Monday, October 18, 2010

State mottos


Kansas | Ad astra per aspera | To the stars with difficulty

Minnestoa | L’étoile du Nord | The star of the North

Missouri | Salus populi suprema lex esto |
Let the welfare of the people be the supreme law

Connecticut | Qui transtulit sustinet| He who transplanted sustains

North Carolina |Esse quam videri | To be, rather than to seem

West Virginia | Montani semper liberi | Mountaineers are always free

Oregon | Alis volat propriis | She flies with her own wings

New York | Excelsior | Ever upward


Maryland |Fatti maschii, parole femine | Manly deeds, womanly words

Michigan | Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice |
If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you

I have time to think about a lot of things while driving on my roadtrip. Like, for example, what are the state mottos around here? State mottos don't get trot out that much, which is a blessing in some cases and a tragedy in others. As I reviewed the list, I was intrigued to find that although most mottos are in Latin or English, we also have mottos in Hawaiian, Spanish, French, Italian, Greek and Chinook Jargon. These are my ten favorites. Do you know your state motto?

3 comments:

lauren said...

Whew, Michigan made it in there, I was getting worried!

I love the crap out of this post, it's so awesome, I wish I had thought of it. North Carolina is my favorite and also, there is a band called Astra Per Aspera...neat. Miss you!

Wild Tea Party said...

Too cute! Australian's don't have any like these, but my own state's emblem is still pretty hilarious - a coat of arms with a lion and kangaroo (likely....) and the motto: "Newly risen, how brightly you shine".

Jacqueline said...

States where I've lived... (you actually list half of them)

Iowa: Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain.
Delaware: Liberty and Independence.
Michigan: To see a pleasant peninsula, look around you.
North Carolina: To be, rather than to seem.

Next?

In my mind, the collection of them represents the evolution of my life.

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