''Esse quam videri'' is a
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...
phrase meaning "To be, rather than to seem." It and variants have been used as a
motto
A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. M ...
by a number of different groups. The form ''Esse, non Videri'' ("to act, not to seem to be") is the
Wallenberg family
The Wallenberg family is a prominent Swedish family, Europe's most powerful business dynasty. Wallenbergs are noted as bankers, industrialists, politicians, bureaucrats, diplomats and military. The Wallenberg sphere's holdings employ about 60 ...
motto.
History
''Esse quam videri'' is found in
Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the esta ...
's essay ''On Friendship'' (''
Laelius de Amicitia'', chapter 98). ''Virtute enim ipsa non tam multi praediti esse quam videri volunt'' ("Few are those who wish to be endowed with virtue rather than to seem so").
Just a few years after Cicero,
Sallust
Gaius Sallustius Crispus, usually anglicised as Sallust (; 86 – ), was a Roman historian and politician from an Italian plebeian family. Probably born at Amiternum in the country of the Sabines, Sallust became during the 50s BC a partisa ...
used the phrase in his ''Bellum Catilinae'' (54.6), writing that
Cato the Younger
Marcus Porcius Cato "Uticensis" ("of Utica"; ; 95 BC – April 46 BC), also known as Cato the Younger ( la, Cato Minor), was an influential conservative Roman senator during the late Republic. His conservative principles were focused on the ...
''esse quam videri bonus malebat'' ("He preferred to be good rather than to seem so").
Previous to both Romans,
Aeschylus
Aeschylus (, ; grc-gre, Αἰσχύλος ; c. 525/524 – c. 456/455 BC) was an ancient Greek tragedian, and is often described as the father of tragedy. Academic knowledge of the genre begins with his work, and understanding of earlier Gree ...
used a similar phrase in ''
Seven Against Thebes
The Seven against Thebes were seven champions in Greek mythology who made war on Thebes. They were chosen by Adrastus, the king of Argos, to be the captains of an Argive army whose purpose was to restore Oedipus' son Polynices to the Theban ...
'' a
line 592 at which the scout (''angelos'') says of the seer/priest
Amphiaraus
In Greek mythology, Amphiaraus or Amphiaraos (; Ancient Greek: Ἀμφιάραος, Ἀμφιάρεως, "very sacred") was the son of Oicles, a seer, and one of the leaders of the Seven against Thebes. Amphiaraus at first refused to go with A ...
: (''ou gàr dokeîn
áristos, all' eînai thélei'': "he doesn't want to ''seem'', but to ''be'' the bravest").
Plato
Plato ( ; grc-gre, Πλάτων ; 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was a Greek philosopher born in Athens during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. He founded the Platonist school of thought and the Academy, the first institution ...
quoted this line in ''
Republic
A republic () is a " state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th ...
'' (361b).
Usage as a motto
North Carolina
''Esse quam videri'' is the
state motto
Most of the United States' 50 states have a state motto, as do the District of Columbia and 3 of its territories. A motto is a phrase intended to formally describe the general motivation or intention of an organization. State mottos ca ...
of
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...
, adopted in 1893.
Schools and colleges
''Esse quam videri'' is (or was) the motto of a number of schools and colleges around the world, including:
*
Academia de Guerra del Ejército de Chile
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosop ...
, Santiago, Chile
*
Academy of the Holy Names, Tampa, Florida
*
Academy of the Holy Names, Albany, New York
*
Academy at the Lakes
Academy at the Lakes is a private-independent college preparatory co-educational PreK3–12 school in Land o' Lakes, Florida (metropolitan Tampa
Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the ...
, Land O Lakes, Florida
*
Accra Academy
Accra Academy is a non-denominational day and boarding boys' school. It is located at Bubuashie near Kaneshie in the Greater Accra Region. The school was established as a private secondary educational institution in 1931 and gained the status o ...
, Accra, Ghana
*
Albert Academy
The Albert Academy (AA) is a secondary school in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
The school's motto is ''Esse Quam Vederi'' (Rather to be than to Seem). It is situated at Berry Street in Freetown. Among its alumni are Sierra Leone's first Prime Minister ...
, Freetown, Sierra Leone
*
Amarillo High School
Amarillo High School is a school located in the city of Amarillo, Texas, United States and is one of four high schools in the Amarillo Independent School District and classified as a 5A school by the University Interscholastic League (UIL). In 201 ...
