# How do you say "I live, therefor you die" in Latin? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 11, 2009, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-i-live-therefor-you-die-in-latin/489032 "2009-03-11T02:23:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-i-live-therefor-you-die-in-latin/489032/1 "2009-03-11T02:23:32Z")
I’m creating a t-shirt for my son using [www.uberprint.com](http://www.uberprint.com). It features one of the characters from Metal Gear Solid III (his favorite game). And, since he’s taking Latin, I thought it might be cool to add: “I live, therefore you die” in Latin as a caption. I’ve created a couple of other t-shirts, and it’s sorta fun. You might want to look around that site and give it a shot. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-i-live-therefor-you-die-in-latin/489032/2 "2009-03-11T03:24:15Z")
> [@Rysdad](#): > > I’m creating a t-shirt for my son using [www.uberprint.com](http://www.uberprint.com). It features one of the characters from Metal Gear Solid III (his favorite game). And, since he’s taking Latin, I thought it might be cool to add: > > “I live, therefore you die” in Latin as a caption. > > I’ve created a couple of other t-shirts, and it’s sorta fun. You might want to look around that site and give it a shot. > > Thanks! “Ego vivo, ergo tu moris.” Or, if you prefer, just “Vivo, ergo tu moris.” ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-i-live-therefor-you-die-in-latin/489032/3 "2009-03-11T03:25:16Z")
Oops… point is, the pronouns aren’t mandatory, so it could be just “Vivo, ergo moris.” ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-i-live-therefor-you-die-in-latin/489032/4 "2009-03-11T03:53:41Z")
I don’t think that “ergo” is quite the right word, here. That would mean “From the fact that I live, we can conclude that you die”, while I think the original probably means something more like “The fact that I live causes your death to occur”. Unfortunately, I don’t recall what the correct word would be. ---
**Author:** ![DaphneBlack](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daphneblack/32/5389_2.png) [@DaphneBlack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaphneBlack)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-i-live-therefor-you-die-in-latin/489032/5 "2009-03-11T03:59:00Z")
Vivo ut moriaris ‘I live so that/in order that you die’ could work. The verb is _morior_, to die, which has a passive form but is active in meaning. ---
**Author:** ![Civil\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d78d45/32.png) [@Civil\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Civil_Guy)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-i-live-therefor-you-die-in-latin/489032/6 "2009-03-11T04:23:57Z")
There are various shades to put on it in english: “Since I (still) live, you don’t have many moments left.” Would this translate a little better to the intended meaning? ---
**Author:** ![DaphneBlack](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daphneblack/32/5389_2.png) [@DaphneBlack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaphneBlack)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-i-live-therefor-you-die-in-latin/489032/7 "2009-03-11T06:05:41Z")
Cum vivam, moriaris ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-i-live-therefor-you-die-in-latin/489032/8 "2009-03-11T19:20:56Z")
How about this: “Vivendum mihi est, ergo moriendum tibi est.” That means “I must live, therefore you must die.” ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-i-live-therefor-you-die-in-latin/489032/9 "2009-03-11T19:22:08Z")
Or: “Quod vivendum mihi est, moreindum tibi est.” That’s “Because I must live, you must die.” ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-i-live-therefor-you-die-in-latin/489032/10 "2009-03-11T19:26:56Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I don’t think that “ergo” is quite the right word, here. That would mean “From the fact that I live, we can conclude that you die”, while I think the original probably means something more like “The fact that I live causes your death to occur”. I don’t know. I kind like that shade of meaning, even if that’s not what was originally intended. Plus “vivo, ergo moris” is just so much punchier, and echoes/riffs on “cogito ergo sum.” ---
**Author:** ![Nickrz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbce88/32.png) [@Nickrz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nickrz)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-i-live-therefor-you-die-in-latin/489032/11 "2009-03-11T19:33:04Z")
Gonna wear that on your next shooting rampage, are yuh? ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-i-live-therefor-you-die-in-latin/489032/12 "2009-03-11T19:47:32Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I don’t know. I kind like that shade of meaning, even if that’s not what was originally intended. Plus “vivo, ergo moris” is just so much punchier, and echoes/riffs on “cogito ergo sum.” Precisely what I thought. Surely, it’s what a hypothetical assassin of Descartes might have used as a punchline. “Vivo ergo moris” gets my vote. ---
**Author:** ![DaphneBlack](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daphneblack/32/5389_2.png) [@DaphneBlack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaphneBlack)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-i-live-therefor-you-die-in-latin/489032/13 "2009-03-11T21:33:09Z")
It has to be passive in form though. ‘moris’ is wrong. _Vivo, ergo moriris_ is the correct form. I like astorian’s version too. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-i-live-therefor-you-die-in-latin/489032/14 "2009-03-11T21:38:41Z")
> [@Civil\_Guy](#): > > “Since I (still) live, you don’t have many moments left.” How 'bout “You have no chance to survive make your time?” 🆒