This Troper had to create a fake country for a social studies class. Its motto got me extra credit. (sorry for adding my example at the top, can't do it any other way)

This troper, being a big Bungie fan, has adopted their motto, Non Facete Nobis Calcitrare Vestrvm Pererinaevm. What is this in English? Don't Make Us Kick Your Ass.

This troper's selective high school motto is "Maius Opus Moveo," or "Accept the Greater Challenge." Yeap, it's so pretentious that the motto is a reference to how much harder of a school it is than most.

This Troper's school has one of these, and no, no-one knows what it means (mainly because no-one really cares). From what he knows, nearly all English schools have one (There are at least three other schools with similar mottos that said troper knows about... god these tenses are confusing!)

Ours was Per Aspera Ad Astra. Yes, our motto was similar to Starfleet's. *rolls eyes*

BETTER YET: ''Per Aspera Ad Astra'' is Kansas' state motto. Go Kansas!

At Mount Saint Michael, the "Ad Astra" comes before the "Per Aspera"

We had Sic Itur Ad Astra the English equivalent of which was something like 'in this way we go to the stars'.

This troper's high school's motto was "Ad Astra", and we weren't even a private school!

Boston Latin School's is Sumus Primi, "We're first".

And that's even BEFORE YouTube and internet comments...

This Troper's school motto: "Integritas in Omnibus" (Translates to "Integrity in everything")

This Troper attended a real-life Berzerkeley where the motto was Omnia Exteres, "Let it all hang out", directly inspired by the school's quite phallic mascot.

This troper went to the same school. Go, Geoducks!

Ah Evergreen State College. Allegedly, the motto and the mascot were meant as a parody of this trope.

This troper's school has "Levo Oculos Meos In Montes", "I lift my eyes to the mountains". It's a Bible verse (Psalm 121), in Latin. If you don't realize how silly that is, go look up how much of the Bible was written in Latin. We'll wait.

All of it, at least in translation. It's called the Vulgate, and it forms the basis for most English translations.

To nitpick, more recent translations are usually done directly from the original languages. See below.

''Originally'' in Latin: none. The Old Testament is in biblical Hebrew (seasoned with a little Aramaic), the New Testament is in ancient Greek, a few of the non-canon scriptures are in Coptic. Latin translations came later.

This troper's school motto was/is "misericordias Domini in aeturnum cantabo". That's "I shall sing forever of the mercy of the Lord". He quite likes its sombre tone; it fits the school itself nicely.

We had Mens Sana in Corpore Sano, "a sound mind in a sound body."

Was this school in Detroit by any chance? My school had the same motto...

I don't know about the OP, but mine was. Go Jackets!

Or was it perhaps in Death City?

Our school motto was "Alta Petens", which means "aim high". That they only mentioned a few dozen times a week. At least this troper's university eschews Latin for Welsh in its motto.

Interestingly, 'petens' comes from 'peto, petere' etc, which means a number of things including 'seek' and 'attack.'

Aim for the face?

"Verum, Bonum, Pulchrum". Actually, I kind of like it.

Bonum.

This troper's schools have had Pretentious ''English'' mottos. At least with a Latin, or at least CanisLatinicus motto, you don't ''look'' as jackass because nobody knows whether it's saying "INSERT PRETENTIOUS COMMENT HERE" or "Demons are bad. Kill demons. Also, pick up your groceries."

Ditto for me, although "Knowledge Is Power" is less pretentious than most and makes perfect sense for a high school.

Do I sense a KIPP person? "Work hard. Be nice."

This troper's school as well. Personally, I've always found "Learning for All . . . whatever it takes!" [punctuation theirs] to be rather ominous.

This troper's local university is "Libertas capitur", meaning "liberty is conquered". or so we're told,anyway.

This troper's school went for "Esse Quam Videri", which apparently meant 'be, rather than seem to be'. All this troper knows is that it was great for making anagrams out of whilst bored in assembly.

Not sure what this is exactly, but this troper went to a high school with a pretentious ''Greek'' motto that I belive meant "that which is true."

