Esse quam videri

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Esse quam videri is a Latin phrase meaning "To be, rather than to seem (to be)". It has been used as a
motto by a number of different groups.

Contents
1 History
2 Usage as a motto
2.1 North Carolina
2.2 Schools and Colleges
2.3 Sororities
2.4 Fraternities
2.5 Sporting organisations

"Esse Quam Videri" plaque on monument to

Revolutionary War officer Joseph Winston, Guilford
Courthouse National Military Park, Greensboro,
North Carolina

2.6 Companies
2.7 Families
2.8 Other organizations
2.9 Popular culture
3 References

History
Esse quam videri is found in Cicero's essay "On Friendship" ("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 used the phrase in his Bellum Catilinae (54.6), writing that Cato the
Younger "esse quam videri bonus malebat" (He preferred to be good rather than to seem so).
Previous to both Romans, Aeschylus used a similar phrase in Seven Against Thebes at line 592, at which the
scout (angelos) says of the seer/priest Amphiaraos: "ou gar dokein aristos, all' einai theile" (his resolve is
not to seem the best but in fact to be the best). Plato quoted this line in Republic (361b).

Niccol Machiavelli reversed this phrase to videri quam esse (to seem rather than to be).[1]

Usage as a motto
North Carolina
Esse quam videri is the state motto of North Carolina, adopted in
1893.
It is unusual that, until the act of 1893, the state of North Carolina
had no motto since its declaration of independence. It was one of the
few states that did not have a motto, and the only one of the original
thirteen without one.

Schools and Colleges

Esse quam videri is (or was) the motto of a number of schools and
colleges around the world, including:
Great Seal of North Carolina with the
Academy at the Lakes, Land O Lakes, Florida
state motto esse quam videri.
Academy of the Holy Names Tampa, Florida
Accra Academy High School Accra, Ghana
Albert Academy Freetown, Sierra Leone
Amarillo High School Amarillo, Texas
S. Anselm's Preparatory School Bakewell, England
Appalachian State University (1899) Boone, North Carolina, USA
Ashford School (1899) Ashford, Kent, England
Ashville College (1877) Harrogate, England
Augusta Preparatory Day School (1972) Augusta, Georgia, USA
Beaconsfield Primary School (1883) Tasmania, Australia
Bedford College, University of London until c.1990, when Bedford and Royal Holloway Colleges
merged and it became the motto of the joint college
Ben Franklin Academy (1987) Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Bennett, Instituto Metodista, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Berklee College of Music Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Boys' Latin School of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Brigham Young University Men's Chorus, Provo, Utah, USA
Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, North Carolina State University
Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond, OK, USA
Cgep du Vieux-Montral, Montral, QC, Canada
Central Technology College,Gloucester England.
Chania Boys High School, Thika, Kenya.
Clifton House Preparatory School Harrogate, England
The Colleton Primary School, Twyford, Berkshire, UK.
Colyton Grammar School (1546) Colyford, England
Columbia College Chicago (1890) Chicago, Illinois, USA
Connells Point Public School, Sydney, Australia.[2]

Cranbrook School Sydney (1918), Sydney, Australia.

