Mottoes
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An overview of Mottoes used in civic heraldry.
This page is under construction, if you see a motto on the site that is not yet listed here or have any other addition, please [{Contact|mail me]] !
Only true mottoes are listed here, no town names in banners around the arms.
The mottoes are listed by language and sorted by first letter. For clarity no capital letters are used, except the first letter as well as personal or town names.
Mottoes in Dutch
Mottoes with Dutch as the original language.
| Motto | Translation in English | Origin | Used by |
| Dispereert niet (also Ende dispereert niet) | Batavia | ||
| Heldhaftig - vastberaden - barmhartig | Amsterdam | ||
| Niet zonder arbyt | Not without labour | Chesterton, South Cambridgeshire | |
| Sterker door strijd | Rotterdam | ||
| Trouw en liefde | Gent | ||
| Vrede en recht | Peace and Justice | 's Gravenhage/The Hague |
Mottoes in English
Mottoes with English as the original language.
| Motto | Origin | Used by |
| A loyal three made stronger in one | Loyalist Township | |
| Agriculture and commerce | Maidstone | |
| Believe - love - obey | Christ Church Cathedral, Fredericton | |
| Born in conflict - settled in peace | Ajax | |
| By industry and integrity | Berwick (Nova Scotia) | |
| Come all who are weary and heavy laden | Matthew 11:28 | Christ Church Cathedral, Ottawa |
| Country above self | Saint Kitts and Nevis | |
| Courage and faith | Guilford County | |
| Desire the right | Falkland Islands | |
| Determined we began - determined we remain | Ameliasburg | |
| Ever forward | Weston-super-Mare | |
| Fear God honour the king | 1 Peter 2:17 | Parish of St. Andrews |
| Forward, upward, onward together | Bahamas | |
| Freedom and justice | Ghana | |
| Glad of thy word | Psalm 119:162 | Parish of St. George's, Pickering Village |
| God’s will first | Nauru | |
| Going forward in faith | Saint Matthews, Ingleside | |
| Grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ | 2 Peter 3:18 | Parish of St. George's, Georgetown |
| He hath founded it upon the seas | Cayman Islands | |
| He shall rule from the river to the ends of the Earth | Psalm 72:8 | Parish of St. Paul's, Dunville |
| I have prepared a lamp | Psalm 132: 17 | Parish of St, Mark's Qualicum Beach |
| In counsel is stability | Windsor | |
| In thee are the springs of our life | Psalm 36:9 | Parish of St. John's, Cambridge |
| Jewel of the Thames | Maidenhead | |
| Justice – prosperity - liberty | South Sudan | |
| Loyal and unshakeable | Saint Helena | |
| New frontiers - new beginnings | Castor | |
| Our faith is our strength | Tristan da Cunha | |
| Our spirits rejoice | Saint Luke's Cathedral, Sault Ste. Marie | |
| Out of many one people | Jamaica | |
| Peace | Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints of Canada | |
| Pride in our past, faith in our future | Mississauga | |
| Pride - spirit - vision | Armstrong | |
| Proud heritage - promising future | Castor | |
| Research and discovery | Falkland Islands Dependencies and British Antarctic Territory | |
| Rejoice in the lord alway | St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians 4:4 | Saint Paul's Cathedral, Regina |
| Risen - ascended - glorified | Parish of All Saints, Peterborough | |
| Serve God and be cheerful | Sutton and Cheam | |
| Service with justice | Alnwick | |
| Share - enjoy - prosper | Letchworth Garden | |
| Sharing God’s love | Saint James, Stouffvile | |
| Strength growth | Haldimand County | |
| Striving toward a magnificent future | Quinte West | |
| The land, the people, the light | Saint Lucia | |
| The love of liberty brought us here | Liberia | |
| Together we stand | Conception Bay South | |
| Tread the smoother ways of peace | Dr. Arthur William Fisher’s poem “Niagara” (1924) | Niagara Falls |
| Twixt Severn and Wye | Forest of Dean, Lydney | |
| Unity and freedom | Malawi | |
| Unity growth prosperity | Taber | |
| Unity responsibility loyalty | Niagara | |
| We grow by industry | Blyth Valley | |
| We prosper by industry | Todmorden | |
| Wisdom knowledge and trust | Clarington |
Mottoes in Fijian
Mottoes with Fijian as the original language.
| Motto | Translation in English | Origin | Used by |
| Rerevaka na kalou ka doka na Tui | Fear God and honour the King | Fiji |
Mottoes in French
Mottoes with French as the original language.