This troper's Australian public high school's motto was "Labor omnia vincit", or "work conquers all". Frankly, she always thought it sounded like something you'd see on the gates to a concentration camp...

Believe it or not, you're close! The motto seen over the gates of several camps read "Arbeit macht frei," which would translate into something like "work liberates."

It's usually rendered in English as "work will set you free".

Not a school motto, but this Troper did used to have 'NATUS NECARE' written on his kevlar helmet. The grammar is a bit off (for the sake of punchinessness), but you get the idea.

Baby Killer?

This troper likes to use a playful riff on Julius Caesar's famous "I came, I saw, I conquered." When she goes shopping, she tells people, "''Veni, vidi, Visa!''"

EddieVanHelsing tends to say, "I came, I saw, she conquered" when asked to explain how he and his wife got together.

This Troper once found a reference to the Blackadder family motto as being 'Veni, Vidi, Castratavi Illegitimos'. 'I came, I saw, I castrated the bastards'.

Vici, veni, V.D....

The motto of this troper's secondary school is "semper fidelis", meaning "always faithful".

Your secondary school churns out Marines? Cool... oh, wait, 'secondary' school - probably not American, then. Shame.

This troper's high school's motto is "Altiora peto," which directly translates as "I want to go higher." Since it was that type of high school, we always translated it as "I want to get high." And we did.

This troper's school has a Pretentious ''Hebrew'' Motto. Seriously.

Ours is 'Justus Et Tenax' - either 'Fair and Tenacious' or 'Justice and Tenacity'. No one's entirely sure.

The former is correct.

'Via Veritatis'. To those of you who don't speak dead languages, it means 'The Road to Truthfulness'. This troper prefers to refer to it as 'The Road to Truthiness'.

Connecticut's state motto is 'Qui transtulit sustinet' or 'he who is transplanted sustains.' This troper lives in the poor, desolate rust belt area of the state and likes to interpret that as 'If you get the hell out now, you won't die inside.'

In Michigan, we've got "Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam, circumspice" - "If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look around you." Nowadays, it's more like "If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look somewhere else," particularly if you live in the bombed-out ruin that is Metro Detroit.

This Michigan resident would agree that Detroit, Flint, and Saginaw are Third World cesspits, but the rest of the state is rather nice, if one doesn't mind long winters.

This troper once proposed that his school district adopt 'Sola in Insania Virtus Stat'; "Madness is the only virtue." I don't think they ever checked what it meant.

I should steal that one for the chaotic middle school in my screenplay.

This Troper's school is "Scriptor, Gubernator, et Legatus" which means "Writer, Governor, and Ambassador". So, our motto is basically extolling the virtues of Adlai E. Stevenson...

This Troper goes to Kirckaldy High School, the same one Mr. Brown, the PM, went to.Our motto is "Usque Conabor", or "I will strive to do my utmost".I don't like it.

This Troper's Latin IV class created a Latin battle cry, which sounded intimidating only when said in Latin: "GENU, GENU, GENU . . . " which translates to "knee, knee, knee, . . . "

Aah!

This Troper's motto is ''Unicis Defensores Unicem Adligantur'' - "Those who defend Unix are doomed to repeat it."

For Nationstates, this troper uses the following motto for her country: Potes meo suaviari clunes. Kiss my ass.

''Deus Regit'' was my school's motto. Yeah, ok, whatever guys.

This troper uses "Beati Pauperes Spiritu" or "Heureux les simples d'esprit" as a StealthInsult- It's part of a quote: "Blessed are the simple-minded, the Kingdom of Heaven will belong to them".

This Troper's all girls catholic high school had 'Via Vertitas, et Vita'. 'The Way, the Truth, and the Life'

This troper read a story where a university wanted its motto to be the Latin translation of "I hear, I see, I learn". As soon as they received the translation, they immediately switched to another motto, because "I hear, I see, I learn" translates to Latin as "Audio, video, disco".

Possibe variation: This Tropers school has, for no reason I can figure out, a pretentious ''french'' motto; "Que Tout Soit Pour Dieu" (May All Things Be for God).

