuminatio mea | University motto “The Lord is my light.” Latin. The opening words of Psalm 27. |
| University of Padua | Universa universis patavina libertas | University motto “The freedom of Padua, universal and for all.” Latin. |
| University of Paris | Hic et ubique terrarum | University motto “Here and everywhere on earth.” Latin. |
| University of Pennsylvania | Leges sine moribus vanae | University motto “Laws without morals are useless.” Latin. Adapted from Horace's Odes (3.24), which asks quid leges sine moribus vanae proficiunt; Penn adopted the current wording in 1932, when its seal was redesigned. |
| University of Pretoria | Ad destinatum persequor | University motto “With zeal and perseverance, strive towards the goal.” Latin. The university's own rendering. |
| University of Queensland | Scientia ac labore | University motto “By means of knowledge and hard work.” Latin. |
| University of Rajasthan | धर्मो विश्वस्य जगतः प्रतिष्ठा (Dharmo Vishwasya Jagatah Pratishtha) | University motto “Dharma is the foundation of the whole world.” Sanskrit. The Jaipur university was founded in 1947 as the University of Rajputana and renamed in 1956. |
| University of Salamanca | Omnium scientiarum princeps Salmantica docet | University motto “Salamanca is foremost in teaching all the sciences.” Latin. The proverb Quod natura non dat, Salmantica non praestat, carved at the entrance of one of its buildings, is often mistaken for the university's motto. |
| University of South Africa (UNISA) | Pro gentibus sapientia | University motto “Learning in the service of humanity.” Latin. UNISA's own rendering. |
| University of Southern California | Palmam qui meruit ferat | University motto “Let whoever earns the palm bear it.” Latin. Also the personal motto of Adm. Horatio Nelson. |
| University of St Andrews | ΑΙΕΝ ΑΡΙΣΤΕΥΕΙΝ (Aien aristeuein) | University motto “Ever to excel.” Ancient Greek. From Book 6 of Homer's Iliad; in use since 1773 and part of the official arms since 2006. |
| University of Sydney | Sidere mens eadem mutato | University motto “Though the stars change, the mind remains the same.” Latin. The university's coat of arms was granted in 1857. |
| University of Texas at Austin | Disciplina praesidium civitatis | University motto “The cultivated mind is the guardian genius of democracy.” Latin. The English line is from Mirabeau B. Lamar, second president of the Republic of Texas. |
| University of Toronto | Velut arbor aevo | University motto “As a tree through the ages.” Latin. Adapted from Horace's Odes. |
| University of Warwick | Mens agitat molem | University motto “Mind moves matter.” Latin. From Virgil's Aeneid. |
| University of Washington | Lux sit | University motto “Let there be light.” Latin. Motto of the Seattle public university established in 1861. |
| University of Western Australia | Seek Wisdom | University motto The founding motto of the university. |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison | Numen Lumen | University motto “God, our light.” Latin. Created with the university's first seal under its first chancellor, John Lathrop, who read it as "The divine within the universe, however manifested, is my light.". |
| Uppsala University | Gratiae veritas naturae | University motto “Truth through God's grace and nature.” Latin. |
| Uruguay | Libertad o Muerte | National motto “Liberty or death.” Spanish. Emblazoned on the flag of the Thirty-Three Orientals, the rebels led by Juan Antonio Lavalleja who landed on April 19, 1825. Made a national symbol in 1952, it is one of Uruguay's three official flags. |
| USA | In God We Trust | National motto First put on the two cent coin in 1864 and made the national motto by law on July 30, 1956; the House reaffirmed it in 2011. A variant appears in the fourth stanza of The Star Spangled Banner (1814).Listed under United States |
| USA (Great Seal) | E pluribus unum | Great Seal motto “Out of many, one.” Latin. On the Great Seal adopted on June 20, 1782; long the de facto national motto before 1956, and still required on U.S. coins.Listed under United States (Great Seal) |
| Utah | Industry | U.S. state motto Symbolized by the beehive on the state seal. The word first appeared on the seal of 1896 and became the official motto on March 4, 1959. |
| Utrecht University | Sol iustitiae illustra nos | University motto “Sun of justice, shine upon us.” Latin. |
| Uttar Pradesh Police | सुरक्षा आपकी, संकल्प हमारा (Suraksha Aapki, Sankalp Hamara) | Police motto “Your protection, our pledge.” Hindi. |
V
| Motto of | Motto | Meaning and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Vancouver | By Sea, Land and Air We Prosper | City motto Borne on the city's coat of arms, granted in 1969. |
