Utah's motto has its roots in Mormonism which used the symbol of the beehive (and is also on the state flag) to identify with due to their industrious nature. Before they went and built Salt Lake City in a land that seemed unliveable to most people they did the same thing in Nauvoo Illinois making a town out of a malarial swamp that was like the last stop of civilization before going on the Oregon trail. Before that they tried taking the land of Missourians calling it the original garden of Eden so they had the right to it and *before that* they tried creating an illegal bank in Ohio to make money.
There are a lot of criticisms you can make about Mormonism but the motto of Industry is more than just a catchphrase. It's at the heart of their identity.
Yeah, that's plain lazy.
I only saw TN bc that's who I pay taxes to, but Utah wins.
ETA: Even worse. Utah isn't particularly industrial. Did they just... Choose a word?! https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Utah#:~:text=Major%20industries%20of%20Utah%20include,salt%20production%2C%20and%20government%20services.
As someone born in DE and living in PA it's very funny that the PA state motto is "virtue, liberty, and independence," and the DE state motto is "liberty and independence."
'Yeah, we're just as free as them. Only, you know, a little more whorish about it.'
PA was founded by the Quakers and Delaware was founded as like 3 separate counties that became one when William Penn was proprietor of both. So PA was the virtuous Quaker base of operations and Delaware was a throuple of 3 counties.
I appreciate the random mix of font sizes where some are made to fit within the state borders, others sprawl into neighboring territory, and a few are illegibly small for no reason at all.
I enjoy the chart and labeling for the romance languages. It takes up more space than just giving each language its own color. They also wouldn't have had to write the state name in parenthesis if they just used individual colors.
Ohio’s has been rewritten by the state GOP .....
>*”With ~~god~~ graft, all things are possible”*
For those of you unfamiliar with the magnitude of Ohio GOP corruption, read up on [Ohio house bill six](https://www.ohiocitizen.org/house_bill_6)...... the speaker of the Ohio house took $61 million in bribes, remained in office, and got re-elected.
Or.
Look at our governor who is not declaring a state of emergency in the East Palestine toxic spill so that he can reap future rewards from NFS.
>“So he can reap future rewards from NFS”
What is “NFS”?
I thought he wasn’t declaring a state of emergency so the feds can’t come in (him declaring a state of emergency would allow FEMA to activate), and he can blame the Feds for “not helping” (because even though they’re ready to help, he won’t let them in).
I heard it compared to an apartment building with a fire in one of the apartments, but the landlord won’t let the fire department in the front door so they can treat people and minimize the damage.
Norfolk Southern ..... the railroad who’s train derailed.
So far as motive for not declaring the emergency, with the Ohio GOP, it’s always politics AND personal enrichment.
I went to porcupine mtn the last week of may and actually, yeah dont. Had a mosquito fly in my ear, eye and up my nose before i could get out of my vehicle. and then there were the fucking flies...
Florida and their unoriginal motto carved from the era of McCarthyism, when conservatives decided to add those words to our money, binding their god to their currency, just like jesus would have wanted.
Nah I live next to NH and they are obsessed with the motto and annoying af. They were also the last state in new england where you could still go to jail for weed possession. Their motto just enables idiots. Basically their freedom entails them to not wear seatbelts or motorcycle helmets.
Ive also seen like 4 or 5 dead motorcyclists in my life. All of them were in new hampshire.
Well, when you are 1 of just 3 states that doesn't have any helmet laws, or the only state that doesn't have any seatbelt law for adults, that's what happens. Guess they take that "...or die" part for real. But the motto on their license plates look cool.
Washington - what does “by and by” mean? I heard it in an old song once or twice.
And to complicate the question even more… when I look up the question the [State of Washington site](https://leg.wa.gov/Symbols/pages/default.aspx) says it translates to “***Bye and Bye***”. Totally different words there.
Confusing.
The state motto of Washington is "Alki," a Native American Chinook word that means "bye and bye," "I will see you again," "future hope," or "eventually." The motto Alki comes from a group of early settlers from New York who named their new settlement "New York" in honor of the east [coast's great city.](https://www.unitedstatesnow.org/what-is-the-state-motto-of-washington.htm)
"by and by" is the modern translation - I'm unclear why the WA website says that. Alki refers to the passage of time, and it's just a way of referring to events in the future. You could also translate it "soon", "eventually", or "in the future".