This Troper had ''Faire sans dire'': shut up and get on with it.

It's in French because the most commonly referred to rules of heraldry (including the adoption/development of mottoes from battle-cries) were developed by/for the Normans, and so everyone important was speaking Norman French, Latin or Greek.

This Troper's Catholic school has 'In Hoc Signo Spes Mea', which translates to 'In this sign is my hope' referring to the cross I guess. Also, our war cry is mainly latin or pseudo latin.

This troper's high school was stuck with ''Tuum Est'', aka "It's up to you". Way to take the pressure off, guys.

According to This Troper's stepmom, the motto of the President of the college she worked at was ''"Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam."'' Roughly translated: "I have a catapult. Give me all the money, or I will fling an enormous rock at your head."

ThisTroper's alma mater: ''Civium in moribus rei publicae salus.'' "The welfare of the state depends upon the morals of its citizens." OK.

This troper used a couple on some political-simulation forum games in high school on one of the ''{{Civilization}}'' boards:

When I moderated one, the motto was ''Justitia et Honor''. It's exactly what it sounds like.

When I ran a country, I kind of went overboard:

The national motto I appropriated from somewhere: ''In necesariis unitas, in dubiis libertas, in omnibus caritas'': In necessity unity, in doubt, liberty, in all things charity.

The military motto was appropriated from Scotland: ''Nemo nos impune lacessit.''

I recycled ''Justitia et honor'' for the judiciary.

The motto of the Foreign Office was ''In pace gloria''.

{{Excel-2009}}. I have one for myself: ''Ego vos pugno.''

This troper has a T-shirt with the words: ''Si hoc legere scis nimium eruditionis habes'', which according to the store translates as, "If you can read this, you're overeducated." On a bus one time, a fellow passenger told the troper that shirt had made her day.

This Troper's school motto was "Propositi Tenax". He maintains this means "Prosperous and Tenacious", but the headteacher insisted it meant "Go for it!". His PE teacher tried to give them a CanisLatinicus battlecry, but we just went with "Bangarang!"

Your headteacher was pretty much right: literally it means "tenacious of purpose".

this Troper's personal motto is and has always been ''"Semper ubu sub ubi"''. Or, "always wear underwear". It has yet to let me down.

I have recognized the fact that people think latin is clever for a while, and so my infrequently used motto is "Panton sanus callidus in Latin", which I believe translates to "Everything sounds clever in Latin."

I'm afraid you can't translate from one language to another a word at a time like that; different languages have different word order and syntax, and Latin has a complex system of case endings and verb conjugation. Also, English has three different words "sound", and you chose the wrong one, the adjective instead of the verb. I also don't know where you got "panton"; "everything" in Latin is ''omnia''.

"Panton" is Greek.

A particular (security) department where I work has also mistaken "panton" for Latin. Given that this troper knows Latin, it's kind of annoying.

''Omnia callida in Latinam sonant.''

Or the one everyone uses, "Quidquid in Latine dictum sit semper altum videtur," or "Anything (in Latin to be said) always exalted appears," or "Everything said in Latin always seems exalted."

This six-form troper has lessons in two separate schools, one of these schools has the motto "Spe Labore Fide" which translates to "By work, by hope, by faith"

This troper thought Latin sounded cool and adopted the PretentiousLatinMotto "Fiat Iustistia Et Pereat Mundus", which translates as "Let there be justice, though the world die."

This troper's friend, while working on an assignment to design a coat of arms, including motto, used "Deus Est Me", or "God is me"

Is your friend...Okay?

''Esse'' doesn't take a direct object. Your friend should have used ''ego'', not ''me''.

This troper's school has "Lux Borealis", meaning something like northern light.

This troper: "Semper lumen. Semper umbra." Always light(/understanding). Always shade(/shadow). Which gives a triple duality, light/dark, known/unknown and shade (as from to bright a light)/shadow (as something to hide in). None are always good or bad, all always are.

This Troper managed a subversion when he got his house motto changed to Morituri Nolmus Mori. It's from The last Hero , and it means "we who are about to die, don't want to."

