History Main / PretentiousLatinMotto

** Creator/MetroGoldwynMayer: ''Ars gratia artis'' ("[[DoingItForTheArt Art for art's sake"]]).

* Creator/JamesBranchCabell's character {{Dom Manuel}} has the personal motto of ''Mundus Vult Decipi'' ("The World Wishes To Be Deceived"). This is from a longer motto attributed to the Roman satirist Petronius, who lived in the first century AD: ''Mundus vult decipi, ergo decipiatur'' ("The world wishes to be deceived, so let it be deceived").

** MIT has ''Mens et manus'' ("Mind and Hand"). Fitting for a big-time STEM university.

** The United States Naval Academy a.k.a. Annapolis: ''Ex Scientia Tridens'' ("From Knowledge, Seapower").

** The University of Rochester has ''Meliora'' as its motto, which when translated literally means "better" -- perhaps [[AwesomeEgo a bit too on the nose?]] Of course, the word's actual connotation is closer to "ever better" or "for the pursuit of something better," which sounds considerably less braggadocious; "ever better" is the official English translation given by the University.

* ''Series/{{CSI}}'': In one episode, a group calling themselves "the praetorians" has the motto ''caveat praetoriani'' which supposedly means "beware the praetorians". After one of them is arrested for murder, Grissom points out that the grammar is wrong (it actually means "praetorians beware". The correct Latin for "Beware of the praetorians" would be ''cave preatoriani''.

* ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'': U.A. is known as the best SuperheroSchool around so it fittingly gets one of these. Its motto is "Plus Ultra" ("further beyond") as a BadassCreed for its superheroes-in-training to continuously grow and push boundaries.

** Xavier Institute has ''Mutatis Mutandis'' (roughly, "having changed the things that were to be changed", but obviously playing off the word "mutant").
** Their ''ComicBook/Marvel1602'' counterpart, Master Carlos Javier's Institute, takes the motto ''Omnia mutantur, et nos mutamos con illis'' ("All things change, and we change with them").

** ''Per Dolorem Ad Astra'', to the stars, through suffering.
** The title of the story comes from another common Latin phrase: ''Quis custodiet ipsos custodes'' ("Who watches the watchmen?").
* [[spoiler: Carmine Falcone]]'s grave in ''Franchise/{{Batman}}: ComicBook/DarkVictory'' bears the epitaph ''Veni Vidi Vici'', or "I came, I saw, I conquered." [[CanonImmigrant Chief O'Hara]] pronounces it "Vinny Veedee Vicky."
* ''ComicBook/VForVendetta'', in both book and movie, gives us ''Vi Veri Veniversum Vivus Vici'' ("By the power of truth I, while living, have conquered the universe"). From ''Myth/{{Faust}}'', as told immediately afterwards, and [[AddedAlliterativeAppeal quite an appropriate motto for V.]] It has an error though, as Latin has no such word as "veniversum", the correct would be "universum". But in Latin, you can write "u" as "v", so in "Faust" the word was written as "vniversvm", to keep all the V's intact. It's still read "universum" though. It was also one of Creator/AleisterCrowley's magical mottoes.
* In Franchise/TheDCU, the [[MirrorUniverse Antimatter Universe]] counterpart of the ComicBook/JusticeLeague, the Crime Syndicate of Amerika, has as its motto ''Cui Bono?'' ("Who Profits?") In the New 52, it's ''Aeternus Malum'' ("[[ComicBook/ForeverEvil2013 Forever Evil]]").
* "Malo mori quam foedari" is the motto of the Penny Murderer in ''ComicBook/BrodysGhost'', translated in-story as "Death before disgrace." He applies it to his victims instead of himself, however.

