State rankings
State Mottos of the United States
State Mottos of the United States: compare 51 US states on 4 metrics.
Motto Language
8 values across 51 entries
Data
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51 states
 Alabama | Audemus Jura Nostra Defendere | Latin | We Dare Maintain Our Rights | — |
 Alaska | North to the Future | English | — | Chosen in 1967 during the Alaska Purchase Centennial to represent "Alaska as a land of promise." |
 Arizona | Ditat Deus | Latin | God Enriches | — |
 Arkansas | Regnat Populus | Latin | The People Rule | — |
 California | Eureka | Greek | I Found It | This has been California's state motto since 1963, but the word has appeared on the state seal since 1849 as a reference to the discovery of gold in California. |
 Colorado | Nil Sine Numine | Latin | Nothing without Providence | — |
 Connecticut | Qui Transtulit Sustinet | Latin | He Who Transplanted Sustains | According to Connecticut's state government site, possible origins trace to the psalm "Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it |
 Delaware | Liberty and Independence | English | — | The state also adopted a tourist slogan in 2015, "Delaware: Endless Discoveries. |
 District of Columbia | Justitia Omnibus | Latin | Justice for All | — |
 Florida | In God We Trust | English | — | — |
 Georgia | Wisdom, Justice, and Moderation | English | — | — |
 Hawaii | Ua Mau ke Ea o ka Aina i ka Pono | Hawaiian | The Life of the Land is Perpetuated in Righteousness | Hawaii's state motto comes from King Kamehameha III in 1843 and was uttered as the Hawaiian flag rose again after a brief period of British occupation |
 Idaho | Esto Perpetua | Latin | Let It Be Perpetual | — |
 Illinois | State Sovereignty, National Union | English | — | — |
 Indiana | The Crossroads of America | English | — | — |
 Iowa | Our Liberties We Prize and Our Rights We Will Maintain | English | — | — |
 Kansas | Ad Astra Per Aspera | Latin | To the Stars Through Difficulties | This is aptly illustrated on the state seal, which depicts a farm below a sky of stars. |
 Kentucky | United We Stand, Divided We Fall | English | — | It comes from "Liberty Song" by John Dickinson, a song from 1768 that Kentucky's first governor was fond of. Kentucky also has an official Latin motto, "Deo gratiam habeamus," or "Let us be grateful to God." |
 Louisiana | Union, Justice, and Confidence | English | — | — |
 Maine | Dirigo | Latin | I Direct or I guide | — |
 Maryland | Fatti Maschi, Parole Femmine | Italian | Manly Deeds, Womanly Words | — |
 Massachusetts | Ense Petit Placidam Sub Libertate Quietem | Latin | By the Sword We Seek Peace, But Peace Only Under Liberty | — |
 Michigan | Si Quaeris Peninsulam Amoenam Circumspice | Latin | If You Seek a Pleasant Peninsula, Look About You | — |
 Minnesota | L’etoile du Nord | French | The Star of the North | — |
 Mississippi | Virtute et Armis | Latin | By Valor and Arms | — |
 Missouri | Salus Populi Suprema Lex Esto | Latin | The Welfare of the People is the Highest Law | The exact translation has been debated but was originally intended to mean "Let the good of the people be the supreme law," as proposed by William Wells in 1847 when he designed the state seal. Today, the Secretary of State's office says it means “The welfare of the people sha… |
 Montana | Oro Y Plata | Spanish | Gold and Silver | This motto is in tandem with Montana's state nickname, "The Treasure State," both named for the state's mineral wealth |
 Nebraska | Equality Before the Law | English | — | — |
 Nevada | All for Our Country | English | — | — |
 New Hampshire | Live Free or Die | English | — | Comes from a statement written by Revolutionary General John Stark |
 New Jersey | Liberty and Prosperity | English | — | The state also voted on the slogan "New Jersey: Come See For Yourself" in 2006 to attract tourists |
 New Mexico | Crescit Eundo | Latin | It Grows as It Goes | — |
 New York | Excelsior | Latin | Ever Upward | — |
 North Carolina | Esse Quam Videri | Latin | To Be, Rather than To Seem | — |
 North Dakota | Liberty and Union, Now and Forever, One and Inseparable | English | — | According to ND.gov, this was also the motto of the Dakota Territory, the unorganized states of North and South Dakota prior to 1889 |
 Ohio | With God, All Things are Possible | English | — | Ohio's state motto is "With God, All Things Are Possible," decided after a 12-year-old boy won a contest to select the motto in the 1950s. The American Civil Liberties Union sued the state of Ohio in 1997, saying this motto was a violation of the separation of church and state… |
 Oklahoma | Labor Omnia Vincit | Latin | Hard Work Conquers All Things | Only 38% of Oklahoma residents could identify the motto, a 2021 survey found. A 2012 Oklahoma House resolution even tried to establish "In God We Trust," the national motto, as Oklahoma's as well. And in 2021, Oklahoma House Speaker Charles McCall proposed an $85,000 bill to p… |
 Oregon | Alis Volat Propriis | Latin | She Flies with Her Own Wings | — |
 Pennsylvania | Virtue, Liberty, and Independence | English | — | — |
 Rhode Island | Hope | English | — | The state also created the slogan "Rhode Island: Cooler and Warmer" in 2016 to garner tourists but quickly attracted backlash on social media. |
 South Carolina | Animis Opibusque Parati; Dum Spiro Spero | Latin | Prepared in Mind and Resources; While I Breathe, I Hope | South Carolina has two state mottos that appear on the state seal in two ovals. The first is "Animis Opibusque Parati" meaning "Prepared in mind and resources" and the second is "Dum Spiro Spero," which means "While I breathe I hope. |
 South Dakota | Under God the People Rule | English | — | The state also has a motto that accompanies its state flower, the American Pasque. According to the state's official site, "I lead" is the floral emblem motto. |
 Tennessee | Agriculture and Commerce | English | — | Tennessee's state motto has been "Agriculture and Commerce" since 1801 because of the state's large agriculture sector |
 Texas | Friendship | English | — | According to the Texas State Historical Association, the word was chosen in 1930 because the state name came roughly from a Caddo Indian word translating to "friends" |
 Utah | Industry | English | — | According to Utah History Encyclopedia, the motto became official in 1959 and was chosen because of its connection with the beehive symbol, also in Utah's state nickname |
 Vermont | Stella Quarta Decima Fulgeat | Latin | May the Fourteenth Star Shine Bright | — |
 Virginia | Sic Semper Tyrannis | Latin | Thus Always to Tyrants | — |
 Washington | Al-ki | Chinook | By and By | Washington has a territorial motto, but it's never been formally adopted by the legislature, its state government site says |
 West Virginia | Montani Semper Liberi | Latin | Mountaineers are Always Free | A 2007 vote also established "Wild, Wonderful" as West Virginia's state slogan. |
 Wisconsin | Forward | English | — | This was chosen in 1851 when the state seal and coat of arms were revised. |
 Wyoming | Equal Rights | English | — | The state is also nicknamed "Equality State," as it was the first territory in the U.S. to give women the right to vote |
Quick answers
- Where does this state mottos of the united states data come from?
- Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: State Mottos - USA Today; State Mottos - State Symbols USA.