# What is your family motto? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 9, 2013, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-family-motto/663074 "2013-07-09T20:08:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-family-motto/663074/81 "2013-07-12T22:04:20Z")
> [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > “If you can’t say something nice about someone…sit next to me” > [sub]yes, we stole it. we’re not an original bunch[/sub] funny 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-family-motto/663074/82 "2013-07-12T22:06:14Z")
> [@sherrylynn](#): > > “If you’re going to be dumb, you’d better be tough” Good one. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-family-motto/663074/83 "2013-07-12T22:10:41Z")
Some good ones. After my teenage son got in some trouble and faced some consequences I told my younger daughter “Sometimes you have to love someone enough to kick them in the ass” We still use it and now they have kids of their own. Also when an otherwise intelligent family member of good friend does something exceptionally stupid {we take turns} we say in our most symp[athetic voice “Poor little bonehead” ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-family-motto/663074/84 "2013-07-12T22:21:15Z")
_Orbis non-sufficit_ Ok, seriously it’s _Semper Gumby_: Always Flexible Refers to the endless and unpredictable changes we deal with. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2013, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-family-motto/663074/85 "2013-07-13T00:10:40Z")
A very similar motto, “Unus Orbis Non Sufficit” is engraved near the Museum of Man, in Balboa Park, in San Diego. I’ve always loved that motto! (It was meant to tie in to the discovery of the “New World,” i.e., the Americas, but it updates nicely to the space age.) My personal motto is “I Approve, Without Reserve,” which, while mostly true, is also ironic, as it is taken from Bertolt Brecht’s “[Ballad on Approving of the World](http://wordcount-richmonde.blogspot.com/2011/10/ballad-on-approving-of-world.html),” where another motto is, “I keep approving what one can’t approve.” ---
**Author:** ![seal\_cleaner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@seal\_cleaner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seal_cleaner)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2013, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-family-motto/663074/86 "2013-07-13T01:10:36Z")
“Bring Ice” ---
**Author:** ![deltasigma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e5b9ba/32.png) [@deltasigma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deltasigma)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2013, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-family-motto/663074/87 "2013-07-13T01:23:43Z")
“Lube or no lube?” ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2013, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-family-motto/663074/88 "2013-07-13T02:54:46Z")
If you know what you’re doing, it’s not an adventure. ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2013, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-family-motto/663074/89 "2013-07-13T03:19:03Z")
> [@by-tor](#): > > “Let’s not talk about it.” That one might do for my side of the family. The official one, however, would have to be, “Be nice.” Which meshes well with the first, since being nice often means not talking about something. We may be repressed, but by God we are pleasant. ---
**Author:** ![DummyGladHands](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/49beb7/32.png) [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2013, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-family-motto/663074/90 "2013-07-13T03:29:38Z")
Not in the head, Ted. ---
**Author:** ![Rahne\_McCloud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@Rahne\_McCloud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rahne_McCloud)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-family-motto/663074/91 "2013-07-14T05:37:25Z")
We put the “Fun in Dysfunctional” has been our family motto for over 40 years. ---
**Author:** ![Sunshine\_and\_Smiles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Sunshine\_and\_Smiles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunshine_and_Smiles)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-family-motto/663074/92 "2013-07-14T06:10:18Z")
Better lucky than skilled.\* \*The corollary is sometimes given, but always understood: The more skilled you are, the luckier you’ll be. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-family-motto/663074/93 "2013-07-14T14:13:42Z")
“Watch the fireplug”. That would be the one right at the corner of the driveway. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-family-motto/663074/94 "2013-07-14T14:40:32Z")
I guess ours is “What goes round comes round.” Nonsense words but the meaning is clear - What you do to or for others, will eventually happen to you. A bit like that ‘pay forward’ thing. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-family-motto/663074/95 "2013-07-15T04:08:16Z")
“Hate the sin, not the sinner, but never, ever miss the opportunity to remind the sinner they are going to hell.” Growing up in the combination of extreme family dysfunctionality and religious fundamentalism is a treat. ---
**Author:** ![Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8c91f0/32.png) [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bam_Boo_Gut)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-family-motto/663074/96 "2013-07-15T15:32:07Z")
My dads side has a Family Crest and the motto “Over Fork Over” I have no idea what it’s supposed to mean. Ok, just googled it … something about stashing a prince. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-family-motto/663074/97 "2013-07-15T16:42:22Z")
Actual motto from the family crest hanging on the wall: _Nil Conscire Sibi_ (nothing against oneself; the closest I can come in translation). Unofficial motto: _carpe cerevisi_: seize the beer ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-family-motto/663074/98 "2013-07-15T18:40:38Z")
If we had a family motto, it would probably be “We don’t need no steenkin’ mottos!” but since we don’t need no steenkin’ mottos, we don’t have a steenkin’ motto, not even that one. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![perfectparanoia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a5b964/32.png) [@perfectparanoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/perfectparanoia)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-family-motto/663074/99 "2013-07-15T18:55:42Z")
On one side: no matter how humble your home, it should always be clean. (Which was more about having pride in what you have even if you are poor since we kinda were.) Other side: never let a guest leave hungry. (Which is interesting since this side of the family had even less. They would often feed guests food and the children would go without. I would never take it to that extreme but certainly you will find abundant good food if you are invited to my house.) ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-family-motto/663074/100 "2013-07-15T20:25:38Z")
My family has a way of collecting sayings, including “Don’t worry needlessly” and “Don’t drive through standing water.” But I would say our motto is “Packages can be deceiving.” It started as a joke at Christmas, but it’s come to fit us pretty well. Anyone wanna translate that to Latin for me? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-family-motto/663074.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-family-motto/663074.md?page=6)