Would anyone happen to know how to say "This is a Latin phrase" in Latin?

''Haec est locutio Latina.''

This troper, since the first year of secondary school (grade 7 in the US): ''Kiddieridea Est Potentia'' - ''Kiddie Ride is Power''. DogLatin PretentiousLatinMotto derived from his secondary school's latin motto: ''Sapentia Est Potentia'' (''knowledge is power''). Now you know why he has a SpotTheDog kiddie ride in his Geek Hole.

Kind of a given since this troper is a Cambridge University student, whose motto is "Hinc lucem et pocula sacra", which means "From here, light and sacred draughts", or in the more literal sense (or so TheOtherWiki tells me) "From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge".

Georgetown University has the nearly meaningless Utraque Unum ("Both Into One"). It's from Ephesians, but the University's official explanation is a little more belabored.

If you need help translating a Pretentious Latin Motto, this troper can probably help you. She also came up with one for her future micronation.

Ooh, micronations! When ThisTroper had one, his citizens got to choose mottoes to go with their coats of arms. One chose ''Mors in olla'', "there is death in the pot," from 2 Kings 4:40: "And it came about as they were eating of the stew, that they cried out and said, 'O man of God, there is death in the pot!' And they would not eat." Another chose, ''Non id possum credere non butyrum esse,'' which was supposed to be "I can't believe it's not butter."

It currently translates to "It is not possible to believe it is not butter," with a superfluous "id." Perhaps "non credo butyrum non est?" (Note I may be wrong there.)

You are. ''Possum'' is first person, the ''id'' being the neuter accusative. ''Non id possum credere non butyrum esse'' is correct.

This Troper's school motto is "Nemo Sibi Nascitur" - "No Man Is Born Unto Himself an Island" or something along those lines.

This troper's school's motto was ''hoc age'', which translates as "Do it", or, more informally, "Get on with it". His headteacher enjoyed reminding the students about this.

This troper is using the motto ''Tendo quod subsisto nos'' for the mass-media conglomerate in her latest story. Translation? "Try and stop us".

I've been to two schools with Latin mottos. "Semper ad Meliora," and "Ad Altiora." (Forgive me if my spelling is wrong). I was actually a little freaked out when I changed schools and went to one that ''didn't'' have a pretentious Latin motto or a school song. It's a travesty! A travesty, I tell you!

This troper is surprised that "Illegitimi non carborundum" hasn't been mentioned yet. It means, "Don't let the bastards get you down." I think it's genius.

It would be if it was even remotely correct. Carborundum is a type of rock. Henry Beard's ''Latin for Even More Occasions'' gives a correct translation (with a minor error which I've fixed): ''noli spuriis permittere te terere''.

'S a joke. Carborundum is an abrasive; "illegitimi non carborundum" is thus said to translate to "don't let the bastards grind you down".

"Laus Deo," which roughly translates to "Praise be to God," which ALSO roughly translates to "ALLAHU ACKBAR!" following by wild ululations which we used to use in semi ironic and semi serious war cries at sporting events. Nothing like offensive intimidation to bring your school victory!

"Allahu Akbar" translates to "God is Great," or, lest memory fails me, "Deus Magnus Est."

OP here. It's actually "Alhamd'allah" (Depending on pronunciation etc.) for the literal translation, but "Allahu Ackbar" is acknowledged by arabic speakers I know to be close enough to the spirit of the phrase to count as a translation. It's like how a very devout Christian will say, at the end of a sentence, "Praise Jesus," or "Jesus almighty."

This Troper's school, which was started by Catholic missionaries of the De LaSalle Brothers, has the motto "Ora et Labora", which translates to "work and pray". It was a very, very exciting school.

Ours was 'Pro Ecclesia Dei', which apparently means 'in the house of god'.

It's "For the Church of God."

This troper is debating getting a tattoo reading "Ex mentis, venustas", meaning "From the mind, beauty". (This troper obviously ripped it off from the Starfleet Academy motto "Ex astris, scientia", or "from the stars, knowledge".)