| Motto | Translation in English | Origin | Used by |
| Le jour viendra | The day will come | Lambton | |
| L’union fait la force | Sint-Joost-ten-Node | ||
| Sans dieu rien | Without God nothing | Wanganui | |
| Sur terre et sur mer, Berthier toujours plus fier | By sea and by land, Berthier always prouder | Berthier-sur-Mer | |
| Un people – un but – une foi | One people – one goal – one faith | Senegal |
Mottoes in Frisian
Mottoes with Frisian as the original language.
| Motto | Translation in English | Origin | Used by |
| In doarp riist ut 'e puollen | De Tynje |
Mottoes in German
Mottoes with German as the original language.
| Motto | Translation in English | Origin | Used by |
| Es ist ein Ros entsprungen | Lo how a rose e’er blooming | 15th-century German Christmas carol | Parish of St. John's, Montreal |
Mottoes in Greek
Mottoes with ancient Greek as the original language.
Mottoes in Indonesian
Mottoes with Bahasa Indonesia or any other native language in Indonesia as the original language.
| Motto | Translation in English | Origin | Used by |
| Bhinneka tunggal Ika | Unity in diversity | Indonesia | |
| Gemah ripah loh jinawi | Cirebon | ||
| Gemah ripah repeh rapih | Richness for all and living in harmony | Jawa Barat | |
| Jer basuki mawa bea | Achievements are only won through sacrifice | Jawa Timur | |
| Karya swadaya | On own power | Papua | |
| Soerâ-ing-bâjâ | Virtue in battle | Surabaya |
Mottoes in Latin
Mottoes with Latin as the original language.
| Motto | Translation in English | Origin | Used by |
| A mare labor | Saint Pierre et Miquelon | ||
| Absit invidia | Let there be no ill-will | Limavady | |
| Adveniat regnum tuum | Thy kingdom come | the Lord’s Prayer | Saint Patrick's Basilica, Ottawa |
| Aequitas iudicia tua domine | Roermond | ||
| Alcmaria victrix | Alkmaar is victorious | Alkmaar | |
| Amicitia omnibus rebus | Ridgetown | ||
| Animo et fide | With courage and faith | Carshalton, Medicine Hat | |
| Audentior | With greater boldness | Virgil's Aeniad | Watford |
| Cantate domino | O sing unto the Lord | Psalm 149:1 | Holy Saviour Church, Waterloo |
| Centum salutationes | 100 Mile House | ||
| Copia et concordia | Harmony and abundance | Vacoas/Phoenix | |
| Confitemini domino | O give thanks unto the Lord | Psalm 118, verse 1 | Holy Trinity Church, Chatham |
| Cor unum | With one heart | Grand Falls | |
| Ex undis | From the waves | Eemsmond, Hefshuizen, Uithuizermeeden | |
| Festina lente cauta fac omnia mente | Haste, less speed and do everything with understanding | Venlo | |
| Fide condita, fructu beata, spe fortis | Founded in faith, rich in the fulfilment thereof, strong in the hope for the future | Christchurch | |
| Fidelis | Abbeville | ||
| Fides probata coronat | Confirms what has been proved good and true | Ashburton (New Zealand) | |
| Fortes creantur fortibus | The brave beget the brave | Gorinchem | |
| Fortis et liber | Strong and free | Alberta | |
| Fortiter defendit triumphans | 'Triumphing by brave defence | Newcastle-upon-Tyne | |
| Fraternitas - aequalitas - soliditas | Fraternity - equality - solidarity | Grenville | |
| Haec libertatis ergo | All for the sake of freedom | Leiden | |
| Haec otia studia fovent | University of Liverpool | ||
| In deo fidemus | We trust in God | Brighton | |
| In deo imperium sed populus administrat | Bruce County | ||
| In fraternitate unitas | Unity in brotherhood | Edmundston | |
| In montibus ad flumen | In the mountains by the river | Fernie | |
| In unitate felicitas | Windsor and Maidenhead | ||
| Industria arte prudentia | By industry skill and foresight | Calderdale | |
| Inter sylvas et flumina habitans | Living among woods and streams | Castle Morpeth | |
| Jesu flos matris virginis | Jesus, flower born of the Virgin Mother | Jesu Dulcis Memoria, a poem attributed to St. Bernard of Clairvaux | Saint Mary's Cathedral Basilica, Halifax |
| Jubilate deo | Make a joyful noise onto the Lord | Psalm 100 | Christ Church Cathedral, Hamilton |
| Lab initio ad futurum | Ancaster | ||
| Labor improbus omnia vincit | Labour conquers all | Blitar | |
| Leo terram propriam protegat | Let the lion protect his own land | South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands | |
| Liliis tenaci vimine jungor | Amiens | ||