Desert Heights Preparatory Academy, Glendale, Arizona[3]
Darwin High School, Darwin, Australia.[4]
Dubbo High School, Australia
The Ellis School, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Ellis Robins High School, Harare, Zimbabwe
Esquimalt High School,[5] Esquimalt, BC, Canada
The Episcopal Academy, Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, USA
Fayetteville Technical Community College, North Carolina, USA
The Forest School Winnersh, Wokingham, Berkshire, UK
Friarwood Ltd, London, England
Garrison Forest School for Girls (1910) Owings Mills, Maryland, USA
St. George School, Havana, Cuba
Groton School (1884), Groton, Massachusetts, USA. The motto changed to "Cui Servire est Regnare"
shortly after the school's founding.
The Hermitage School (1906), Geelong, Australia which has subsequently become that of The
Hermitage House, Geelong Grammar School.
Hampden DuBose Academy, Zellwood, Florida, USA
Hartford Public High School, Hartford, Connecticut, USA
Highsted Grammar School, Sittingbourne, Kent, England
Hillside Secondary School, West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Homewood School, Tenterden, Kent, England
Hudson Catholic High School, Hudson, Massachusetts
The Hemel Hempstead School, (1931), Hemel Hempstead, England.[6]
The Ellis School, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Irving High School, Irving, Texas, USA
Instituto Metodista Bennett (1888) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.[7]
JMA Armstrong High School, Salisbury, New Brunswick, Canada
John Caldwell School, Grand Falls, New Brunswick, Canada
The King's College, NY (House of Susan B. Anthony)
KIPP Houston High School, Houston, Texas, USA
Kingsbury Grammar School, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, UK
Kingsfield Grammar School, Kingswood, Bristol, UK in the form 'Esse non videri'
Kingsley School, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, England
Kutama College Norton, Zimbabwe
Lane College, Jackson, Tennessee, USA[8]
Leicester High School(1962)The last graduating class before changing to Leicester Elementary
School, Leicester, NC, USA.
Littlemead (Grammar) School, Oving, Chichester, Sussex, England. School dated from mid 60s in
Chichester, then moved to Oving in 1974 and finally closed in the mid/late '90s due to retirement of
Ivan Bowler
Magee Secondary School, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Miami Coral Park Senior High School, Miami, Florida, USA
Montreat College, Montreat N.C.
Moravian Academy Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA current motto is "mind, body, spirit",
The Mount School, Mill Hill. London, United Kingdom.
National University of Health Sciences, Lombard, IL (previously National Chiropractic College)[9]
New Orleans Academy, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
North Adelaide Primary School, (1877), Adelaide, Australia

Peace College, (1857), Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

Priory Heath Primary School
Providence Christian School of Texas (http://www.pcstx.org/), (1989), Dallas, Texas, USA
Queen's College, Queenstown, South Africa
Regent's University London, United Kingdom
Rhodesway School, (1958), Bradford, UK
Rockridge Secondary School, West Vancouver, B.C., Canada
Rossholme Girl's School, East Brent, Somerset, England
Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, Surrey, UK
Salisbury School, Salisbury, Connecticut, USA
Scott Park Secondary School (1967) Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Selaiyur Hall, Madras Christian College, Chennai, India
Seton Hall High School in Patchogue, New York, United States[10]
Southampton Grammar School for Girls[11] Southampton, UK
St. Joseph's College in Patchogue, New York, United States.
St. Malachy's Memorial High School in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada.[12]
St. Patrick's High School in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada.
St. Peter's School in Mazagaon, Mumbai, India
St Thomas Becket Catholic College in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Streetsville Secondary School, Streetsville, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Suffield Academy in Suffield, Connecticut, USA.
The Taieri High School, Mosgiel, Otago, NZ
Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy (1999Present), Rutherford County, NC.[13]
Trevecca Nazarene University, Nashville, TN
Truro School,[14] (1880present), Truro, Cornwall, UK
Boys' Latin School of Maryland (1844), Baltimore, Maryland, USA
University of North Carolina at Charlotte (1946), Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
University of Tampa, Tampa, Florida
Villa Devoto School,[15] (1908) Buenos Aires, Argentina
War Academy of Chilean Army, Santiago. Chile
Wavell State High School Brisbane, Australia
St Audries School, West Quantoxhead, Taunton, Somerset, England (since closed and now a hotel)
Woodward Career Technical High School,[16] Cincinnati, Ohio, USA (Formerly Woodward High
School) (Alma mater of the 27th president of the United States, William Howard Taft)
Wyomissing Area School District,[17] Wyomissing, PA, USA
Yeovil School,[18] Yeovil, Somerset, UK
St. Clare's College, Colombo 6, Sri Lanka
Chania Boys High School, Thika, Kenya
Villa Devoto School, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Sororities
Esse quam videri is the motto of the following sororities:
Delta Phi Epsilon sorority,[19] founded in 1917 at New York University Law School.
House of Susan B. Anthony,[20] founded exclusively at The King's College NYC.
Phi Delta Alpha,[21] founded in 2002 at University of Oklahoma

Alpha Chi Lambda,[22] founded in 1998 at Trinity University in San Antonio, TX.
Lambda Kappa Sigma,[23] founded in 1913 at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy.