| Vanderbilt University | Crescere aude | University motto “Dare to grow.” Latin. The Nashville university says the motto echoes a section of its alma mater. |
| Vanuatu | Long God yumi stanap | National motto “In God we stand.” Bislama. On a golden scroll at the base of the coat of arms adopted in 1980 and designed by Rick Fraser. |
| Venezuela | Dios y Federación | Former national motto “God and federation.” Spanish. Rallying cry of Ezequiel Zamora's forces in the Federal War; Gen. Juan Crisóstomo Falcón put it on the national seal in 1863, and a July 1930 decree removed it. |
| Venice | Pax tibi Marce, evangelista meus | City motto “Peace to you, Mark, my evangelist.” Latin. Written on the open book held by the winged Lion of St. Mark, emblem of the former Republic of Venice. Legend says an angel spoke the words to St. Mark at the lagoon where Venice would rise. |
| Vermont | Freedom and Unity; Stella quarta decima fulgeat | U.S. state motto English and Latin. Freedom and Unity was adopted on Feb. 20, 1779; the Latin motto, meaning May the 14th star shine bright, was added on April 10, 2015. |
| Vichy France | Travail, Famille, Patrie | Former national motto “Work, family, fatherland.” French. Former motto of the 1940 to 1944 regime, replacing Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité. |
| Victoria (Australia) | Peace and Prosperity | Australian state motto On the state coat of arms, granted by royal warrant in June 1910. |
| Victoria Cross | For Valour | Military decoration motto Inscribed on the medal, instituted in 1856. |
| Vietnam | Độc lập – Tự do – Hạnh phúc | National motto “Independence, freedom, happiness.” Vietnamese. Sums up the core values of the Declaration of Independence that Ho Chi Minh read at Ba Dinh Square on Sept. 2, 1945. |
| Virginia | Sic semper tyrannis | U.S. state motto “Thus always to tyrants.” Latin. Appears below Virtus standing over a fallen Tyranny on the state seal, adopted by the Virginia Convention on July 5, 1776, from a design by a committee led by George Wythe. |
| Virginia Tech | Ut Prosim | University motto “That I may serve.” Latin. Adopted in 1896, when the college received a new name. It appears at the bottom of the coat of arms and is carved on a pylon of the War Memorial Chapel. |
| Visva-Bharati (Santiniketan) | यत्र विश्वं भवत्येकनीडम् (Yatra Vishvam Bhavatyekanidam) | University motto “Where the whole world meets in a single nest.” Sanskrit. Chosen by Rabindranath Tagore from a Vedic text for the university he founded at Santiniketan in 1921. It became a central university by an Act of Parliament in 1951, with the prime minister as chancellor. |
W
| Motto of | Motto | Meaning and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Wales | Pleidiol wyf i'm gwlad | UK nation motto “I am true to my country.” Welsh. Motto on the Royal Badge of Wales, approved in 2008; the words come from the national anthem. |
| Warsaw | Semper invicta | City motto “Ever invincible.” Latin. Appears on the city's great coat of arms alongside the Virtuti Militari cross awarded for its WWII bravery. |
| Waseda University | 学問の独立 (Gakumon no Dokuritsu) | University motto “Independence of scholarship.” Japanese. |
| Washington (U.S. state) | Al-ki | U.S. state motto “By and by.” Chinook Jargon. Unofficial, since the legislature never adopted a motto; it first appeared on the territorial seal. |
| The Washington Post | Democracy Dies in Darkness | Newspaper motto Adopted in February 2017 and run beneath the nameplate; Bob Woodward had used the phrase in talks for years. |
| Washington Post | Democracy Dies in Darkness | Newspaper motto Adopted in February 2017 and run beneath the nameplate; Bob Woodward had used the phrase in talks for years.Listed under The Washington Post |
| Washington University in St. Louis | Per veritatem vis | University motto “Strength through truth.” Latin. Adopted in 1915 by the university, which was founded in 1853. |
| Wellesley College | Non Ministrari sed Ministrare | University motto “Not to be ministered unto, but to minister.” Latin. From Matthew 20:28. |
| Wellington | Suprema a situ | City motto “Supreme by position.” Latin. Motto on the coat of arms of New Zealand's capital city. |
| West Point | Duty, Honor, Country | Military motto West Point's motto, made famous by Gen. Douglas MacArthur's 1962 farewell speech.Listed under United States Military Academy |
| West Virginia | Montani semper liberi | U.S. state motto “Mountaineers are always free.” Latin. Suggested by Joseph H. Diss Debar, designer of the Great Seal adopted in September 1863, and made the state motto by the 1872 constitution. Bucaramanga, Colombia, also has it on its coat of arms. |
