An Ultimate Alphabetical List of U.S. State and Territory Mottos

Quick Fact

Three states, South Carolina, Kentucky, and North Dakota have two official mottos; whereas the territory of Northern Mariana Islands doesn’t have one at all.

A motto is basically a sentence or a phrase that encompasses the ideas and beliefs of an institution or entity. The United States of America comprises 50 states, federal district of Washington D.C., and 14 territories out of which only 6 are inhabited. All the states and territories have their unique flags, seals, and the state mottoes. They also have nicknames which have been coined from their respective local cultures, history, economic and political background, and natural resources. The motto of the United States of America is “In God We Trust”.

A lot of these mottos have been derived from the languages of Latin, Greek, Samoan, Spanish, Hawaiian, and English of course. Go through the following list of mottos and their respective meanings.

List of U.S. State Mottos

Alabama

Motto: “Audemus jura nostra defendere”
Meaning: We dare defend our rights

Alaska

Motto: “North to the future”
Meaning: - - -

Arizona

Motto: “Ditat Deus”
Meaning: God enriches

Arkansas

Motto: “Regnat populus”
Meaning: The people rule

California

Motto: “Eureka (εὕρηκα heúrēka)”
Meaning: I have found it

Colorado

Motto: “Nil sine numine”
Meaning: Nothing without providence

Connecticut

Motto: “Qui transtulit sustinet”
Meaning: He who transplanted sustains

Delaware

Motto: “Liberty and Independence”
Meaning: - - -

Florida

Motto: “In God We Trust”
Meaning: - - -

Georgia

Motto: “Wisdom, Justice, Moderation”
Meaning: - - -

Hawaii

Motto: “Ua mau ke ea o ka ʻāina i ka pono”
Meaning: The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness

Idaho

Motto: “Esto perpetua”
Meaning: Let it be perpetual

Illinois

Motto: “State Sovereignty, National Union”
Meaning: - - -

Indiana

Motto: “The Crossroads of America”
Meaning: - - -

Iowa

Motto: “Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain”
Meaning: - - -

Kansas

Motto: “Ad astra per aspera”
Meaning: To the stars through difficulties

Kentucky

Motto: “United we stand, divided we fall”
“Deo gratiam habeamus”
Meaning: Let us be grateful to God

Louisiana

Motto: “Union, justice, confidence”
Meaning: - - -

Maine

Motto: “Dirigo”
Meaning: I lead

Maryland

Motto: “Fatti maschii, parole femine”
Meaning: Manly deeds, womanly words

Massachusetts

Motto: “Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem”
Meaning: By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty

Michigan

Motto: “Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice”
Meaning: If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you

Minnesota

Motto: “L’étoile du Nord”
Meaning: The star of the North

Mississippi

Motto: “Virtute et armis”
Meaning: By valor and arms

Missouri

Motto: “Salus populi suprema lex esto”
Meaning: Let the welfare of the people be the supreme law

Montana

Motto: “Oro y plata”
Meaning: Gold and silver

Nebraska

Motto: “Equality before the law”
Meaning: - - -

Nevada

Motto: “All For Our Country”
Meaning: - - -

New Hampshire

Motto: “Live Free or Die”
Meaning: - - -

New Jersey

Motto: “Liberty and prosperity”
Meaning: - - -

New Mexico

Motto: “Crescit eundo”
Meaning: It grows as it goes

New York

Motto: “Excelsior”
Meaning: Ever upward

North Carolina

Motto: “Esse quam videri”
Meaning: To be, rather than to seem

North Dakota

Motto: “Liberty and union, now and forever, one and inseparable”
Serit ut alteri saeclo prosit”
Meaning: One sows for the benefit of another age

Ohio

Motto: “With God, all things are possible”
Meaning: - - -

Oklahoma

Motto: “Labor omnia vincit”
Meaning: Labor conquers all things

Oregon

Motto: “Alis volat propriis”
Meaning: She flies with her own wings

Pennsylvania

Motto: “Virtue, liberty, and independence”
Meaning: - - -

Rhode Island

Motto: “Hope”
Meaning: - - -

South Carolina

Motto: “Dum spiro spero”
“Animis opibusque parati”
Meaning: While I breathe, I hope
Ready in soul and resource

South Dakota

Motto: “Under God the people rule”
Meaning: - - -

Tennessee

Motto: “Agriculture and Commerce”
Meaning: - - -

Texas

Motto: “Friendship”
Meaning: - - -

Utah

Motto: “Industry”
Meaning: - - -

Vermont

Motto: “Freedom and Unity”
Meaning: - - -

Virginia

Motto: “Sic semper tyrannis”
Meaning: Thus always to tyrants

Washington

Motto: “Al-ki”
Meaning: By and by

West Virginia

Motto: “Montani semper liberi”
Meaning: Mountaineers are always free

Wisconsin

Motto: “Forward”
Meaning: - - -

Wyoming

Motto: “Equal Rights”
Meaning: - -

List of U.S. Territory Mottos

American Samoa

Motto: “Samoa, Muamua Le Atua”
Meaning: Samoa, let God be first

District of Columbia

Motto: “Justitia Omnibus”
Meaning: Justice for All

Guam

Motto: “Where America’s Day Begins”
Meaning: - - -

Puerto Rico

Motto: “Joannes Est Nomen Eius”
Meaning: John is his name

Virgin Islands

Motto: “United in Pride and Hope”
Meaning: - - -

State slogans are more related to tourism, but mottos have a history behind them and are very important. So whether you’re a tourist or a resident of a state in the US, knowing these mottos and their meanings is a plus point. Also, if you are someone who has an assignment on the States of the U.S., don’t forget to mention all these mottos in your piece.