, Amarillo, Texas
*
St Anselm's School, Bakewell, England
*
St Audries School, East Quantoxhead, Somerset, England
*
Appalachian State University
Appalachian State University (; Appalachian, App State, App, or ASU) is a public university in Boone, North Carolina. It was founded as a teachers college in 1899 by brothers B. B. and D. D. Dougherty and the latter's wife, Lillie Shull Dough ...
(1899),
Boone, North Carolina
Boone is a town in and the county seat of Watauga County, North Carolina, United States. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina, Boone is the home of Appalachian State University and the headquarters for the disaster a ...
*
Ashford School
Ashford School is a coeducational independent boarding and day school in East Hill, Ashford, Kent. There are 480 students in the senior school (ages 11 to 18) and 360 in the prep school (ages 3 to 11).
The school is owned and run by the Unit ...
(1899),
Ashford, Kent
Ashford is a town in the county of Kent, England. It lies on the River Great Stour at the southern or scarp edge of the North Downs, about southeast of central London and northwest of Folkestone by road. In the 2011 census, it had a populati ...
, England
*
Ashville College (1877),
Harrogate
Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa ...
, England
*
Augusta Preparatory Day School
Augusta Preparatory Day School (APDS) is a non-sectarian, independent school in Augusta, Georgia, United States. It accepts students from age two through twelfth grade.
History
Augusta Preparatory School began with 38 students in grades 7–12 ...
(1972),
Augusta, Georgia
Augusta ( ), officially Augusta–Richmond County, is a consolidated city-county on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia. The city lies across the Savannah River from South Carolina at the head of its navigable portion. Geor ...
, USA
*
Bedford College, University of London until c.1990, when Bedford and
Royal Holloway College
Royal Holloway, University of London (RHUL), formally incorporated as Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, is a public research university and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It has six schools, 21 academic departm ...
s merged and it became the motto of the joint college
*
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...
, Boston, Massachusetts, USA and Valencia, Spain
*
Bordentown Military Institute The Bordentown Military Institute was a private high school in Bordentown, New Jersey, United States, from 1881 to 1973.
History
The institute was created in 1881, when Reverend William Bowen purchased the Spring Villa Female Seminary building an ...
, (1881-1973), Bordentown, NJ, USA
*
Boys' Latin School of Maryland (1844), Baltimore, Maryland, USA
*
Brigham Young University Men's Chorus, Provo, Utah, USA
*
Chania High School, Thika, Kenya
*
Clifton House Preparatory School, Harrogate, England
*
Colyton Grammar School
Colyton Grammar School (commonly abbreviated to 'CGS') is a co-educational grammar school (and Academy) located in the village of Colyford in East Devon, England that caters for pupils aged 11 to 18. The school has been classified by Ofsted as ...
(1546), Colyford, England
*
Columbia College Chicago
Columbia College Chicago is a private art college in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1890, it has 5,928https://about.colum.edu/effectiveness/pdf/spring-2021-student-profile.pdf students pursuing degrees in more than 60 undergraduate and gradua ...
(1890),
Chicago, Illinois
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
, USA
*
Connells Point Public School, Sydney, Australia
*
Cranbrook School, Sydney Cranbrook may refer to:
People
* Earl of Cranbrook, a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom
** Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 1st Earl of Cranbrook (1814–1906), British Conservative politician
** John Stewart Gathorne-Hardy, 2nd Earl of Cranbro ...
(1918), Sydney, Australia
*
Darwin High School
Darwin High School is an Australian senior secondary high school in the Northern Territory and is an Independent Public School for students in years 10 – 12. Founded first in 1921, the school was closed, reopened, renamed, and relocated un ...
,
Darwin, Australia
Darwin ( ; Laragiya language, Larrakia: ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. With an estimated population of 147,255 as of 2019, the city contains the majority of the residents of the spa ...
*
Desert Heights Preparatory Academy,
Glendale, Arizona
Glendale () is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, located approximately northwest of Downtown Phoenix. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 248,325.
History
In the late 1800s the area that is now Glendale was all dese ...