| Westminster School | Dat Deus incrementum | School motto “God gives the increase.” Latin. From 1 Corinthians 3:6. The London school traces its continuous existence to the 14th century and was refounded by Elizabeth I in 1560. |
| Winchester College | Manners makyth man | School motto Middle English. Motto of founder William of Wykeham, who established the school in 1382. |
| Winston Churchill (Dukes of Marlborough) | Fiel pero desdichado | Family motto “Faithful but unfortunate.” Spanish. Churchill bore the motto of the Dukes of Marlborough on his coat of arms. |
| Wisconsin | Forward | U.S. state motto Adopted as the state motto in 1851. |
| Women's Social and Political Union (Suffragettes) | Deeds, not words | Organization motto Motto of the suffragette organization founded by Emmeline Pankhurst in 1903. |
| Wyoming | Equal Rights | U.S. state motto Reflects Wyoming Territory's grant of voting rights to women in 1869. |
Y
| Motto of | Motto | Meaning and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Yale University | Lux et veritas | University motto “Light and truth.” Latin. The Yale shield also carries the Hebrew Urim and Thummim. |
| Yemen | الله، الوطن، الثورة، الوحدة (Allāh, al-Waṭan, al-Thawrah, al-Waḥdah) | Unofficial national motto “God, homeland, revolution, unity.” Arabic. Not listed among Yemen's official national symbols. |
| YMCA | That they all may be one | Organization motto Adopted at the first World Conference in 1855, from John 17:21. |
| Yonsei University | 진리가 너희를 자유케 하리라 (Jinriga neohuireul jayuke harira) | University motto “The truth will set you free.” Korean. From John 8:32. The Seoul university traces its roots to Gwanghyewon, founded in 1885. |
| Yugoslavia (SFRY) | Bratstvo i jedinstvo | Former national motto “Brotherhood and unity.” Serbo-Croatian. Former guiding slogan of Tito's federation from WWII until its breakup in the early 1990s. |
Z
| Motto of | Motto | Meaning and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Zambia | One Zambia, One Nation | National motto Appears on the coat of arms adopted at independence on Oct. 24, 1964, and stresses unity among more than 72 ethnic groups. Founding President Kenneth Kaunda popularized it, often adding One Africa, One Revolution. |
| Zhejiang University | 求是创新 (Qiushi chuangxin) | University motto “Seeking truth, pursuing innovation.” Chinese. |
| Zimbabwe | Unity, Freedom, Work | National motto On the national coat of arms adopted in 1981. |
More A-to-Z lists
For other A-to-Z lists, see the List of Phobias, the List of Manias, the List of Hobbies, the List of Branches of Science and the List of Collective Nouns.
Frequently asked questions
What is a motto?
A motto is a short phrase that states the ideal a country, institution, family or person wants to live by. It is meant to last, and it is often written into a law, a charter or a coat of arms.
What is the national motto of India?
Satyameva Jayate, Sanskrit for “Truth alone triumphs.” It comes from the Mundaka Upanishad (3.1.6) and is inscribed in Devanagari below the State Emblem of India, adopted on Jan. 26, 1950.
What is the difference between a motto and a slogan?
A motto is adopted to last and states a lasting ideal; a slogan is written to persuade, for a campaign or a product, and is replaced when the campaign ends. This list leaves slogans out; the one informal company motto it includes is labeled as such.
Why are so many mottoes in Latin?
Latin was the language of the church, the universities and heraldry in Europe for centuries, so coats of arms, colleges and military units took Latin mottoes, and many newer bodies followed the custom.
What is the motto of the United States?
In God We Trust, made the national motto by law in 1956. E pluribus unum, “Out of many, one,” appears on the Great Seal and on U.S. coins but was never enacted as the national motto.
Which countries share the motto “Unity makes strength”?
Several national mottoes carry that idea, among them Belgium (L’union fait la force) and Bulgaria (Съединението прави силата). Mottoes adopted at independence or union often stress holding together.
Which countries have no national motto?
Many, including Japan, China, Russia, Italy, Austria, Israel, Ireland, Mexico and Bangladesh. Some of them carry no motto on the state emblem; others, such as Ukraine and Portugal, use well-known phrases that were never made the national motto.
Are the fictional mottoes real?
They are real lines from the books, films and shows named in the first column, but they belong to fictional houses, schools and groups. The table sets them in purple italics.
Explore all general-knowledge topics and the A-to-Z lists.
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