This troper went to a college with the motto "Orare et Labore" which means "Prayer and hard work," or so I'm told. The motto of my dorm-mates, however was "Non efficio video optimo," which means "This does not bode well." Far more appropriate.

This tropers's secondary school had two motos, both equaly pretentious: the first one is in French "mon deiu et mon doit" (spelling) and means "my god and my right" and the second is acctually latin: "spartam nactus hang exorna" (I think it's spelt like that) which means "you have reached sparta, now be worthy. It's somewhat fitting as we have an entrance exam that has nearly 9 people applying for each place.

This troper's personal motto is "Cogito, Ergo Doleo", meaning "I think, therefore I am depressed".

''Sum invictus'', "I am unconquered."

''Scientia. Virtus. Devotio.'' Knowledge. Valor. Piety.

Made even more symbolic when you consider that SVD is also the initials of the religious order administering my school, the ''Societas Verbi Divini''of the Divine Word.

''Caveat derisor''. "Let the scoffer beware."

This troper ends his birthday greetings with ''Pax Domini/Christi/Dei sit semper tecum,''the peace of the Lord/Christ/God be always with you, second person singular. ''Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam,'' the Greater Glory of God, the Jesuit motto., ''Ad Jesum Per Mariam,''Jesus through Mary, used during a Marian feast. or ''Gloria in Excelsis Deo'' to God in the Highest, on [[MemeticMutation major, major feast days.]].

This Troper, who is homeschooled, was asked to pick a cool sounding motto for his "school". Knowing the trope-iness here, he picked ''Honor Pro Ratio''. Yes, this is meant to be kinda tongue in cheek.

This troper is fond of putting "victoria ex proditus" in forum signatures and the like. Depending on how pretentious you want to be, it can be translated as "victory through treachery" or, more simply, "win by cheating". Not that I actually advocate such, I just like invoking this trope.

This troper quite often used "Cuspit Verpendures" as a motto for various invented (militant) organisations and armies in [=RPGs=]. It is supposed to roughly translate to "You point, we bash"... He has also at various points adopted "Sodomy non Sapiens" if I know", "Tactus quod Vado" and Go"... yes, I'm an educated Schlock fan and "Callide non forsit est" is not a problem", although every now and then I think of it as "Subtlety is not ''my'' problem".

''Faceundi calices quem non fecere disertum?'' would not be made eloquent by a full goblet? straight-edge and and disapprove of drinking to the point it stops being funny, but I have to admit that my best stuff is written while I'm with a woeful insuline overdose (a.k.a. sugar high). Yes, that is a classical literature quote, btw.

Isn't that the point of ''In vino, veritas''wine, truth.?

Among my cousins there's been a longstanding "game" known as Pickleball, which basically involves scoring "Pickleball points" by making the younger kids cry without touching them. One year for the annual family White Elephant gift exchange I decided to make a fancy certificate awarding five Pickleball points to the bearer (with the warning that it would make their mother VERY mad at them.) I felt that a pretentious Latin motto was in order, so I went with ''Quispiam Flere Super'', which translates (badly I'd imagine) to "Something to cry about".

I came up with one a couple months ago, for a group of Survivalists I run with: Pro Libertate Omni: For The Liberty of All. and my personal motto: Semper vigilans semper custodia : always watchful, always guarding.

This Troper's personal PLM is "Canto fabula aeterna," which, as she understands it (feel free to make corrections; she's not a Latin student), means "I sing the eternal story." She even managed to have an abbreviated version engraved on her senior ring.

Some years ago I decided to adopt a Latin motto. A friend of mine translated it from English to Latin for me: "Contundimus Crania Nostrorum Inimicorum in Pulverum," We crush the skulls of our enemies into dust.

One more for the list, This Troper's school motto (As of 2011, it's been changed to an English phrase) was simply 'Virtus', which has several positive meanings, but the school's official interpretation is 'Excellence'.

This Troper's school has the motto of ''Cognitio Vincit'', or "Knowledge Conquers." I think I'm going to try and get it changed to ''Id Fella''.it."