Talk:List of national mottos

Costa Rica

Why is Costa Rica listed as without a motto when clearly it is "¡Vivan siempre el trabajo y la paz!" as stated in the Costa Rican national anthem?--Bernalj90 01:08, 30 November 2006 (UTC)

Andorra and Angola

I'm no Latin expert, but is this necessarily possible?:

Andorra: Virtus Unita Fortior (Latin, "Strength united is stronger")

Angola: Virtus Unita Fortior (Latin, "Unity Provides Strength")

if it's the case that each country just considers the phrase differently, then we should say that those arent exact translations or something. (169.231.23.121 00:51, 6 June 2006 (UTC))

These are translations, anyway, because the official language is Catalan in Andorra and Portuguese in Angola. The Andorra version is a literal translation, whereas the Angola one is a free translation: virtus (noun) = stength, unita (adjective) = united, fortior (adhective) = stonger, no "is" necessary in a Latin sentence.  Andreas   ^(T) 17:00, 31 October 2006 (UTC)

As of November 25th 2008, Angola is missing from the list and the article translates the Andorran motto as "Virtue, Unity, Strength", while the correct translation should be "Virtue united [is] stronger".

Virtus: noun, nominative (subject)

Unita: past participle, feminine ("virtus" is feminine despite ending in -us), works as adjective

Fortior: comparative of "forte" (strong), thus "stronger"

85.52.162.4 (talk) 01:28, 25 November 2008 (UTC)

Croatia

I erased "Za dom spremni" as the motto of Croatia. That was the motto of Croatia during Paveliċ's fascist regime, and is only used today by neo-fascists. As far as I know, Crotia does not have an official motto.

Error re Chile?

Chile is listed twice. I suspect that the latter is incorrect, but I am not sure enough to change it. If both are correct, then the Chile page ought to be modified.
Tim Ivorson 19:36, 21 Dec 2003 (UTC)

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Why is this at state mottos instead of national mottos? -- Zoe

Because the Canadian provinces and American states are not countries, but they are states (i.e. territories with governments). - Montréalais

And why isn't "mottoes" spelled correctly, according to the standard form for words with a singular ending in "-o", e.g. potatoes, heroes? (If there is a sound reason, I'm sure it would console Dan Quayle.) PML.

My dictionary gives both mottos and mottoes. - Montréalais

A bit dated, but Webster's 1913 gives only "mottoes", though I must admit my knee-jerk would have been to use "mottos". -- John Owens

ireland?

why are some countries not on the list? specifically ireland?

[Try!

Because no contributor to this page has yet found a motto for some countries. If you know one, add it. - Montrealais

Where does "emancipation to the repressed celtic nation" come from? I have never heard of it. Someone is taking the piss here.

I can;t find any factual substance for this, but lots of people seem agreed that irelan's is: Ceade Míle Fáilte (a hundred thousand welcomes). Kirbcrawler

Poland

Poland does not have any national motto. The slogan found on this page (Honor i Ojczyzna) used to be a military motto found on many military units flags in the WWII-era. However, both Polish constitution and Law on National Symbols are quite clear that there are no national mottos. I suggest editing this part out.Halibutt 15:15, 3 Mar 2004 (UTC)

Honor i Ojczyzna or Bóg, Honor i Ojczyzna ?

How about this one: Jeszcze Polska nie zginela ?

Neither is a "state" motto, though.