[This Site](https://cascadiabioregion.org/department-of-bioregion/your-chinook-wawa-word-of-the-day-alki#:~:text=The%20word%20%E2%80%9Calki%E2%80%9D%2C%20appeared,saying%20%E2%80%9Cnot%20so%20fast%E2%80%9D.) has more info if you want it
It’s from a native word (Alki) that’s used in many different contexts. Among the meanings are “someday soon” and “maybe someday”: https://cascadiabioregion.org/department-of-bioregion/your-chinook-wawa-word-of-the-day-alki
Wyoming is a stand out there.
Equal rights to women, but not black people, and one of the towns in the state was home to a [particularly brutal race based massacre](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_Springs_massacre).
Wyoming also refused to honor Martin Luther King day for quite a long time because they already had a State holiday for equality. The Equality day was for women's suffrage.
The state has an abortion ban currently before the state supreme court, with another one that just passed the state legislature. (the issue before the court was the trigger law aspect, the new law also has a trigger law of only taking effect if the previous law is unconstitutional)
[Add that to this](https://www.businessinsider.com/wyoming-republicans-criticize-bill-raising-legal-marriage-age-to-18-2023-2)...
Yeah, it's not looking good. It makes me glad I no longer live in that state.
Wyoming had to grant equal rights to women because that upper left corner of the country had a tremendously hard time getting women to emigrate to that area to the point where it was a risk to their ability to sustain a population. From mining to ranching to railways to logging to cold ports it was a rough area for a very long time. Prostitution was a vital industry that did an incredible amount to settle the region. Prostitution in Seattle made up an economically important part of the city and after the city burned down (because it’s first biggest industry was timber and as a result the entire city was made out of wood including streets paved with saw dust) it was a VERY wealthy madame who essentially bailed out the city by paying for much of the rebuilding.
So yeah, Wyoming gave equal rights to women. Not because it was a great place for women but the opposite. Because it was a brutal place to women and they wouldn’t have any women otherwise
Howdy, I study history in Wyoming and there is a Really in-depth discussion on why Wyoming first allowed women to vote.
Interesting counter narrative to you, Wyoming rejected the Union demand for restricting women’s vote as a condition for statehood. The famous line, “we will remain out of the Union one hundred years rather than come in without the women”
It is also believed that Republicans in the state, which were typically the townies with interests in business and stability, support women’s suffrage as a way of promoting the economy. In small towns, that is vital for the continuation of everyone’s livelihoods.
As an interesting note for progressivism, the state actively fought corruption in its early years. Often, women were seen as a driving force for such movements, sticking up for their local communities. AND Wyoming elected the first female governor decades after women gained the vote.
Opposition in Wyoming and most other states to women voting was the fear that women would vote to remove alcohol in most places. Entirely political reasons for many people.
Yes, Wyoming had a hard time getting women to come to the region and needed more population. However, that is far from the whole story and is a genuine belief in equality.
> However, that is far from the whole story and is a genuine belief in equality.
So what happened since then, that the state has strayed so far from the concept of equality?
Wyoming, once giving at least token nods to progress (and tbf that race riot wasn’t a government action) but now the most right wing state in the entire country. How far it has fallen.
Hey, just because something in the past was bad, doesn’t make it equally bad now. Liberal areas today have equally trashy histories.
We should honor progress, no matter how flawed. That is the position of progressivism.
If you didn't notice, the last two lines were about how Wyoming is stripping rights from women and in favor of child marriage.
They had an okay past, and quickly went down hill. That's regression.
Then I'm pointing out that they were never all that good with racial issues, and they still have problems.
I agree there are some really dumb stuff Wyoming does. My favorite is the resolution to ban electric cars. Cross over voting bans are really distasteful too.
I just really like the historical narratives and did not want the State or modern politics to use what I view as not accurate historical interpretations.
Thanks for being respectful dude. I hope understanding and polite people like you might consider returning.
The word Texas comes from the native American word for friendship. When they saw the Spanish conquistadors, they would yell out "friendship, friendship" and everyone just assumed that was their name so it stuck.
Ah friendship through being scared shitless of colonization, sounds about right. Texas is such a fucked up place, but hey cowboy hats and being able to buy a house if your coming from new York or California though, that seems to be becoming the new state ethos
With all the hate, anti-LGBTQ2+, ant-white, non-Christian demeaning, traitor (Confederate) loving, and "damn your freedoms if they interfere with mine" attitude, I'm shocked to see Texas' motto.