*
Dubbo High School (now Dubbo College)
*
Ellis Robins High School, Harare, Zimbabwe
*
The Ellis School, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
*
The Episcopal Academy,
Newtown Square
Newtown Township is a township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Prior to 1789 it was part of Chester County. The population was 12,216 as of the 2010 census, and was 19,705 as of 2017.
History
The first mention of the township was in 1684, ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, USA
*
Esquimalt High School,
Esquimalt
The Township of Esquimalt is a municipality at the southern tip of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. It is bordered to the east by the provincial capital, Victoria, to the south by the Strait of Juan de Fuca, to the west by Esqui ...
, British Columbia
*
The Forest School, Winnersh, Wokingham, Berkshire, England
*
Garrison Forest School
Garrison Forest School (GFS) is a non-denominational private college preparatory boarding and day school located on a campus in Owings Mills, Maryland. GFS offers kindergarten through 12th grade for girls as well as a co-educational program for ...
, Owings Mills, Maryland, USA
*
Groton School
Groton School (founded as Groton School for Boys) is a private college-preparatory boarding school located in Groton, Massachusetts. Ranked as one of the top five boarding high schools in the United States in Niche (2021–2022), it is affiliated ...
(1884), Groton, Massachusetts, USA. The motto changed to ''Cui Servire est Regnare'' ("To whom to serve is to reign") shortly after the school's founding.
*
Hartford Public High School, Hartford, Connecticut, USA
*
The Hemel Hempstead School (1931), Hemel Hempstead, England.
*
The Hermitage School (1906),
Geelong
Geelong ( ) ( Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the south eastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon ...
, Australia; which has subsequently become that of The Hermitage House,
Geelong Grammar School
, motto_translation = 1 Corinthians 1:30: "For us, Christ was made wisdom"( 1 Corinthians 1:30: Christ, who has been made for us in wisdom)
, city = Corio, Victoria
, country = Australia
, coordinates =
, ...
.
*
Highsted Grammar School
Highsted Grammar School is a state-funded selective secondary school (grammar school) for girls in Sittingbourne, Kent.
History
The school was established in 1904 in Brenchley House on Sittingbourne High Street as Sittingbourne High School for G ...
, Sittingbourne, Kent, England
*
Homewood School,
Tenterden
Tenterden is a town in the borough of Ashford in Kent, England. It stands on the edge of the remnant forest the Weald, overlooking the valley of the River Rother. It was a member of the Cinque Ports Confederation. Its riverside today is ...
, Kent, England
*
Hudson Catholic High School, Hudson, Massachusetts
*
Instituto Metodista Bennett (1888),
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
, Brazil
*
JMA Armstrong High School, Salisbury, New Brunswick, Canada
*
John Caldwell School,
Grand Falls, New Brunswick, Canada
*
The King's College, New York (House of Susan B. Anthony)
*
Kingsley School
The Kingsley School is an independent girls' day school situated in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, England, just to the north of the town centre. It educates girls from 3 to 18; the co-educational Preparatory School also takes boys up to the ...
, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, England
*
Kutama College
Kutama College (officially St Francis Xavier College) is a private Catholic independent boarding high school near Norton, Zimbabwe in the Zvimba area, 80 kilometres southwest of Harare. Grown out of a Mission station founded in 1914 and run by ...
, Norton, Zimbabwe
*
Lane College
Lane College is a private historically black college associated with the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church and located in Jackson, Tennessee. It offers associate and baccalaureate degrees in the arts and sciences.
History
Lane College was f ...
, Jackson, Tennessee, USA
*
Magee Secondary School, Vancouver, British Columbia
*
Miami Coral Park Senior High School, Miami, Florida, USA
*
Montego Bay High School for Girls, Jamaica
*
Montreat College
Montreat College (pronounced "mon-treet") is a private, Christian college in Montreat, North Carolina. Founded in 1916, Montreat College offers associate, bachelor's, and master's degree programs for traditional and adult students. The college's m ...
, Montreat, North Carolina
*
Moravian Academy,
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem is a city in Northampton and Lehigh Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, Bethlehem had a total population of 75,781. Of this, 55,639 were in Northampton County and 1 ...
; current motto is "mind, body, spirit",
*
Mountlake Terrace High School
Mountlake Terrace High School is a public high school located in Mountlake Terrace, Washington, United States. Mountlake Terrace HS is known for its Jazz Band and basketball program, which has won the Wesco Championship eight times. It is the thi ...