Fraternities
Esse quam videri is the motto of the following fraternities:
Phi Lambda Sigma, Lebanon Valley College, est. 1867.
Alpha Pi Alpha, SUNY Albany, 1952 through 1987.
Epsilon Kappa Delta, Florida Institute of Technology, 1968 through 1972.
Archons, Kenyon College
Phi Beta, founded 1912
Phi Gamma Nu, National Professional Fraternity in Business, est. Northwestern University 1924.
Nu Kappa Phi, Est. 1952 - University of Nueva Caceres, Naga City, Philippines
Edwards Hall, University of Newcastle, Australia, est. 1972

Sporting organisations
Kingswood Rugby Football Club, Bristol, UK, use a variant of the motto, "Esse Non Videri" as their
club motto.[24]
White Wolves MC,[25] Oradea, RO, use a variant of the motto, "Esse Quam Videri Malim" as their
club motto.

Companies
Brepols Publishers, as found on their older books: "Melius esse quam videri"
Swire Group[26]
EQV (UK) Ltd, A computer and management training company,[27] who are based in Leicestershire,
UK.
The phrase is found on the Sibley Mill along the Augusta Canal in Augusta, Georgia. The structure
was completed in 1882 and operated until 2006.
Raleigh Denim, based in Raleigh, North Carolina

Families
Esse quam videri is the motto used on the coats of arms of the following families: Acraman, Adams, Allies,
Bakewell, Barnard, Beadon, Bonham, Bostock, Bourne, Bowen, Bowne, Breamore, Brownlee, Brownlow,
Cady, Cambria, Cavallaro, Roy Clarke, Clavering, Cook, Coutts, Crawley, Creer, Croft, Crofts, Dickinson,
Downes, Frank, Harmer, Halliday, Hamill ( hAdhmaill, hAghmaill, Hammill), Hannum, Henshaw,
Hood, Houk, Isserman, Ivey, Lee, Longley, McManners, Manning, Mannion, Maxson, Miller zu Aichholz,
Mochrie, Moorman, Morrisset, van Oijen family coat of arms, Oglethorpe, Panon-Desbassayns de
Richemont, Planta, Proud, Partridge family coat of arms, see A genealogical and heraldic dictionary of the
landed gentry of England..., Volume 2 By Sir Bernard Burke, Pickard-Cambridge, Pridgen, Renshaw,
Reynes, Round (Essex County), Rowe, Seward, Shreeve, Sherriff, Sibley, Sturges, Swire, Strickland,
Thurston, Thruston, Turner, Tyler, Vorsatz, Walmsley, Womack and Woodgate.
It was also the motto used within the Brockman coat of arms circa 1700 as well as the Polish Urbanowicz
coat of arms.