Lysy 17:12, 3 Apr 2005 (UTC)

I KNOW NEITHER DOES IRELAND

In the ceremony 2005 this national motto also was used. The motto of Poland is Bóg, Honor, Ojczyzna. Without "i". If a national motto need to be in the constitution, than neither Germany and many other nations have no national motto.--Plk 00:03, 6 February 2007 (UTC)

Have a look at Unofficial mottos of Poland. It is used by the military, but apparently only by them. While the German constitution doesn't establish a motto, Germany does name Recht und Einigkeit as its national motto in the description of the 2 euro coin, which I feel shows that the phrase does have an official status. On the other hand, the photo you linked to doesn't establish that Bog, Honor, Ojczyzna is the national motto. For example, it could be the motto of the Polish military. In the US, the national motto is In God we trust, but the army seems to use the motto This we'll defend. Pruneau^talk 19:04, 6 February 2007 (UTC)

National Motto of Iran

There is a dispute if there exists a national motto of Iran. I could not find any source confirming the existance of a national motto for Iran. Although the motto "Allah-u Akbar" is a part of the official flag according to the Iranian constitution, it is not called the official motto anywhere. I would appreciate if someone could find the original source. Roozbeh 15:41, 10 Apr 2004 (UTC)

Whether or not it is official, the takbir is written as "Allaho Akbar" on the page currently. Shouldn't it be "Allahu Akbar" (u instead of o)? I am not sure if that was done for a reason, so didn't change it. Jimpaz 14:51, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

United States

Is "In God We Trust" really a national motto? While it does appear on all US currency, I'm not sure if it's been given official status as a motto by Congress. Satori 22:52, May 3, 2004 (UTC)

"E Pluribus Unum" was replaced by Congress with "In God We Trust" as the United States' national motto in 1956. The phrase had been on currency long before that. 10:34, August 23, 2005 (British Summer Time) http://www.religioustolerance.org/nat_mott.htm

"E Pluribus Unum" was never the motto. Please see Talk:United States. Jaxad0127 02:10, 25 June 2006 (UTC)

Australia's Motto

Peace and Prosperity(not sure) [www.dfat.gov.au/facts/coat_of_arms.html]

how about mottos of past countries?

There were some countries that had mottos, but those countries don't exist anymore, at least in the way they were. For instance, France, when it was under Germany (at least the northern part) had this motto "Travail, Famille, Patrie" (Work, Family, Country), which is not used anymore. Similarly, Yougoslavia had also as motto "Bratstvo i jedinstvo" (Serbian) / "Bratstvo in enotnost" (Slovenian) -"Brotherhood and unity".

It's just, I don't know whether to create a new page for that or add it on this page. I think if nobody else comments on it or actually creates it in the database, I'll add it to this page one of these days.

I vote for adding them, myself. (PS: could people sign/date their contribs here?—four tildes does the trick! I might be making myself look silly by looking at something three years old) 203.82.183.147 13:19, 24 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Thailand National Motto

I don't think 'Land of Smile' is Thailand national motto. Although it is commonly used. Should the national motto be official? I think 'Land of Smile'is just a slogan.

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I think Thailand has no national motto.

Victoria, Australia Motto

I think the real motto for the Victoria state in Australia is "the place to be". I have been living here for five months and I have seen in every ad sponsored by the Victorian government. I had never heard "peace and prosperity" in any Victorian goverment sponsored activity or ad. If you visit the victorian government page "the place to be" appears in the Victorian logo. Based on that, I changed the motto to "the place to be". shinaco 10:10, 14 Jun 2005 (UTC)

There's a difference between an advertising slogan and a motto :-) --LeftyG 02:56, 19 December 2005 (UTC)

Mexico's motto

It has been discussed and modified in Mexico's article, but no here, so, here it goes again: Mexico does NOT have an official motto. "El respeto al derecho ajeno es la paz" is widely known as a saying of Mexico's most beloved president, Benito Juárez. "Sufragio efectivo no-reelección" would be "more" official in the sense that it is printed in some official documents (thus giving it some sort of "official status").

UK: Honi Soit Que Mal y Pense

Evil to him who evil thinks -- What is the status of this motto, found on British passports? --McDogm 12:41, 4 September 2005 (UTC)

It is the motto of the Order of the Garter and is part of the royal coat of arms, which depict the Garter. The motto of the UK itself (i.e. of the Queen) is Dieu et mon droit. - Montréalais 02:58, 8 July 2006 (UTC)

Former motto's

New Zealand used to have a motto - "Onward" - should this be included (alongside a note saying it is the former motto)? I leave it to you people. --LeftyG 02:57, 19 December 2005 (UTC)

Russian Motto

Well Russia has official motto before October Revolution in 1917. It was: "Православие, Самодержавие, Народность" (Orthodoxy, Autocracy, Nationality).