, Mountlake Terrace, Washington
*
National University of Health Sciences (previously National Chiropractic College), Lombard, Illinois
*
Peace College
William Peace University is a private college in Raleigh, North Carolina. Formerly affiliated with the Presbyterian Church, it offers undergraduate degrees in more than 30 majors and the School of Professional Studies (SPS) offers accelerated ba ...
(1857), Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
*
Providence Christian Academy, Murfreesboro, Tennessee
*
Queen's College, Queenstown, South Africa
*
Regent's University London
Regent's University London (formerly Regent's College) is a private university located in London, England. It is part of Galileo Global Education, Europe’s largest higher education provider.
Regent's University London was established in 1984 ...
, England
*
Rhodesway School (1958), Bradford, UK
*
Rockridge Secondary School
Rockridge Secondary School is a five-year secondary school located in West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is one of the three principal public high schools in West Vancouver. The school has a grass field and one baseball diamond. The ...
, West Vancouver, British Columbia
*
Royal Holloway, University of London
Royal Holloway, University of London (RHUL), formally incorporated as Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, is a public research university and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It has six schools, 21 academic depa ...
, Egham, Surrey, England
*
Salisbury School
Salisbury School is an all-boys, private college-preparatory boarding school founded in 1901 and located in Salisbury, Connecticut. Its school newspaper is ''The Cupola''. Its mascot is the Crimson Knight. The school's motto is '' Esse quam vid ...
, Salisbury, Connecticut, USA
*Selaiyur Hall,
Madras Christian College
Madras Christian College (MCC) is a liberal arts and sciences college in Chennai, India. Founded in 1837, MCC is one of Asia's oldest extant colleges. The college is affiliated to the University of Madras but functions as an autonomous insti ...
, Chennai, India
*
Seton Hall High School,
Patchogue, New York
Patchogue (, ) is a village in Suffolk County, New York. The population was 11,798 at the time of the 2010 census. Patchogue is part of the town of Brookhaven, on the south shore of Long Island, adjoining Great South Bay. It is officially known ...
, United States
*
Southampton Grammar School for Girls Southampton, UK
*
St Audries School,
West Quantoxhead
West Quantoxhead is a small village and civil parish in the Somerset West and Taunton district of Somerset, England. It lies on the route of the Coleridge Way and on the A39 road at the foot of the Quantock Hills, from East Quantoxhead, from W ...
, Taunton, Somerset, England (since closed and now a hotel)
*
St Francis Xaviers Kutama College (1914), Norton, Zimbabwe
*
St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School,
Wakefield
Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 99,251 in the 2011 census.https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks101ew Census 2011 table KS101EW Usual resident population, ...
,
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...
, United Kingdom
*
St. Joseph's College in
Patchogue, New York
Patchogue (, ) is a village in Suffolk County, New York. The population was 11,798 at the time of the 2010 census. Patchogue is part of the town of Brookhaven, on the south shore of Long Island, adjoining Great South Bay. It is officially known ...
, United States.
*
St. Malachy's Memorial High School,
Saint John, New Brunswick
Saint John is a seaport city of the Atlantic Ocean located on the Bay of Fundy in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. Saint John is the oldest incorporated city in Canada, established by royal charter on May 18, 1785, during the reign of ...
, Canada.
*
St. Peter's School,
Mazgaon, Mumbai, India
*
Stanley Clark School,
South Bend, Indiana
South Bend is a city in and the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total of 103,453 residents and is the fourt ...
, USA
*
Streetsville Secondary School
Streetsville Secondary School is a high school in the Peel District School Board located in the Streetsville Village community of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.
Description and history
Streetsville Secondary School was opened in 1957. The sch ...
, Streetsville, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
*
Suffield Academy
Suffield Academy is a private preparatory school located in Suffield, Connecticut. It was founded in 1833 to train young men for ministry in the Baptist Church. The tuition fees for students are currently $65,000 for boarders and $38,700 for day s ...
,
Suffield, Connecticut
Suffield is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It was once within the boundaries of Massachusetts. The town is located in the Connecticut River Valley with the town of Enfield neighboring to the east. As of the 2020 census, ...