Other organizations
Esse quam videri is the motto of the 309th US Infantry Regiment.
Esse quam videri is the motto of the honor society The Order of Scroll and Key at Dickinson College.
It is also the motto of The National Honor & Merit Scholars Society.[28]
The motto is part of the family coat of arms of Sir William Hooker, Lord mayor of London in the 1600s,
mentioned by Samuel Pepys in his diaries; also the English Kent Hookers on memorials in Brenchley
Church Kent.
It is also the motto of the Carolina Wilderness EMS Externship, a wilderness EMS training program based
in western North Carolina.[29]
Esse quam videri is also the motto of the Brigham Young University Men's Chorus.[30]
Esse quam videri is the slogan of custom motorcycle shop FTW CYCLES, and is often seen on their t-shirts,
flyers and other promotional material.
No. 77 Squadron RAF (active during three periods between 1916 and 1963) used the variant, Esse potius
quam videri with the same meaning.
Esse quam videri is the motto of the Granite Mountain Hotshot Crew, 19 of which died in the Yarnell Hill
fire in Yarnell, Arizona on June 30, 2013.
Esse quam videri is the motto of the 2013's USA U23 Women's Ultimate Frisbee team that won gold at the
World Flying Disc Federation Under-23 Ultimate Championships which were held in Toronto, Ontario,
Canada on July 2228, 2013.

Popular culture
Television personality Stephen Colbert inverts this statement on his show The Colbert Report to be Videri
Quam Esse,[31] 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.

References
1. Virginia Gamba (February 20, 2013). "REMARKS UPON THE LAUNCH OF FIVE MYTHS ABOUT
NUCLEAR WEAPONS, A BOOK BY WARD WILSON" (PDF). U.N. Office for Disarmament Affairs.
2. "home". Connellspt-p.schools.nsw.edu.au. Retrieved 2010-07-12.
3. "desertheightsprep.org". desertheightsprep.org. 2003-03-01. Retrieved 2012-01-26.
4. "Darwin_High_School". Schools.nt.edu.au. Retrieved 2010-07-12.
5. "esquimalt.sd61.bc.ca". esquimalt.sd61.bc.ca. 2010-08-27. Retrieved 2012-01-26.
6. "Home". Hemel Hempstead School. Retrieved 2010-07-12.
7. [1] (http://www.metodistadorio.edu.br/novo.php)
8. http://www.lanecollege.edu/lanepages.asp?V_menu=01&p_num=05
9. "The motto of the University is Esse Quam Videri ...." "Bulletin, National University of Health Sciences" (PDF).

10.
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31.

Retrieved 11 March 2011.

"Seton Hall High School". Retrieved 2011-03-05.
"essequamvideri.co.uk". essequamvideri.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-01-26.
"Pages - Welcome!". Stm.nbed.nb.ca. Retrieved 2012-04-20.
"Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy: A Challenge Foundation Academy". Tjca.org. Retrieved 2012-01-26.
"truroschool.com". truroschool.com. Retrieved 2012-01-26.
vdevoto.esc.edu.ar (http://vdevoto.esc.edu.ar/)
"Woodward Career Technical High School Official Web Site". Cincinnati Public Schools. Retrieved 2012-03-25.
"wyoarea.org". wyoarea.org. Retrieved 2012-01-26.
"Old Yeovilians' Association Home Page". Oldyeovilians.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-07-12.
"dphie.org". dphie.org. Retrieved 2012-01-26.
"tkc.edu". tkc.edu. Retrieved 2012-01-26.
"phideltaalpha.com". phideltaalpha.com. Retrieved 2012-01-26.
"Alpha Chi Lambda". San Antonio: Trinity University. Retrieved 2012-07-04.
"lks.org". lks.org. Retrieved 2012-01-26.
Burt, Martyn. "kingswoodrfc.co.uk". kingswoodrfc.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-01-26.
whitewolvesmcromania.ro (http://www.whitewolvesmcromania.ro)
swire.com (http://www.swire.com)
"eqv.co.uk". eqv.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-09-29.
"nhmss.org". nhmss.org. Retrieved 2012-01-26.
"Carolina Wilderness EMS Externship - Official Home Page". Blueridgehealth.org. Retrieved 2012-01-26.
"Mens Chorus Philosophy: Esse Quam Videri". Brigham Young University. Retrieved 2012-11-07.
"Stephen Colbert's new Latin motto". http://talkshownews.interbridge.com. 2010-01-17. Retrieved 2014-12-31.

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Categories: Latin mottos Symbols of North Carolina State mottos of the United States
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