All of theUnited States' 50 states have a statemotto, as do theDistrict of Columbia and 3 ofits territories. A motto is a phrase intended to formally describe the general motivation or intention of an organization. State mottos can sometimes be found onstate seals orstate flags. Some states have officially designated a state motto by an act of thestate legislature, whereas other states have the motto only as an element of their seals. The motto of the United States itself isIn God We Trust, proclaimed by Congress and signed into law by PresidentDwight D. Eisenhower on July 30, 1956.[1] The motto "E pluribus unum" (Latin for 'out of many, one') was approved for use on theGreat Seal of the United States in 1782, but was never adopted as the national motto through legislative action.
South Carolina has two official mottos, both which are in Latin.[2]Kentucky,North Dakota, andVermont also have two mottos, one in Latin and the other in English.[3][4] All other states and territories have only one motto, except forGuam and theNorthern Mariana Islands, which do not have any mottos.[5] English and Latin are the most-used languages for state mottos, each used by 25 states and territories. Seven states and territories use another language, of which each language is only used once. Eight states and two territories have their mottos on theirstate quarter; thirty-eight states and four territories have their mottos on their state seals.
The dates given are, where possible, the earliest date that the motto was used in an official sense. Some state mottos are not official but are on the official state seal; in these cases the adoption date of the seal is given. The earliest use of a current motto is that ofPuerto Rico,Joannes est nomen ejus, granted to the island by the Spanish in 1511.[6]
| Jurisdiction | Motto | English translation | Language | Date | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Audemus jura nostra defendere | We dare defend our rights | Latin | 1923 | [7] |
| Alaska | North to the Future | — | English | 1967 | [8] |
| American Samoa | Samoa, Muamua Le Atua | Samoa, letAtua be first | Samoan | 1973 | [9] |
| Arizona | Ditat Deus | God enriches | Latin | 1863 | [10][11] |
| Arkansas | Regnat populus[N 1] | The people rule | Latin | 1907 | [12] |
| California | Eureka (Εὕρηκα) | I have found it | Greek | 1849[N 2] | [13] |
| Colorado | Nil sine numine | Nothing without providence | Latin | November 6, 1861 | [14] |
| Connecticut | Qui transtulit sustinet | He who transplanted still sustains | Latin | October 9, 1662 | [15] |
| Delaware | Liberty and Independence | — | English | 1847 | [16] |
| District of Columbia | Justitia Omnibus | Justice for all | Latin | August 3, 1871 | [17] |
| Florida | In God We Trust | — | English | 1868[N 3] | [18] |
| Georgia | Wisdom, Justice, Moderation[N 4] | — | English | 1798 | [20][21][19] |
| Guam | — | — | — | — | [5] |
| Hawaiʻi | Ua mau ke ea o ka ʻāina i ka pono | The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness/*The sovereignty of the land is perpetuated in righteousness
| Hawaiian | July 31, 1843[N 5] | [23][22] |
| Idaho | Esto perpetua | Let it be perpetual | Latin | 1890 | [24] |
| Illinois | State sovereignty, national union | — | English | 1819 | [25] |
| Indiana | Crossroads of America | — | English | 1937 | [26] |
| Iowa | Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain | — | English | 1847 | [27] |
| Kansas | Ad astra per aspera | To the stars through difficulties | Latin | 1861 | [28] |
| Kentucky | United we stand, divided we fall | — | English | 1942 | [3] |
| Deo gratiam habeamus | Let us be grateful to God | Latin | 2002 | [29] | |
| Louisiana | Union, justice, confidence | — | English | 1902 | [30] |
| Maine | Dirigo | I lead | Latin | 1820 | [31] |
| Maryland | Fatti maschi, parole femine | Strong deeds, gentle words | Italian | 1874 | [32][33] |
| Massachusetts | Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem | By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty | Latin | 1775 | [34] |
| Michigan | Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice | If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you | Latin | June 2, 1835 | [35][36] |
| Minnesota | L'Étoile du Nord[N 6] | The star of the North | French | 1861 | [37] |
| Mississippi | Virtute et armis | By valor and arms | Latin | February 7, 1894 | [38] |
| Missouri | Salus populi suprema lex esto | Let the welfare of the people be the supreme law | Latin | January 11, 1822 | [39] |
| Montana | Oro y plata | Gold and silver | Spanish | February 9, 1865 | [40] |
| Nebraska | Equality before the law | — | English | 1867 | [41] |
| Nevada | All For Our Country[N 7] | — | English | February 24, 1866 | [42] |
| New Hampshire | Live Free or Die | — | English | 1945 | [43] |
| New Jersey | Liberty and prosperity | — | English | March 26, 1928 | [44] |
| New Mexico | Crescit eundo | It grows as it goes | Latin | 1887[N 8] | [45] |
| New York | Excelsior | Ever upward | Latin | 1778 | [46] |
| North Carolina | Esse quam videri | To be, rather than to seem | Latin | 1893 | [47] |
| North Dakota | Liberty and union, now and forever, one and inseparable | — | English | January 3, 1863 | [48][49] |
| Serit ut alteri saeclo prosit | One sows for the benefit of another age | Latin | March 11, 2011 | [50] | |
| Northern Mariana Islands | — | — | — | — | [5] |
| Ohio | With God, all things are possible[N 9] | — | English | October 1, 1959 | [52][51] |
| Oklahoma | Labor omnia vincit | Labor conquers all things | Latin | March 10, 1893[N 10][N 11] | [55][53][54] |
| Oregon | Alis volat propriis | She flies with her own wings | Latin | 1854[N 12] | [56] |
| Pennsylvania | Virtue, liberty, and independence | — | English | 1875 | [57] |
| Puerto Rico | Joannes Est Nomen Ejus | John is his name | Latin | 1511[N 13] | [6][58] |
| Rhode Island | Hope | — | English | May 4, 1664 | [59] |
| South Carolina | Dum spiro spero | While I breathe, I hope | Latin | May 22, 1777 | [2] |
| Animis opibusque parati | Ready in soul and resource | Latin | |||
| South Dakota | Under God the people rule | — | English | 1885 | [60] |
| Tennessee | Agriculture and Commerce | — | English | May 24, 1802[N 14] | [61] |
| Texas | Friendship | — | English | 1930 | [62] |
| Utah | Industry | — | English | May 3, 1896[N 15] | [63][64] |
| Vermont | Freedom and Unity | — | English | February 20, 1779 | [65] |
| Stella quarta decima fulgeat | May the fourteenth star shine bright | Latin | April 10, 2015 | [66][67] | |
| Virginia | Sic semper tyrannis | Thus always to tyrants | Latin | 1776 | [68] |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | United in Pride and Hope | — | English | January 1, 1991 | [69] |
| Washington | Al-ki orAlki (Unofficial)[N 16] | By and by | Chinook Jargon | — | [70] |
| West Virginia | Montani semper liberi | Mountaineers are always free | Latin | September 26, 1863 | [71] |
| Wisconsin | Forward | — | English | 1851 | [72] |
| Wyoming | Equal Rights | — | English | 1893 | [73] |