Reformatting mottoes

As I'm sure you noticed I have been reformatting all mottoes to a more easy to understand format:

Old: “Prince Edward Island: Parva sub ingenti (Latin, "The small under the protection of the great")”

New: “Prince Edward Island (Latin): Parva sub ingenti ("The small under the protection of the great")”

It will take a while to finish it, so forgive the disjointedness until then.

motto of ancient Rome

Would the motto of ancient Rome be acceptable? Tecnically, it isn´t a official motto. At that time a official motto was something unknown but still, SPQR - Senatus PopulusQue Romanus - "The Senate and the People of Rome" is widely known and accepted as such. Read the article SPQR. Flamarande 12:02, 2 May 2006 (UTC)

Big update

I've added the mottos from the pages for all the countries in List of countries (that is, all the countries which had a motto listed). In order to make it clearer that some of these are not independent (Puerto Rico, Aruba) or don't exist anymore (Soviet Union, Confederate States of America), I left in bold only the countries which are listed in bold roman type in List of countries. Pruneau 14:12, 5 June 2006 (UTC)

Iceland

I'm pretty sure that "How do you like Iceland?" isn't the Icelandic motto (aside from the fact that it's in English, the page itself gives no motto), so I've deleted it and warned the editor, who seems to be a serial pest anyway. BigHaz 00:29, 5 July 2006 (UTC)

Albania

The motto shown on this page is not the same as shown on the main "Albania" page.

French Polynesia

I have looked for that motto but I was unable to find any independant source for it. I really believe it is false. The own polynesian motto I find, on the local governement website is : Tiamaraa, Aifaitoraa; Autaeaeraa (that is the translation of Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité). --Powermonger.fr 11:13, 4 September 2006 (UTC)

Oman: None

Does this article really needs to list so many countries that have no motto?

Czech Republic

"Truth prevails" (Czech: "Pravda vítězí") may well be a de facto Czech national motto, but it is not defined as such by the law. The only places where the phrase appears in the Czech laws are in the definitions of the appearance of the presidential flag, and the Order of the White Lion and other (now no longer used) decorations. [1] - Mike Rosoft 10:59, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Pakistan

Why has the Pakistan state motto changed so many times over the past few years? 68.163.135.90 23:28, 31 December 2006 (UTC)

"List by country" navigational box

I would like to change the vertical "List by country" navigational box on the right of this page to a horizontal one at the bottom. Please discuss at Template talk:Lists by country. --ChoChoPK (球球PK) (talk | contrib) 12:54, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

Japan

I think "Fukoku Kyohei" was a just informal slogan used by newspapers, not a state motto. Japan never had it's national motto.--211.124.252.180 03:47, 17 January 2007 (UTC)

Indeed, after reading the Fukoku kyōhei article, it seems that it was of a general policy, not a national motto. I've removed the entry. Pruneau^talk 11:32, 17 January 2007 (UTC)

Germany

Germany does not have any national motto. The slogan Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit is only the anthem. Any officials motto does not exist.84.142.84.61 00:38, 31 January 2007 (UTC)

According to the Das Lied der Deutschen article, "'Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit' ("unity and justice and freedom") from the third stanza is also the state's motto, appearing on soldiers' belts and in similar places. It was engraved into the rim of former 5-Deutsche Mark coins, and is shown on current 2-Euro coins minted in Germany." The articles Germany and de:Deutschland both list this as the official motto. Nonetheless, there is no denying that the phrase is also the first line of the national anthem. Could you give more details on why you think there is no motto? Thank you. Pruneau^talk 11:10, 31 January 2007 (UTC)

