Dum spiro spero

"Dum spiro spero" in a stained glass window at Beverly Unitarian Church in Chicago.

Dum spiro spero, which translates to "While I breathe, I hope", is a Latin phrase of indeterminate origin. It is the motto of various places and organisations, including the U.S. state of South Carolina.

Derivation

The sense of dum spiro spero can be found in the work of Greek poet Theocritus (3rd Century BC), who wrote: "While there's life there's hope, and only the dead have none." That sentiment seems to have become common by the time of Roman statesman Cicero (106 – 43 BC), who wrote Atticus: "As in the case of a sick man one says, 'While there is life there is hope' [dum anima est, spes esse], so, as long as Pompey was in Italy, I did not cease to hope."

The phrase had begun appearing in its current form by at least the 1780s, as it is present on a representation of the seal of South Carolina printed in March 1785. At some point, it also became the motto of the town of St Andrews, Scotland, and is visible on heraldry around the town of from the mid-19th century onwards.

Usage

As a motto

As an inscription

As a title

Family and individual use

Dum spiro spero is used as a motto by armigerous families including the Corbet baronets of Moreton Corbet (both creations), the Hoare baronets of Annabella, Co. Cork, and the Viscounts Dillon. The Sharp and Sharpe clans of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.[citation needed] Royal military.[citation needed] The Williamson Clan from Co Donegal, Ireland; and the Scottish Clan MacLennan.[citation needed] Individuals who used the motto include Charles I, King of England; Sir James Brooke, Rajah of Sarawak, and the merchant seaman and privateer, later Royal Governor of the Bahama Islands, Woodes Rogers.

See also


This page was last updated at 2023-04-07 13:08 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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