, USA
*
The Taieri High School, Mosgiel, Otago, New Zealand
*
Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy (1999–present), Rutherford County, North Carolina
*
Trevecca Nazarene University, Nashville, Tennessee
*
Truro School (1880–present), Truro, Cornwall, England
*
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte or simply Charlotte) is a public research university in Charlotte, North Carolina. UNC Charlotte offers 24 doctoral, 66 master's, and 79 bachelor's degree programs through nine coll ...
(1946), Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
*
University of Tampa
The University of Tampa (UT) is a private university in Tampa, Florida. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. UT offers more than 200 programs of study, including 22 master's degrees and a broad variety of majors, ...
, Tampa, Florida
*
Villa Devoto School (1908), Buenos Aires, Argentina
*
Wavell State High School, Brisbane, Australia
*
Woodward Career Technical High School (formerly Woodward High School), Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
*
Wyomissing Area Junior/Senior High School
Wyomissing Area Junior/Senior High School is a secondary school serving the Wyomissing Area School District. Located in the borough of Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, United States, the school has approximately 950 students in grades seven through tw ...
, Wyomissing, Pennsylvania
*
Yeovil School, Yeovil, Somerset, England
Sororities
''Esse quam videri'' is the motto of the following sororities:
*
Delta Phi Epsilon Delta Phi Epsilon () may refer to:
*Delta Phi Epsilon (professional), the professional foreign service fraternity and sorority
*Delta Phi Epsilon (social)
Delta Phi Epsilon ( or DPhiE) is an international Fraternities and sororities in North Ame ...
sorority
Fraternities and sororities are social organizations at colleges and universities in North America.
Generally, membership in a fraternity or sorority is obtained as an undergraduate student, but continues thereafter for life. Some accept gradua ...
, founded in 1917 at
New York University Law School
New York University School of Law (NYU Law) is the law school of New York University, a private research university in New York City. Established in 1835, it is the oldest law school in New York City and the oldest surviving law school in New ...
.
* House of Susan B. Anthony, founded exclusively at The King's College NYC.
* Phi Delta Alpha, founded in 2002 at University of Oklahoma
* Alpha Chi Lambda, founded in 1998 at Trinity University in San Antonio, TX.
Fraternities
''Esse quam videri'' is the motto of the following fraternities:
*
Phi Gamma Nu
Phi Gamma Nu () is a business fraternity in the United States. Currently, Phi Gamma Nu has 18 active collegiate chapters nationwide.
History
Phi Gamma Nu was founded on at the Chicago campus of Northwestern University. The original founders were ...
, National Professional Fraternity in Business, est. Northwestern University 1924.
*
Lambda Kappa Sigma, founded in 1913 at
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS) is a private university focused on medical and health-related science programs and located in Boston, Massachusetts. The university provides traditional and accelerated programs of ...
.
*
Phi Beta Fraternity, National Professional Association for the Creative and Performing Arts, founded in 1912 at Northwestern University.
*
Gamma Eta Gamma, founded in 1901 at the
University of Maine School of Law
The University of Maine School of Law (UMaine Law or Maine Law) is public law school in Portland, Maine. It is accredited by the American Bar Association and Maine's only law school. It is also part of the University of Maine System. The school's ...
. The only remaining chapter exists at the
University of Minnesota Law School
The University of Minnesota Law School is the law school of the University of Minnesota, located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school confers four law degrees: a Juris Doctor (J.D.), a Master of Laws (LL.M.), a Master of Science in Patent L ...
.
Sporting organisations
*Kingswood Rugby Football Club, Bristol, UK, use a variant ''Esse Non Videri'' as their club motto.
* White Wolves MC, Oradea, RO, use a variant of the motto, ''Esse Quam Videri Malim'' as their club motto.
* Outcast Cyclists, U.K. and worldwide use ''Esse Quam Videri'' as their club motto.
Companies
*
Brepols Publishers, as found on their older books: ''Melius esse quam videri''
*
Swire Group
Swire Group () is a Hong Kong- and London-based British conglomerate. Many of its core businesses can be found within the Asia Pacific region, where traditionally Swire's operations have centred on Hong Kong and mainland China. Within Asia, ...
esp. its shipping branch,
The China Navigation Company.