* ''Fanfic/ACrownOfStars'': The motto of Avalon Imperial Army is ''Numquam Soli. Semper, Sumus Legio'' ("Never alone. Always, we are legion"). The motto of Clan Guards is ''Morior Invictus'' ("I die unconquered").
* The ''Literature/HarryPotter'' fanfiction series ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9469064/ Innocent]]'' gives the Potter family motto as ''Aut viam inveniam aut faciam.''
--> '''Sirius''': 'I'll either find a way or make one' is the rough translation. It suited James perfectly, I assure you.
* [[Manga/DeathNote L's]] motto in ''Fanfic/KiraSweetheart'' is ''Carpe saccharum''.
* In chapter four of the Harry Potter Marauder-era fanfiction ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6685974/4/Remus-Lupin-BAMF Remus Lupin: BAMF]]'', Sirius tells Remus that the Marauders' motto is ''Ita erat quando hic adveni'' ("It was that way when I got here")
* ''Fanfic/ToAbsentFriends'' borrows a leaf out of ''Literature/{{Discworld}}''; the ''USS Bajor'''s motto is apparently ''Morituri Nolumus Mori'' (roughly "We who are about to die don't want to").
* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10101403/18/Fixing-Past-Mistakes Fixing Past Mistakes]]'' the motto of a school Snape enrolls Harry in is ''Non eos tantum, qui ausus est nimis valde, consequi possit'' ("Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly").
* In ''Fanfic/{{Origins}}'', a ''Franchise/MassEffect''[=/=]''Franchise/StarWars''[[spoiler:[=/=]''[=Borderlands=]''[=/=]''[=Halo=]'']] MassiveMultiplayerCrossover, the project to resurrect [[spoiler:Commander Samantha Shepard]] ''yet again'' is called ''Durius, Melius, Velocius, Fortior'' ("[[Music/DaftPunk Harder, better, faster, stronger]]").
* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5915140/5/Harry-Potter-and-the-Cursed-Summer Harry Potter and the Cursed Summer]]'' a portrait states that the Potter family motto is ''Beatus exsisto audacia'' ("Blessed be the daring").
* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9822874/21/Harry-Potter-and-the-Return-of-Heritage Harry Potter and the Return of Heritage]]'' Sirius states that the Potter family motto is ''Mors omnes amici cognoscat oportet'' ("Death is a friend we all must acquaint").
* In ''[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/4649457/chapters/10755818 Blood Bound]]'' after Hermione is nominated and recognized as a Lady, the magic involved gives her a family crest and the motto ''Magia invicti mens exstitisset, in defensionem amici semper'' ("Magic without equal, mind without peer, used always in the defense of friends and family").
* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8233288/34/Faery-Heroes Faery Heroes]]'' the Lovegood family motto is ''Nihil est inpossibile si creditis praedurum'' (roughly "Nothing is impossible if you believe hard enough").
* The [[http://www.fimfiction.net/story/258882/verse-averse-tales-of-the-versebreakers Versebreakers]] have ''Aurantia metrum non habet'' ("Nothing rhymes with oranges").

* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12690329/13/Seeing-the-truth Seeing the truth]]'' the Potter family motto is ''Induere cultioribus vestimentis as noctem et diem tanquam umbra'' ("Wear the night as your cloak, and the day as your mask").

* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11347516/3/When-the-Thunder-Breaks When the Thunder Breaks]]'' the Longbottom family motto is ''Grandis est quercus superum angens vitis'' ("Tall is the oak that survives the strangling vine").
* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11547735/5/Amicus-Protectio-Fortis Amicus Protectio Fortis]]'' Dean suggests that the Defense Association motto should be ''Beatus vir qui non abiit in consilio impiorum'' ("Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked").
* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6403948/9/Common-Interests Common Interests]]'' the Prince family motto is ''Tendo quod disco'' ("To strive and learn").
* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13367218/9/A-Solid-Foundation A Solid Foundation]]'' Gringotts' motto is ''Fortius quo fidelius'' ("Strength through loyalty").

* ''WesternAnimation/CatsDontDance'': The motto of Mammoth Studios is ''Optimum Est Maximum'' ("Biggest is best"). It's a spoof of the motto of Creator/MetroGoldwynMayer, ''Ars Gratia Artis'' ("Art for Art's sake").

* ''Film/TheAddamsFamily'': The Addams family's motto is ''Sic gorgiamus allos subiectatos nunc'' ([[BadassCreed We gladly feast on those who would subdue us]]"). It's also DogLatin; a better translation would be "''Qui nos opprimere velint, illos libenter devoramus''".
* Film/JamesBond's family motto, from ''Film/OnHerMajestysSecretService'': ''Orbis non sufficit''. This implies that Bond is descended from famous 17th-century London architect Sir Thomas Bond. The motto's English translation became the title of a later movie: ''Film/TheWorldIsNotEnough''.
* Above the Oracle's doorway in ''Film/TheMatrix'': ''Temet Nosce'' (roughly "Know thyself"). It's better known in Greek (''Gnothi Seauton'').
* Remember Caesar's line ''Veni, vidi, vici'' ("I came, I saw, I conquered")? In an outtake in ''Film/MarriedToTheMob'', a character is cheating on his wife in an overdecorated "fantasy suite" hotel room that has the following Latin motto engraved on the headboard: [[spoiler:Veni Veni Veni]].