I said it a little bit wrong. It isn't a official national motto. It is just like the national motto of Poland Bóg, Honor, Ojczyzna. It is a national motto in Poland and you can see it in official ceremonial occasion on banners (look for example the ceremony 2005), but in the constitution is nothing about a national motto. Equally in Germanys constitution is nothing about a national motto.--84.142.84.61 15:21, 31 January 2007 (UTC)

Montenegro

Before losing independence, moto of Montenegro was ˝čojstvo i junaštvo˝ (manliness and heroism). Shall I put it? Stefke 11:01, 13 September 2007 (UTC)

Montenegro has recently gained independence, afaik, so that would only be confusing (I don't think their new motto, if any, would include "manliness"?). Jalwikip (talk) 14:33, 7 January 2008 (UTC)

Quebec licence plate error

The text accompanying the image of the Quebec licence plate on the mottos page is incorrect. The listed text is "Licence plates issued in Quebec bear the state motto,...". Canada is divided into provinces, not states. The text accompanying the image should be corrected to reflect this.

JS - Canada —Preceding unsigned comment added by 205.200.64.72 (talk) 21:26, 27 November 2007 (UTC)

Well observed. Since corrected. Guliolopez (talk) 21:50, 27 November 2007 (UTC)

Netherlands Antilles / New Zealand

I'm pretty sure something got deleted there, I don't have time to restore. It now says

Netherlands Antilles: Libertate unanimus (Latin, Uni: none (formerly Onward[97])

It doesn't translate the Libertate unanimus ("unanimous freedom"?), and the "Onward" reference is to the coat of arms of New Zealand (which would alphabetically follow). Could someone fix this please? Jalwikip (talk) 09:18, 24 December 2007 (UTC)

Ok, removed this entry, as noone has corrected it yet. Better to have no information than incorrect information:

• Netherlands Antilles: Libertate unanimus (Latin, Uni: none (formerly Onward)

Should we really list national subdivisions?

I'm starting to think that we shouldn't include national subdivisions in here. If we were to give the mottoes of all the oblasts and republics in the Russian Federation, states of Brazil, German Länder and states of Mexico, the list would be unmanageable and too big to be useful. I suggest that we take out the mottoes for national subdivisions that are currently listed (Australia, Canada, Colombia, France, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, the UK, Uruguay and Venezuela) and that where appropriate, we create country-specific lists. For example, a List of mottoes of subdivisions of the United Kingdom could contain all the mottoes currently listed in this article as well as all the mottoes of British counties. One could even include mottoes of British cities. Such articles could be linked to from here, as is already the case for the list of U.S. state mottos. Pruneau^talk 15:30, 13 March 2008 (UTC)

Since no one replied, I removed the all the mottos of national subdivisions. Pruneau^talk 15:43, 6 April 2008 (UTC)

Dubious

The recently added official state "mottos" for Israel and Kuwait are highly suspect. There is no evidence (that I'm aware of) that Herzl's statement ("Im tirtzu ayn zo agada" - "If you wish it, it is not a dream") ever became a state motto. Similarly, "For Kuwait" is totally uncited as a purported state motto for Kuwait. Anyone verify?

In general, if adding stuff to this list, editors really need to add decent citations. There is all too much scope for unofficial "tourist brochure" slogans, football chants, song titles, poetic descriptions and other folk wisdom hokum to be passed off as "national mottos".

Personally I don't know how many times I've had to revert [granted, good faith] additions like "Amhrán na bhFiann" (actually the anthem), "Céad míle fáilte" (a tourist board slogan) and "Erin go brách" (an 18 century war cry) from the Ireland entry. The fact is that Ireland doesn't have a state motto. I'm just using Ireland as an example here - the fact is that the same thing regularly happens to other countries as well. Recently Italy suddenly got a motto (that isn't official) and now Kuwait and Israel have grown new ones also.

So, long story short, if you aren't 100% sure, and can't provide a full and proper reference, don't add "what I think the motto is". Well meaning as you might be. Guliolopez (talk) 16:46, 25 July 2008 (UTC)

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