# What should a new U.S. motto be? (instead of "In God We Trust") **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [August 4, 2023, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-a-new-u-s-motto-be-instead-of-in-god-we-trust/988080 "2023-08-04T21:53:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2023, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-a-new-u-s-motto-be-instead-of-in-god-we-trust/988080/1 "2023-08-04T21:53:48Z")
A recent Pit thread about Louisiana requiring the above national motto to be displayed on all school classroom walls (presumably only publicly funded schools, but I don’t think that point was raised in the part of the thread that I read). I suggested that it is past time for a new motto, hence this thread. I put it in this forum specifically because it is likely to be a highly-charged political issue. Personally, and the reason I think it’s time for a new motto, is that I think the official U.S. motto should not have any religious references at all. If you think religious references are fine, then you may not want to change the motto, or you may want to make it more specific which of the hundreds of religions you think should be honored. I hope not, but post whatever motto you think is good. What I would prefer, if it is allowed to express such a preference, is that this thread should be for suggestions only, not for debate about either the current motto or suggested replacements. If there are some good ones suggested, I may run a poll thread to pick our favorite. Style: a motto should be short and to the point. Content: a motto should be aspirational not descriptive. It should reflect the most basic values that we hope our country would represent to ourselves and to the rest of the world. Here is my suggestion, for what it’s worth, and only offered because I think it would be cowardly to make such a thread without a suggestion, even though I think you all will come up with much better ones. “Equality Under Law” ---
**Author:** ![Tride](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tride/32/13907_2.png) [@Tride](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tride)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2023, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-a-new-u-s-motto-be-instead-of-in-god-we-trust/988080/2 "2023-08-04T21:57:12Z")
“ghod help us?” ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2023, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-a-new-u-s-motto-be-instead-of-in-god-we-trust/988080/3 "2023-08-04T21:58:34Z")
Equality, Liberty, Humanity. ---
**Author:** ![MulderMuffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldermuffin/32/2862_2.png) [@MulderMuffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MulderMuffin)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2023, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-a-new-u-s-motto-be-instead-of-in-god-we-trust/988080/4 "2023-08-04T21:58:50Z")
I’ve always liked e pluribus unum. > The change from “E Pluribus Unum” to “In God we trust” was generally considered uncontroversial at the time, given the rising influence of organized religion and pressures of the Cold War era in the 1950s. Cold War is over. Organized religion is in a steady decline. Let’s change it back. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2023, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-a-new-u-s-motto-be-instead-of-in-god-we-trust/988080/5 "2023-08-04T22:06:28Z")
“From each according to their ability, to each according to their need” has a nice ring to it. ---
**Author:** ![dougrb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@dougrb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougrb)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2023, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-a-new-u-s-motto-be-instead-of-in-god-we-trust/988080/6 "2023-08-04T22:11:27Z")
That gets my vote. ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2023, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-a-new-u-s-motto-be-instead-of-in-god-we-trust/988080/7 "2023-08-04T22:12:32Z")
“In dog we trust”. We can even re-use all the letters. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2023, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-a-new-u-s-motto-be-instead-of-in-god-we-trust/988080/8 "2023-08-04T22:14:13Z")
Have You Tried Not Being Poor ---
**Author:** ![excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e8c25b/32.png) [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/excavating_for_a_mind)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2023, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-a-new-u-s-motto-be-instead-of-in-god-we-trust/988080/9 "2023-08-04T22:26:24Z")
How about In Diversity, Strength or, perhaps, the Latin Virtus per diversitas Too woke? ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2023, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-a-new-u-s-motto-be-instead-of-in-god-we-trust/988080/10 "2023-08-04T22:36:13Z")
Based on current trends, I’d go with, “We’ve Got Electrolytes!” (from Idiocracy). Or maybe, “I bet I can pick you up!” (from a [1990 SNL sketch](https://youtu.be/gHbnYwOwVNc?t=231)). Wait, how could I have forgotten, “Make my day!”? (squints) No, the great-grand-daddy (GGM?): “Let them eat cake”. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2023, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-a-new-u-s-motto-be-instead-of-in-god-we-trust/988080/11 "2023-08-04T22:37:22Z")
War is peace Freedom is slavery Ignorance is strength ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2023, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-a-new-u-s-motto-be-instead-of-in-god-we-trust/988080/12 "2023-08-04T22:45:26Z")
People shouldn’t be afraid of their government. Governments should be afraid of their people. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2023, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-a-new-u-s-motto-be-instead-of-in-god-we-trust/988080/13 "2023-08-04T22:46:32Z")
Are those really the only two choices? ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2023, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-a-new-u-s-motto-be-instead-of-in-god-we-trust/988080/14 "2023-08-04T22:47:02Z")
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2023, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-a-new-u-s-motto-be-instead-of-in-god-we-trust/988080/15 "2023-08-04T22:47:35Z")
A motto should not be divisive. So I don’t like In God We Trust. But having Congress vote on a new one would also be divisive. And it would be unlikely to pass through our Congress unless the filibuster was eliminated. And if that happened, the motto would change back and forth. This doesn’t exactly mean it is hopeless, just that it can only change informally. Here is an example of that being done: > [@](#): > > I believe that the history of both America and Indonesia should give us hope. It is a story written into our national mottos. In the United States, our motto is E pluribus unum – out of many, one. Bhinneka Tunggal Ika – unity in diversity. — [Barack Obama, Jakarta, Indonesia, November 2010](https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2010/11/10/remarks-president-university-indonesia-jakarta-indonesia) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2023, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-a-new-u-s-motto-be-instead-of-in-god-we-trust/988080/16 "2023-08-04T22:49:19Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Are those really the only two choices? Not a great motto, but maybe we can make it work. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2023, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-a-new-u-s-motto-be-instead-of-in-god-we-trust/988080/17 "2023-08-04T23:12:36Z")
Hah, I thought that was a response to the previous post, which is > [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > People shouldn’t be afraid of their government. Governments should be afraid of their people. Any chance of distilling that down? It’s kind of long… ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2023, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-a-new-u-s-motto-be-instead-of-in-god-we-trust/988080/18 "2023-08-04T23:15:48Z")
_“Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain_\* is already a state motto; could it do double duty? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2023, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-a-new-u-s-motto-be-instead-of-in-god-we-trust/988080/19 "2023-08-04T23:19:28Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > Hah, I thought that was a response to the previous post It was. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2023, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-a-new-u-s-motto-be-instead-of-in-god-we-trust/988080/20 "2023-08-04T23:20:30Z")
What is Latin for “I got mine-Fuck you”? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-a-new-u-s-motto-be-instead-of-in-god-we-trust/988080.md?page=2)