*The phrase is found on the
Sibley Mill
The Sibley Mill is a historic building located on the Augusta Canal at 1717 Goodrich Street near downtown Augusta, Georgia, United States. Designed by Jones S. Davis, it was built on a site previously occupied by the Confederate Powderworks, ...
along the
Augusta Canal
The Augusta Canal is a historic canal located in Augusta, Georgia, United States. The canal is fed by the Savannah River and passes through three levels (approximately total) in suburban and urban Augusta before the water returns to the river at ...
in Augusta, Georgia. The structure was completed in 1882 and operated until 2006.
*The phrase is found on the bottom of bottles of gin from the
Isle of Harris
Harris ( gd, Na Hearadh, ) is the southern and more mountainous part of Lewis and Harris, the largest island in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. Although not an island itself, Harris is often referred to in opposition to the ''Isle of Lewis'' as t ...
, Scotland.
Other organizations
''Esse quam videri'' is also the motto of
* the honor society
The Order of Scroll and Key at
Dickinson College
, mottoeng = Freedom is made safe through character and learning
, established =
, type = Private liberal arts college
, endowment = $645.5 million (2022)
, president = Jo ...
.
* The honor society
The Society of 1910 at
The University of Southern Mississippi
The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a public research university with its main campus located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bachelor's, ma ...
*The Archon Society at
Kenyon College
Kenyon College is a private liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio. It was founded in 1824 by Philander Chase. Kenyon College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
Kenyon has 1,708 undergraduates enrolled. Its 1,000-acre campus is s ...
.
* The National Honor & Merit Scholars Society.
*
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded in ...
Troop 56 in Jersey City New Jersey
* the
Carolina Wilderness EMS Externship The Carolina Wilderness EMS Externship (CWEMSE) is an out-of-hospital medical training for 4th year medical students and resident physicians interested in furthering their educational interests in wilderness EMS.
History
The Externship was founded ...
, a wilderness EMS training program based in western North Carolina.
* the
Brigham Young University Men's Chorus.
*
No. 77 Squadron RAF
No. 77 Squadron RAF was a squadron of the Royal Air Force which was active in various incarnations between 1916 and 1963.
History
No. 77 Squadron was formed on 1 October 1916 at Edinburgh, and was equipped with B.E.2 and B.E.12 aircraft. The squ ...
(active during three periods between 1916 and 1963) used the variant, ''Esse potius quam videri'' with the same meaning.
* The U. S. Consortium of Metropolitan Medical Directors (Eagles).
*
The Pan Hellenic Society of Silliman University, Philippines.
* In the 2017 film ''
Only the Brave'', the saying is stated to be the motto of the
Granite Mountain Hotshots. The phrase is the motto of the Eric Marsh Foundation for Wildland Firefighters.
* Royal Charter
Popular culture
Television personality
Stephen Colbert
Stephen Tyrone Colbert ( ; born May 13, 1964) is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is best known for hosting the satirical Comedy Central program '' The Colbert Report'' from 2005 ...
inverted the statement on his show ''
The Colbert Report
''The Colbert Report'' ( ) is an American late-night talk and news satire television program hosted by Stephen Colbert that aired four days a week on Comedy Central from October 17, 2005, to December 18, 2014, for 1,447 episodes. The show fo ...
'' to ''Videri Quam Esse'',
meaning "to seem to be rather than to be." It is also engraved across the faux hearth, above the video fireplace, in his studio, under his portrait.
The funk metal band
Mordred
Mordred or Modred (; Welsh: ''Medraut'' or ''Medrawt'') is a figure who is variously portrayed in the legend of King Arthur. The earliest known mention of a possibly historical Medraut is in the Welsh chronicle ''Annales Cambriae'', wherein h ...
features a song called ''Esse quam videri'' on their 1991 album ''In This life''.
In the novel
The Night Circus by
Erin Morgenstern
Erin Morgenstern (born July 8, 1978) is an American multimedia artist and the author of two fantasy novels. '' The Night Circus'' (2011) was published in more than a dozen languages by 2013 and won the annual Locus Award for Best First Novel. She ...
, ''Esse quam videri'' is a motto of the Bowen family.
In the novel
Plain Bad Heroines by
Emily M. Danforth, ''Esse quam videri'' is the motto of the defunct boarding school Brookhants.
References
External link
{{DEFAULTSORT:Esse Quam Videri
Latin mottos
Symbols of North Carolina
State mottos of the United States