| Luctor er emergo | Zeeland (provincie) | ||
| Malang nominor sursum moveor | They call me diagonal, but I move upwards | Malang | |
| Mediis Tranquillis in Undis | Borkum | ||
| Miles domini indefessus | The soldier of the Lord is never weary | Nieuwolda, Scheemda | |
| Montes prosperitatem vident | The mountains are witness to my prosperity | Madiun | |
| Montis insignia Calpe | Of the mountain called Calpe | Gibraltar | |
| Multis periculis supersum | Coevorden | ||
| Nec aspera terrent | Duchy of Braunschweig | ||
| Pax et justitia | Peace and justice | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | |
| Per ardua ad summa | Through difficulties to the heights | Beddington and Wallington | |
| Per aspera ad astra | One reaches the stars only through difficulties | [{Cirebon]], Gouda | |
| Per ardua in fide servite deo | Through difficulties serve God in faith | Sutton (London Borough) | |
| Praesidemus | We stand on guard | Military Ordinariate of Canada | |
| Primus et princeps | First and foremost | Annapolis | |
| Progredi prospere | Headingley | ||
| Qui transtulit sustinet | He who transplanted us, sustains us | Connecticut | |
| Regeneratio | Luinjeberd | ||
| Remis Saba Velisque | With all one's might | Saba | |
| Resurrectio | Terband | ||
| Salus et opus | Health and wealth | Kamloops | |
| Salus populi | The welfare of the people | Rushcliffe | |
| Scientia Ingenium artes | University of Wales | ||
| Semper progrediens | Sint Maarten (eiland) | ||
| Semper renascor | Palembang | ||
| Stella clavisque Maris Indici | Star and key of the Indian Ocean | Mauritius | |
| Superba et confidens | Sint Eustatius | ||
| Suprema a situ | Supreme by position | Wellington | |
| Tenax et fidelis | Firmness and faithfulness | Beau Bassin - Rose Hill | |
| Ubi lux ibi labor | Valleyfield | ||
| Unio silvae marisque | Mahone Bay | ||
| Unum deum in trinitate veneremur | Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Quebec | ||
| Unus cum viribus duorum | Abbotsford | ||
| Urbis et orbis honor | Beaune | ||
| Usque ad terminos orbis terrarum | To the ends of the earth | Psalm 72:8 | Anglican Catholic Church of Canada |
| Velut silva floreat | May she flourish as the forest | East Dean | |
| Vestigia nulla retrorsum | North Cowichan | ||
| Vicit vim virtus | Virtue conquered force | Haarlem | |
| Vigilate deo confidentes | Zuid Holland | ||
| Vires acquirit eundo | We gather strength as we go | Virgil, Aeneid IV, 175 | Brandon |
| Vivit post funera virtus | Virtue outlives death | Nottingham | |
| Volet Gander | Gander |
Mottoes in Maori
Mottoes with Maori as the original language.
| Motto | Translation in English | Origin | Used by |
| Te pai me te whairawa | Waitakere |
Mottoes in Old Norse
Mottoes with Old Norse as the original language.
| Motto | Translation in English | Origin | Used by |
| Með lögum skal land byggja | By law shall the land be built up | Njáls Saga | Zetland, Shetland Islands |
Mottoes in Spanish
Mottoes with Tuvalu as the original language.
| Motto | Translation in English | Origin | Used by |
| Dios, unión, libertad | God, union, liberty | El Salvador |
Mottoes in Tuvalu
Mottoes with Tuvalu as the original language.
| Motto | Translation in English | Origin | Used by |
| Tuvalu mot e atua | Tuvalu for God | Tuvalu |
Mottoes in Welsh
Mottoes with Welsh as the original language.
| Motto | Translation in English | Origin | Used by |
| Gwerth cyngor gwasanaeth | The virtue of a council is its service | Glyndŵr | |
| Mon mam Cynru | Anglesey, Mother of Wales | Isle of Anglesey | |
| Nid cadern ond brodyrdde | No strength but in fellowship | Merthyr Tydfil |
Mottoes in Non-existing languages
Mottoes with a non-existing or phantasy language.
| Motto | Translation in English | Origin/Language | Used by |
| Es-whoy-malth | A shoaling place | transcribed from a local native American language | Esquimalt |
Mottoes in two or more languages
Mottoes in multiple languages.
| Motto | Translation in English | Origin/Languages | Used by |
| Kayas - présent - future | Past - present - future | Cree, French and English | North Battleford |
| Eendracht maakt macht - L’union fait la force | Dutch and French | Belgium | |
| Paix – travail – patrie : Peace – work - fatherland | Peace – work - fatherland | French and English | Cameroon |