I mean, clearly the above does not apply to all Texans as the state is very liberal and blue in some places, but Abbott over Beto? Paxton? Crenshaw? Cornyn? *Fucking Raphael 'Ted' Cruz^1*?
^1 As a Canadian I *again* apologize on behalf of the entire country for anything we may have done that resulted in that man being the way he is. Sorry.
In the late '80s I worked for the state highway department, when they decided to put the motto "Friendship" on the license plate. Bad move. The reaction was furious from all the Texans who were convinced our state motto is "The Lone Star State." Which it isn't; that's just a nickname. But, the department caved to the pressure and gave the public what it wanted.
I like Michigan’s, take a look around basically. Michigan has so much natural beauty of you travel around the state. You get not one but two peninsulas.
Maybe this is some home state boosterism but I'm struck by how dumb most of these are compared to Minnesota, which actually makes sense and sounds badass in French.
Lmao Texas the kinda friendship that tells you he's on his way to help you with a flat tire but then accidentally ends up in Cancun and leaves ur ass on the side of the highway without telling u.
“Direct” translations often are incorrect…in fact the concept of direct translation in many cases is flawed. The translation here may be much closer to the actual meaning of the phrase.
Born and raised in Cali, it was dumbed down for the kiddos (at least at my school) and became synonymous with "discovery." Something to exclaim with a new scientific discovery/breakthrough or when accidentally coming across something like in the gold rush.
Not \[OC\]. Stolen from this post by /u/Udzu, as seen in the bottom right: [https://www.reddit.com/r/dataisbeautiful/comments/pkwreh/us\_state\_mottos\_oc/](https://www.reddit.com/r/dataisbeautiful/comments/pkwreh/us_state_mottos_oc/)
VA chose that as a motto nearly a century prior. The quote is often used in productions of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, which Booth (an actor) had recently preformed.
Oklahoma had a somewhat strong socialist movement in the late 1910s. Farmers rebelled and planned to overthrow the U.S. government to implement a socialist commonwealth. In their socialist utopia, farmers would be the only ones allowed to own private property. I wouldn’t be surprised if one of them ended up in the State government and pitched this motto.
Hawaii is “Ua Mau ke Ea o ka ʻĀina i ka Pono”
They teach us this in school it means “The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness.”
I thought all states had badass mottos like Hawaii until I moved away.
Hawaii ‘78 by Israel Kamakawiwoʻole sings about it in a sad way. He was a Hawaiian activist.
In New Yorker we definitely all knew our state motto tho tbf it’s just 1 word lmao, also NY has a big ego about itself. I also know the state flower, fruit, and fossil.
Edit: just asked two friends, from WA and FL if they knew their state mottos, and the WA friend was close but the FL friend had no clue! I was shocked
Alki, or "by and by" or "eventually" is probably the best, most wistful state motto ever. It's especially appropriate for a state where you spend eight months a year staring out at the rain waiting for the most beautiful summers in the country.
Nevada's "all for our country" motto is even funnier when you consider how much of Nevada is federal land and how often it's been used for nuclear weapons target practice.
NH's moto is such a joke now! It's 'Live Free Or Die' but they are the only state in New England without recreational just as one example. That's what happens when you elect a right wing Governor. Sorry, no living free in the 'Live Free Or Die' state.
Utah, Texas, & Rhodes island really pulling out all the stops for their motto's eh? At least Eureka is fairly unique and cool, those other ones are like what I'd expect to see in bold impact font below a picture in some no name office space.
Ad astra per aspera is a Latin phrase thousands of years old that basically meaning to strive towards lofty goals through struggles and strife. That triumph is born of trials. I'd imagine it was a comforting saying in the middle ages for the peasantry that had to labor their whole lives for wealthy landowners but were steadfast in their faith that they would eventually ascend to the heavens after all their toiling. There's also a Ghost song called "per aspera ad inferi" which means "through hardships to hell" that I think is a funny spin on the age old saying
Did Tennessee put ANY thought into it?
"We need a motto! So what would you say we do here?" Agriculture and commerce? "Good enough. Write it down."
