List of U.S. state and territory mottos
Here is a list of state mottos for the states of the United States. To promote tourism, states also establish state slogans, which are unofficial and change more often than state mottos. A separate list of U.S. state slogans is also available, as well as a list of U.S. state nicknames.
Mottos for countries are listed separately.
| State | Motto | Translation (If applicable) |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Audemus jura nostra defendere | (Latin, "We dare to defend our rights") |
| Alaska | North to the future | |
| Arizona | Ditat Deus | (Latin, "God enriches") |
| Arkansas | Regnat populus | (Latin, "The people rule") |
| California | Eureka | (Greek, "I have found it") |
| Colorado | Nil sine numine | (Latin, "Nothing without Providence" or "Nothing without the Deity") |
| Connecticut | Qui transtulit sustinet | (Latin, "He who transplanted sustains") |
| Delaware | Liberty and independence | |
| Florida | In God we trust | |
| Georgia | Wisdom, justice, and moderation | |
| Hawaii | Ua Mau ke Ea o ka Aina i ka Pono | (Hawaiian, "The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness") |
| Idaho | Esto perpetua | (Latin, "Let it be perpetual") |
| Illinois | State sovereignty, national union | |
| Iowa | Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain | |
| Indiana | The crossroads of America | |
| Kansas | Ad astra per aspera | (Latin, "To the stars through difficulties") |
| Kentucky | Deo gratiam habeamus | (Latin, "We give thanks to God"; adopted in 2002, formerly United we stand, divided we fall) |
| Louisiana | Union, justice, and confidence | |
| Maine | Dirigo | (Latin, "I direct") |
| 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 / Tuebor | (Latin, "If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look around you") / (Latin, "It will be defended") |
| Minnesota | L'étoile du Nord (Official state motto) / Quae sursum volo videre (Territorial motto never repealed) | (French, "The star of the North") / (Latin, "I long to see what is beyond") |
| Mississippi | Virtute et armis | (Latin, "By valor and arms") |
| Missouri | Salus populi suprema lex esto | (Latin, "Let the good of the people be the supreme law") |
| Montana | Oro y plata | (Spanish, "Gold and silver") |
| Nebraska | Equality before the law | |
| Nevada | All for our country | |
| New Hampshire | Live free or die | |
| New Jersey | Liberty and prosperity | |
| 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 / Strength from the soil | Daniel Webster quote used on the Great Seal / motto used on the Coat of Arms |
| Ohio | With God, all things are possible | |
| Oklahoma | Labor vincit omnia | (Latin, "Labor conquers all things") |
| Oregon | The Union, and Alis volat propriis | (Latin, "She flies with her own wings") |
| Pennsylvania | Virtue, liberty, and independence | |
| Rhode Island | Hope | |
| South Carolina | Dum spiro spero | (Latin, "While I breathe, I hope") |
| South Dakota | Under God the people rule | |
| Tennessee | Agriculture and commerce | |
| Texas | Friendship | |
| Utah | Industry | |
| Vermont | Freedom and unity | |
| Virginia | Sic semper tyrannis | (Latin, "Thus always to tyrants") |
| Washington | Al-ki | (Chinook Jargon, "By and by") |
| West Virginia | Montani semper liberi | (Latin, "Mountaineers are always free") |
| Wisconsin | Forward | |
| Wyoming | Equal rights |
Insular Areas and DC
| Jurisdiction | Motto | Translation (If applicable) |
|---|---|---|
| American Samoa | Samoa, Muamua Le Atua | (Samoan, "Samoa, Let God be First") |
| District of Columbia | Justitia Omnibus | (Latin, "Justice for all") |
| Puerto Rico | Joannes Est Nomen Eius | (Latin, "John is his name") |
| Guam | Where America's Day Begins | |
| Virgin Islands | United in Pride and Hope |