* Played with on ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'':
-->'''Willow:''' Carpe diem!
-->'''Buffy:''' Fish of the day?
** In a darker vein, the inscription over the entrance at Sunnydale High School reads ''Formatia trans sicere educatorum'' ("Enter all ye who seek knowledge"), which Angelus used as [[MustBeInvited the invitation he needed to enter the building]].

** On the set, the inscription above the fireplace reads ''Videri Quam Esse'' ("To seem to be rather than to be"). It's a play on ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esse_quam_videri Esse quam videri]]'', which is the real-life motto of quite a few different US and UK schools and the state of North Carolina (which borders his home state of South Carolina), and fits the man who identified (and whose character embodies) "truthiness" and "wikiality": the concept, becoming part of political discourse, that if something ''seems'' true, that's better than its actually ''being'' true.
** During the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear, Stephen handed out medals with the motto ''Cave ne sit cadmium'' ("Warning: may contain cadmium"). [[Series/TheDailyShow Jon Stewart's]] version read ''Sit vis nobiscum'' ("[[Franchise/StarWars May the Force be with us]]").
* ''Series/QueerAsFolk'' has a nice and very subtle one. In a behind-the-scenes feature about the costumes in the US series, it's pointed out that St. James Academy, the one that Justin goes to, has a Latin motto on its logo: ''Veni, veni, veni''. Now if that doesn't fit the show!

[[folder:Print Media]]
* In ''The Annals of Improbable Research'', the parody advertisements for HMO-NO (formerly HMO Black) featured an emblem with the motto ''Medica Gratia Pecuniae'' ("Medicine for money's sake").
* On a plaque above the Playboy Mansion's front door is inscribed the motto ''Si non oscillas, noli tintinnare'' ("If you can't swing, don't ring").
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* In ''Webcomic/DisneyHighSchool'', the school's motto (as seen on the title page) is ''Somnia Fiat Vera'' ("[[{{WesternAnimation/Pinocchio}} Dreams come true]]").
* In ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'', ''Nosce te Ipsum'' ("Know Thyself") was a Pretentious LatinMotto that was also used as a trigger phrase for the AxCrazy DarkActionGirl Oasis.

** The hallway outside the classroom where Mort hangs out has a large plaque that reads ''Dulce et decorum est'', a reference to a line from the poet Horace: ''"Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori"'' ("How sweet and fitting it is to die for one's country").
** The treatise page following Chapter 7 has a banner across the top: ''Ora lege relege labora et invenies'' ("Pray, read, read again, work, and you shall find").
* Lampshaded in ''Webcomic/TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob''. The motto of the science department of Generictown University is ''Quidquid Latine dictum sit, altum viditur'' ("Anything said in Latin sounds profound").
* The motto of [[http://st_dyphna.comicdish.com St. Dyphn(i)a Academy]] is ''Abte Schola, Fatuus'' ("Go To School, Dummy!").
* In ''Webcomic/{{SSDD}}'', the motto of the Collective of Anarchist States' elite forces is ''Omnis Vir Enim Sui'' ("Every man for himself.")
* The motto of Smithson College in ''Webcomic/{{Smithson}}'' is ''Facite Aenigmata, Non Expositiones'' ("Create enigmas, not explanations").

* ''WebVideo/DrHorriblesSingAlongBlog'' has for the Evil League of Evil ''Homines Non Boni Seriose'' (roughly "Seriously not good guys").

* ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'' seem to have adopted ''Carpe Diem'' as the show's unofficial motto. It keeps slipping into musical numbers and dialogue, and it even gets an entire song about it in "Rollercoaster: The Musical". "Seize the Day" certainly fits the show's theme.

** Mayor-for-life Quimby's motto is ''Corruptus in Extremis'' ("Corruption in high places"). At least he's honest about it, although [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney he can afford to be.]]
** Shelbyville Elementary's motto is ''Veritas et Scientia'' ("Truth and Knowledge").

* The ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' Planetarium's motto is ''Me transmitte sursum, Caledoni'' ("BeamMeUpScotty").
* In ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012'', Roosevelt High's motto is ''Aut Disce Aut Discede'' ("Learn or Leave").
* ''WesternAnimation/The13GhostsOfScoobyDoo'' episode "That's Monstertainment" had Scooby and the gang sucked into an old black-and-white monster movie, which opens with a mock-up of the M-G-M logo. Scooby's face is in the middle circle with the words "Limitus Animatus" around it.
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': The episode "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS6E7NewbieDash Newbie Dash]]" reveals the Wonderbolts' motto to be ''Altius Volantis'', which is translated to "Soaring Higher!"
* Parodied in ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'': it's revealed that, to prove just how moronic the Watterson family can be, the family's latin motto is ''Familia Hic Insere Sententia'' or as Nicole translates it, "Insert Family Motto Here".