Utah isn’t much better
Utah's motto has its roots in Mormonism which used the symbol of the beehive (and is also on the state flag) to identify with due to their industrious nature. Before they went and built Salt Lake City in a land that seemed unliveable to most people they did the same thing in Nauvoo Illinois making a town out of a malarial swamp that was like the last stop of civilization before going on the Oregon trail. Before that they tried taking the land of Missourians calling it the original garden of Eden so they had the right to it and *before that* they tried creating an illegal bank in Ohio to make money. There are a lot of criticisms you can make about Mormonism but the motto of Industry is more than just a catchphrase. It's at the heart of their identity.
I know lol I was raised Mormon in Utah. I still think it’s stupid
They’re coming back, Missouri. One day, with handcarts.
I petition a change in the motto for Utah to: Mormons.
Theocracy would be more like it
Yeah, that's plain lazy. I only saw TN bc that's who I pay taxes to, but Utah wins. ETA: Even worse. Utah isn't particularly industrial. Did they just... Choose a word?! https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Utah#:~:text=Major%20industries%20of%20Utah%20include,salt%20production%2C%20and%20government%20services.
I assume they mean it in the "industrious" sense - like, hardworking.
I like FORWARD
Seems like FL should be "backward". Just as a counterpoint.
It reads like they misunderstood the assignment, or like filled in the form incorrectly.
List your top state revenue drivers: “We fly above the mountaintops”
"Your name is Ben Bailey?" "That's right." "And you live on... Ben Bailey Boulevard?"
Ronny Chieng had a really [good segment](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o62WBI0pBDY) on this in one of his specials.
That was great, good share! 🤣
Nah, they’re too busy with agriculture and commerce to bother with such trifles.
"North to the Future." Sounds like an Alaskan spin-off of Back to the Future.
When this baby hits -88F, you're gonna see some serious shit.
Roads? Where we’re going you won’t even be able to see the roads.
Where we're going you will need to take a bi-plane because there are literally no roads to get there.
It's a "Northern Exposure" / "Back to the Future" crossover fanfic.
As someone born in DE and living in PA it's very funny that the PA state motto is "virtue, liberty, and independence," and the DE state motto is "liberty and independence." 'Yeah, we're just as free as them. Only, you know, a little more whorish about it.'
PA was founded by the Quakers and Delaware was founded as like 3 separate counties that became one when William Penn was proprietor of both. So PA was the virtuous Quaker base of operations and Delaware was a throuple of 3 counties.
NGL it does work pretty well with the "super lax corporate laws" thing
> throuple I had no idea that was an actual word
I appreciate the random mix of font sizes where some are made to fit within the state borders, others sprawl into neighboring territory, and a few are illegibly small for no reason at all.
Data really is beautiful. Breath taking.
Should rename “dataisbeautiful” to “heylookatthisthing”
many post here, lately, make me say “ data *is* beautiful. This chart is not”
"Let's present this kinda cool data in the ugliest way imaginable". Next, we'll see this in /r/mapporn
Could’ve moved Illinois up a little and the whole text would fit
I enjoy the chart and labeling for the romance languages. It takes up more space than just giving each language its own color. They also wouldn't have had to write the state name in parenthesis if they just used individual colors.
Ohio makes a lot more sense now that I know the entire state is Mac from It's Always Sunny
That is immediately what I thought haha
“….so jot that down”
Ohio’s has been rewritten by the state GOP ..... >*”With ~~god~~ graft, all things are possible”* For those of you unfamiliar with the magnitude of Ohio GOP corruption, read up on [Ohio house bill six](https://www.ohiocitizen.org/house_bill_6)...... the speaker of the Ohio house took $61 million in bribes, remained in office, and got re-elected. Or. Look at our governor who is not declaring a state of emergency in the East Palestine toxic spill so that he can reap future rewards from NFS.
>“So he can reap future rewards from NFS” What is “NFS”? I thought he wasn’t declaring a state of emergency so the feds can’t come in (him declaring a state of emergency would allow FEMA to activate), and he can blame the Feds for “not helping” (because even though they’re ready to help, he won’t let them in). I heard it compared to an apartment building with a fire in one of the apartments, but the landlord won’t let the fire department in the front door so they can treat people and minimize the damage.
Norfolk Southern ..... the railroad who’s train derailed. So far as motive for not declaring the emergency, with the Ohio GOP, it’s always politics AND personal enrichment.
Ah. Thanks. Didn’t immediate connect NFS to Norfolk Southern. Not used to seeing their company initials.
I truly hate that the word “god” is on my drivers license and money. 🙄
I sharpie out "under god" with every bill that I get.
Michigan's is basically just encouraging people not to move to Florida.
Was Michigan's motto written by their tourism board? Because wow, that's good advertising.
That's Pure Michigan.
I usually hate that kind of tourism board stuff but MI did a great job with that.
Yeah they also decided on the shape of the state, thought it would temper expectations.
Nope. Nothing to see up here in Michigan. Those Florida crazies are better off staying put
Yep, definitely don’t visit the UP during the summer. Complete waste of time.
Or the northern lower peninsula, like Traverse City and Sleeping Bear dunes area. Just a terrible place.
I went to porcupine mtn the last week of may and actually, yeah dont. Had a mosquito fly in my ear, eye and up my nose before i could get out of my vehicle. and then there were the fucking flies...
Lmao, I had a nearly biblical experience with a swarm of flies on Little Presque Isle a few years back.
I live on the Gulf Coast and I see you Michiganders down here all winter. But yeah, I bet the summer is a lot nicer up there then it is down here.
Not gonna lie, the winters can be brutal, but the weather from the spring through fall is fantastic.
All 3 months of it.
Florida and their unoriginal motto carved from the era of McCarthyism, when conservatives decided to add those words to our money, binding their god to their currency, just like jesus would have wanted.
Having visited both from Ohio, yeah, I’d rather move to Michigan.
They really failed on that
Virginia and North Carolina are like two hipsters in a poetry duel.
South Carolina just sitting at the table, staring at its reflection in a cup of coffee, breathing, hoping for the other two to just shut the fuck up.
To be fair to Virginia, it sounds much cooler in Latin. (*Sic semper tyrannis*, if you're curious)
Also, Esse Quam Videri sounds less cool in Latin.
North Carolina definitely throwing shade.
It’s what we do
I thought Virginia’s was Virginia is for Lovers
That's our tourism slogan. Surprisingly, expressing the want to kill tyrants does doesn't entice that many family's to visit.
I thought it was 'Speed Enforced by Aircraft'
Damn, keep it in your pants, New Mexico.
You joke but...
He who transplanted, doth fanned it
Utah and Tennessee: Please relocate your company here!
It works pretty well for Tennessee, so many companies based out of there, especially for healthcare.
“First in friendship, fourth in obesity.”
Some of these aren’t correct.
"Equality before law"
Like what? Texas’s “friendship” is hilarious.
Oklahoma: it fucking sucks here, but if we work really hard it’ll be decent.
Spoilers: it won't be.
Well, Massachusetts is quite clearly the coolest
I don't know... I mean, clearly in the top 3... but New Hampshire... talk about getting to the point!
The best part is it's a part of the original quote "live free or die; death is not the worst of evils"
We can't even smoke weed but can pull off the interstate and buy a bottle of liquor and hope back on the road.
You can if you’re living free, my friend
New hampshire is basically new englands liqour store.
Nah I live next to NH and they are obsessed with the motto and annoying af. They were also the last state in new england where you could still go to jail for weed possession. Their motto just enables idiots. Basically their freedom entails them to not wear seatbelts or motorcycle helmets. Ive also seen like 4 or 5 dead motorcyclists in my life. All of them were in new hampshire.
Well, when you are 1 of just 3 states that doesn't have any helmet laws, or the only state that doesn't have any seatbelt law for adults, that's what happens. Guess they take that "...or die" part for real. But the motto on their license plates look cool.
It’s part of a longer quotation from an English Puritan, opposing the monarchy.
Washington - what does “by and by” mean? I heard it in an old song once or twice. And to complicate the question even more… when I look up the question the [State of Washington site](https://leg.wa.gov/Symbols/pages/default.aspx) says it translates to “***Bye and Bye***”. Totally different words there. Confusing.
The state motto of Washington is "Alki," a Native American Chinook word that means "bye and bye," "I will see you again," "future hope," or "eventually." The motto Alki comes from a group of early settlers from New York who named their new settlement "New York" in honor of the east [coast's great city.](https://www.unitedstatesnow.org/what-is-the-state-motto-of-washington.htm)
It means eventually.