** The UsefulNotes/UniversityOfMichigan has "Artes, Scientia, Veritas" ("Arts, Knowledge, Truth"). This would be pretty ordinary 19th-century Latin pretentiousness, except that the "Veritas" bit was very specifically intended to recall Harvard.

** The University of California system had ''Fiat lux'' ("Let there be light", from [[Literature/BookOfGenesis Genesis 1:3]]), but in an effort to counter its apparent obscurity and pretentiousness, most modern versions of the university seal feature the English version instead.

** The University of California system had ''Fiat lux'' ("Let there be light"), but in an effort to counter its apparent obscurity and pretentiousness, most modern versions of the university seal feature the English version instead.

* UsefulNotes/SouthAfrica provides another non-Latin example, in this case a Pretentious ǀXam Motto.[[note]]The pipe character before the "X" in ǀXam represents a click consonant that does not exist in English.[[/note]] In 2000, the country adopted a new motto taken from the ǀXam language, a language extinct since the early part of the 20th century that was one of many languages of the country's San/Bushmen people. In fact, one of the characters within the motto doesn't have a Unicode entry even now (June 2020); the South African government has a Web-friendly variant rendering for it. The motto: ''!ke e: /xarra //ke''. The literal meaning is "People who are different meet", with an intended meaning of "Diverse people unite" or, in a collective sense, "Unity in diversity".

** The United States: For almost 200 years, ''E pluribus unum'' ("Out of many, one") was the ''de facto'' motto. It was considered a great description of the nation as TheFederation and a UsefulNotes/MeltingPot. Then in 1956, Congress officially declared "In God We Trust" to be the motto almost entirely because of the RedScare, but ''E pluribus unum'' is still a ''de facto'' second motto, appearing on the Great Seal and most U.S. currency. The Great Seal also has two more Latin mottoes, ''Annuit cœptis'' ("He [God] has favored our undertakings.") and ''Novus ordo seclorum'' ("A new order of the ages," quoting Creator/{{Virgil}}, and ''not'' meaning [[ConspiracyTheorist "New World Order"]]). 22 individual states also have their own Latin mottoes.
*** A particularly famous one is that of the state of Virginia, ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sic_semper_tyrannis Sic semper tyrannis]]'' ("Thus always to tyrants"). It's an old phrase attributed to Brutus, who supposedly said it after assassinating Caesar. It appears on the state seal, which depicts Virtue with her foot on Tyranny's throat (leading some Virginian wags to claim it really means "Get your foot off my neck"). Most infamously, John Wilkes Booth supposedly said this after assassinating UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln; the state immediately condemned their motto's misappropriation.

** In collegiate unis in the UK, most of the colleges have Latin mottoes. Probably the most badass is from the University of York's James college: while the uni's motto is ''In limine sapientiae'' ("on the threshold of knowledge"), the college's motto is ''oderint dum metuant'' ([[BadassBoast "Let them hate, so long as they fear"]]).

** The United States: For almost 200 years, ''E pluribus unum'' ("Out of many, one") was the ''de facto'' motto. It was considered a great description of the nation as TheFederation and a UsefulNotes/MeltingPot. Then in 1956, Congress officially declared "In God We Trust" to be the motto almost entirely because of the RedScare, but ''E pluribus unum'' is still a ''de facto'' second motto, appearing on the Great Seal and most U.S. currency. The Great Seal also has two more Latin mottoes, ''Annuit cœptis'' ("He [God] has favored our undertakings.") and ''Novus ordo seclorum'' ("A new order of the ages," quoting Creator/{{Virgil}}, and ''not'' meaning [[UsefulNotes/ConspiracyTheories "New World Order"]]). 22 individual states also have their own Latin mottoes.

** Spain: The royal motto is ''Plus ultra'' ("Further beyond"). It was originally the motto of Charles I (Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire), although in its original form it was the Old French ''Plus Oultre''.