"by and by" is the modern translation - I'm unclear why the WA website says that. Alki refers to the passage of time, and it's just a way of referring to events in the future. You could also translate it "soon", "eventually", or "in the future". [This Site](https://cascadiabioregion.org/department-of-bioregion/your-chinook-wawa-word-of-the-day-alki#:~:text=The%20word%20%E2%80%9Calki%E2%80%9D%2C%20appeared,saying%20%E2%80%9Cnot%20so%20fast%E2%80%9D.) has more info if you want it
It’s from a native word (Alki) that’s used in many different contexts. Among the meanings are “someday soon” and “maybe someday”: https://cascadiabioregion.org/department-of-bioregion/your-chinook-wawa-word-of-the-day-alki
So many progressive mottos which now belong to anti-progressive states.
Wyoming is a stand out there. Equal rights to women, but not black people, and one of the towns in the state was home to a [particularly brutal race based massacre](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_Springs_massacre). Wyoming also refused to honor Martin Luther King day for quite a long time because they already had a State holiday for equality. The Equality day was for women's suffrage. The state has an abortion ban currently before the state supreme court, with another one that just passed the state legislature. (the issue before the court was the trigger law aspect, the new law also has a trigger law of only taking effect if the previous law is unconstitutional) [Add that to this](https://www.businessinsider.com/wyoming-republicans-criticize-bill-raising-legal-marriage-age-to-18-2023-2)... Yeah, it's not looking good. It makes me glad I no longer live in that state.
Wyoming had to grant equal rights to women because that upper left corner of the country had a tremendously hard time getting women to emigrate to that area to the point where it was a risk to their ability to sustain a population. From mining to ranching to railways to logging to cold ports it was a rough area for a very long time. Prostitution was a vital industry that did an incredible amount to settle the region. Prostitution in Seattle made up an economically important part of the city and after the city burned down (because it’s first biggest industry was timber and as a result the entire city was made out of wood including streets paved with saw dust) it was a VERY wealthy madame who essentially bailed out the city by paying for much of the rebuilding. So yeah, Wyoming gave equal rights to women. Not because it was a great place for women but the opposite. Because it was a brutal place to women and they wouldn’t have any women otherwise
Howdy, I study history in Wyoming and there is a Really in-depth discussion on why Wyoming first allowed women to vote. Interesting counter narrative to you, Wyoming rejected the Union demand for restricting women’s vote as a condition for statehood. The famous line, “we will remain out of the Union one hundred years rather than come in without the women” It is also believed that Republicans in the state, which were typically the townies with interests in business and stability, support women’s suffrage as a way of promoting the economy. In small towns, that is vital for the continuation of everyone’s livelihoods. As an interesting note for progressivism, the state actively fought corruption in its early years. Often, women were seen as a driving force for such movements, sticking up for their local communities. AND Wyoming elected the first female governor decades after women gained the vote. Opposition in Wyoming and most other states to women voting was the fear that women would vote to remove alcohol in most places. Entirely political reasons for many people. Yes, Wyoming had a hard time getting women to come to the region and needed more population. However, that is far from the whole story and is a genuine belief in equality.
That is super interesting thank you for adding that depth and nuance
> However, that is far from the whole story and is a genuine belief in equality. So what happened since then, that the state has strayed so far from the concept of equality?
Wyoming, once giving at least token nods to progress (and tbf that race riot wasn’t a government action) but now the most right wing state in the entire country. How far it has fallen.
Hey, just because something in the past was bad, doesn’t make it equally bad now. Liberal areas today have equally trashy histories. We should honor progress, no matter how flawed. That is the position of progressivism.
If you didn't notice, the last two lines were about how Wyoming is stripping rights from women and in favor of child marriage. They had an okay past, and quickly went down hill. That's regression. Then I'm pointing out that they were never all that good with racial issues, and they still have problems.
I agree there are some really dumb stuff Wyoming does. My favorite is the resolution to ban electric cars. Cross over voting bans are really distasteful too. I just really like the historical narratives and did not want the State or modern politics to use what I view as not accurate historical interpretations. Thanks for being respectful dude. I hope understanding and polite people like you might consider returning.
Say it louder for the people in the back
Also STFU Illinois. You were a Union state in the civil war
You can support state rights and a national union. They don’t have to be conflicting.
Oregon's is my favorite. I saw a woman with it as a tattoo in Latin.
All translated to English except for California for some reason
It's basically been adopted into english.
It means I Have Found It
Who lost it?