** The University of Rochester has ''Meliora'' as its motto, which when translated literally means "better" -- perhaps [[AwesomeEgo a bit on the nose]], no? Of course, the word's actual connotation is closer to "ever better" or "for the pursuit of something better," which sounds considerably less self-aggrandizing; the official translation given by the University is "ever better."
** An interesting one is Rutgers University (an old colonial college later turned into a public university), whose Latin motto "Sol iustitiae et occidentem illustra" ("Sun of Righteousness, Shine Upon The West Also") is a direct reference to Utrecht University in the Netherlands, whose motto is ''Sol iustitiae illustra nos'' ("Sun of Righteousness, Shine Upon Us", a literal translation of [[Literature/BookOfMalachi Malachi 4:2]]). Both Rutgers and Utrecht are historically linked to the Dutch Reformed Church (though both have long since become secular state institutions) and have long had informal ties with each other. (Today, they also use rather similar-looking sun-based logos.)

* Many, many universities have a Latin motto of some sort. In fact, 7/8 of the UsefulNotes/IvyLeague-schools have a Latin motto (the only one not to have one is Cornell University--their motto's in English). Old public universities will also have them. A fairly comprehensive list [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_university_mottos here]], but some of the more famous ones:

** Princeton: ''Dei sub numine viget'' (roughly "Under God she prospers", but campus folklore insists it's really "God went to Princeton").

* In ''Film/CrimsonPeak'', the Sharpe family motto is a paraphrasing of [[Literature/TheBible Psalm 121]]: ''Ad montes oculus levavi'' ("To the hills we raise our eyes").

** Canada: ''A mari usque ad mare'' ("From sea to sea", usually rendered "From sea to shining sea"). It's borrowed from Literature/TheBible (Psalms 72:8, "He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the Earth.") Fitting for a country originally called the "Dominion of Canada". Nine out of ten Canadian provinces also have Latin mottoes (the tenth is Quebec, whose own is in French).

** A common DogLatin personal motto: ''Illegitimis nil carborundum'' ("Don't let the bastards grind you down"). It appears in ''Literature/TheHandmaidsTale'' but dates back to around UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. "Carborundum" is actually a trademark for silicon carbide,[[note]]One taken by mashing "carbon"--which is derived from the Latin ''carbo'' for coal or charcoal--with "corundum", a Tamil-derived word for crystalline aluminum oxide, i.e. ruby or sapphire dependng on the coloring impurities.[[/note]] and the first word is also suspect. One attempt to render it in proper Latin was ''Noli nothis permittere te terere''.

** A common DogLatin personal motto: ''Illegitimis nil carborundum'' ("Don't let the bastards grind you down"). It appears in ''Literature/TheHandmaidsTale'' but dates back to around UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. "Carborundum" is actually a trademark for silicon carbide, and the first word is also suspect. One attempt to render it in proper Latin was ''Noli nothis permittere te terere''.

** Germany: UsefulNotes/AllTheLittleGermanies individually had Latin mottoes, The kingdom of Saxony had ''Providentiae memoir'' ("Mindful of Providence"). The duchies of Mecklenburg-Schwerin had the common ''Per aspera ad astra'' ("Through adversity to the stars"). The Free and Hanseatic City of UsefulNotes/{{Hamburg}} has ''Libertatem quam pepere maiores digne studeat servare posteritas'' ("May posterity worthily strive to preserve the liberty the forefathers won"). Bavaria has the unofficial (but still pretentious) ''Extra Bavariam nulla vita, et si vita, non est ita'' ("There is no life outside Bavaria, and if there is, it isn't [life]"), a quote from some medieval monk or other and a favorite of several modern overproud Bavarians (e.g. Edmund Stoiber). Other German states, though, preferred to use German, as does the modern Federal Republic (whose motto is the very German ''Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit''--"Unity, Justice, and Freedom"--from the first line of the third stanza of the ''Deutschlandlied'').

* ''ComicBook/VForVendetta'', in both book and movie, gives us ''Vi Veri Veniversum Vivus Vici'' ("By the power of truth I, while living, have conquered the universe"). From ''Myth/{{Faust}}'', as told immediately afterwards, and [[AddedAlliterativeAppeal quite an appropriate motto for V.]] It has an error though, as latin has no such word as "veniversum", the correct would be "universum". But in latin, you can write "u" as "v", so in "Faust" the word was written as "vniversvm", to keep all the V's intact. It's still read "universum" though. It was also one of Creator/AleisterCrowley's magical mottoes.

* According to one of the official ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'' T-shirts, Project Freelancer's is ''Roboris Per Scientia'' ("Strength through science").