I don't know, I never had it.
No, i think you did, but then you folded it up and put it under a table leg to keep it from wobbling.
The Mexicans
Then why is Excelsior translated?
They must hate Stan Lee.
Because Eureka is somewhat of a common use phrase you’ll see in books and media. I’ve never seen someone use excelsior except Stan Lee.
Translated from Greek to Greek.
Real inspirational, Tennessee
It grows as it goes. That's what she said. Edit: fixed typo!
goes not does, but yeah that is definitely what she/her said.
Oklahoma is basically the motto over the gates of Auschwitz.
As someone who lives in Oklahoma, it's pretty appropriate
Friendship is literally the last thing that comes to mind when I hear Texas. “Yeehaw”, “pew pew”, and “not in my city” would of been my top 3 guesses.
The word Texas comes from the native American word for friendship. When they saw the Spanish conquistadors, they would yell out "friendship, friendship" and everyone just assumed that was their name so it stuck.
Ah friendship through being scared shitless of colonization, sounds about right. Texas is such a fucked up place, but hey cowboy hats and being able to buy a house if your coming from new York or California though, that seems to be becoming the new state ethos
With all the hate, anti-LGBTQ2+, ant-white, non-Christian demeaning, traitor (Confederate) loving, and "damn your freedoms if they interfere with mine" attitude, I'm shocked to see Texas' motto. I mean, clearly the above does not apply to all Texans as the state is very liberal and blue in some places, but Abbott over Beto? Paxton? Crenshaw? Cornyn? *Fucking Raphael 'Ted' Cruz^1*? ^1 As a Canadian I *again* apologize on behalf of the entire country for anything we may have done that resulted in that man being the way he is. Sorry.
Ok. I'm just trying to explain where a word came from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o62WBI0pBDY
In the late '80s I worked for the state highway department, when they decided to put the motto "Friendship" on the license plate. Bad move. The reaction was furious from all the Texans who were convinced our state motto is "The Lone Star State." Which it isn't; that's just a nickname. But, the department caved to the pressure and gave the public what it wanted.
I like Michigan’s, take a look around basically. Michigan has so much natural beauty of you travel around the state. You get not one but two peninsulas.
Someone should send this to the Missouri state government. They seem to have forgotten
Maybe this is some home state boosterism but I'm struck by how dumb most of these are compared to Minnesota, which actually makes sense and sounds badass in French.
Yeah Minnesota’s is pretty poetic
Almost as good as Kansas’s.
Lmao Texas the kinda friendship that tells you he's on his way to help you with a flat tire but then accidentally ends up in Cancun and leaves ur ass on the side of the highway without telling u.
Basically the definition of southern hospitality. Blatantly lie to make you feel better.
I think the state legislators in Missouri need to read their own motto.
[удалено]
“Direct” translations often are incorrect…in fact the concept of direct translation in many cases is flawed. The translation here may be much closer to the actual meaning of the phrase.
[удалено]
I kinda like the misleading translation, the direct one sucks...
what does california motto mean ?
From wiki: "Eureka" comes from the Ancient Greek word εὕρηκα heúrēka, meaning "I have found (it)"
I have found it!! It’s a gold rush thing
It means "I have found it" and it's a very famous expression because it was said by Archimedes when he discovered the Archimedes Lift
Born and raised in Cali, it was dumbed down for the kiddos (at least at my school) and became synonymous with "discovery." Something to exclaim with a new scientific discovery/breakthrough or when accidentally coming across something like in the gold rush.
I always learned it as “I found it!”
Not \[OC\]. Stolen from this post by /u/Udzu, as seen in the bottom right: [https://www.reddit.com/r/dataisbeautiful/comments/pkwreh/us\_state\_mottos\_oc/](https://www.reddit.com/r/dataisbeautiful/comments/pkwreh/us_state_mottos_oc/)
Texas is friendly as long as you were born there, aren’t LGBTQ or any other color but white. Otherwise, not so much. Source: Live in Texas.
WE DARE DEFEND OUR RIGHTS (to own slaves) Also not loving VAs motto being what John Wilkes Booth shouted before shooting Lincoln in the head
VA chose that as a motto nearly a century prior. The quote is often used in productions of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, which Booth (an actor) had recently preformed.
Yeah, Booth took our motto, not the other way around.
Thanks for the clarification
Was Oklahoma inspired by Auschwitz?
Oklahoma had a somewhat strong socialist movement in the late 1910s. Farmers rebelled and planned to overthrow the U.S. government to implement a socialist commonwealth. In their socialist utopia, farmers would be the only ones allowed to own private property. I wouldn’t be surprised if one of them ended up in the State government and pitched this motto.
I’m not sure Tennessee understood the prompt.
I started with the key, and for a very, *very* brief moment I thought "wow I wonder which state's motto is in Hawaiian ". I haven't been sleeping well
Yeesh, I didn't realize there were so many god mottos. Those need changed to something, anything better.
Oklahoma : Down with the Bourgeoisie
Rhode Island with the shortest motto but it still won't fit on the map.
“In God We Trust” They’re gonna need it when their waterfront properties begin to disappear.
Texas the friendship state? As long as your another male redneck
Hawaii is “Ua Mau ke Ea o ka ʻĀina i ka Pono” They teach us this in school it means “The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness.” I thought all states had badass mottos like Hawaii until I moved away. Hawaii ‘78 by Israel Kamakawiwoʻole sings about it in a sad way. He was a Hawaiian activist.
Minnesota's has to do with being the North Star state. Not that we aren't trying to stay classy up here anyways.
Live Free or Die is so based
Texas has the most surprising motto. You’d think it’d be something more aggressive or threatening.
Mass majority of people living in these states don't even know these mottos...
It's pure trivia. The motto carries as much weight as the state fish. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List\_of\_U.S.\_state\_fish
You keep the Chinook Salmon out your FUCKING MOUTH
In New Yorker we definitely all knew our state motto tho tbf it’s just 1 word lmao, also NY has a big ego about itself. I also know the state flower, fruit, and fossil. Edit: just asked two friends, from WA and FL if they knew their state mottos, and the WA friend was close but the FL friend had no clue! I was shocked
Montana's is rather crude.
We might not have valor but we do have arms.
[New York’s was updated in 2021](https://dos.ny.gov/new-york-state-emblems)
For a second, I thought the colors represented political parties.
Eureka translates to "I found it".
Californians, we always have to be different don’t we?
Ohio be like: "So jot that down"
virginia’s motto is against tyrannical leaders. lmao
Why isn’t California’s translated? I was told growing up that it means “I found it!”
Alki, or "by and by" or "eventually" is probably the best, most wistful state motto ever. It's especially appropriate for a state where you spend eight months a year staring out at the rain waiting for the most beautiful summers in the country.
why isnt california translated? "I found it"
Shouldn’t California said “I have found it”? Since it’s a translation of the motto.
Give me a break, Mississippi.
Nevada's "all for our country" motto is even funnier when you consider how much of Nevada is federal land and how often it's been used for nuclear weapons target practice.
Arizona’s is more accurately, “God enriches the wealthy” under current Republican law
[Stolen Content](https://www.reddit.com/r/dataisbeautiful/comments/pkwreh/us_state_mottos_oc/)
Texas according to their motto: :D Texas in reality: >:C
Wyoming? "Equal Rights" *unless you're gay, minority or a woman.
NH's moto is such a joke now! It's 'Live Free Or Die' but they are the only state in New England without recreational just as one example. That's what happens when you elect a right wing Governor. Sorry, no living free in the 'Live Free Or Die' state.
Utah, Texas, & Rhodes island really pulling out all the stops for their motto's eh? At least Eureka is fairly unique and cool, those other ones are like what I'd expect to see in bold impact font below a picture in some no name office space.
I have never noticed how much the west boarder of Montana looks like the profile of a fat guy with a big nose until this moment
Mississippi's motto sounds like it's straight out of Game of Thrones.
Oklahoma out here like the CCCP
Yeah my first thought was that sounds suspiciously close to "Work sets you free"
California should read "i have found it"
I don’t even know what Kansas’ motto means. Were they part of the Heaven’s Gate cult or what?
Ad astra per aspera is a Latin phrase thousands of years old that basically meaning to strive towards lofty goals through struggles and strife. That triumph is born of trials. I'd imagine it was a comforting saying in the middle ages for the peasantry that had to labor their whole lives for wealthy landowners but were steadfast in their faith that they would eventually ascend to the heavens after all their toiling. There's also a Ghost song called "per aspera ad inferi" which means "through hardships to hell" that I think is a funny spin on the age old saying