60 Captivating Latin Sayings for Tattoos With Their Meanings

Getting inked is cool with many of us, but for the initiated, it is a scar that is going to be there for the rest of your life. So, before getting a tattoo done, think over and choose the right one. And for those, who are fond of meaningful words and phrases, know that Latin sayings with meanings can be really great for getting inked.

Raksha Kulkarni

Last Updated: Mar 1, 2018

Grammatically wrong

Danielle Lloyd, an English glamor model, got herself a tattoo that said "Quis Attero Mihi Tantum Planto Mihi Validus.". The journalists were told that it meant, "To diminish me will only make me stronger.". But experts have said that the translation is actually "Who I wear away for me only for me strong.". Ouch! That pretty much gives you a heads-up of how well-thought-out your tattoo should be.

Latin is an ancient language, which has influenced English to a very great extent. The language has its roots in every other field. Latin language has been disappearing from modern literature of late. Remembering this great language for a long time can be done by getting inked with a Latin phrase or saying.

There are so many celebrities, like Angelina Jolie and David Beckham, who flaunt Latin phrases. If you too are interested and inspired by them, remember to check the meaning and spellings properly because this is going to stay with you for a lifetime. Here are some options that we have assembled for you.

Latin Sayings for Tattoos

~ non ducor duco - I am not led; I lead

~ semper ad meliora - always towards better things

~ sic itur ad astra - thus you shall go to the stars

~ temet nosce - know thyself

~ veni, vidi, vici - I came, I saw, I conquered

~ verba volant, scripta manent - words fly away, writings remain

~ veritas lux mea - truth is my light

~ vincit qui se vincit - he conquers who conquers himself

~ vive ut vivas - live so that you may live

~ alis grave nil - nothing is heavy to those who have wings

~ alis volat propriis - she flies with her own wings

~ audax at fidelis - bold but faithful

~ carpe noctem - seize the night

~ cogito ergo sum - I think therefore I am

~ credo quia absurdum est - I believe it because it is absurd

~ dum vita est, spes est - while there is life, there is hope

~ esse quam videri - to be, rather than to seem

~ luceat lux vestra - let your light shine

~ Luctor et emergo - I struggle and emerge

~ Dum spiro, spero - While there is life, there is hope

~ Ut possitis vivere, vive - Live so that you may live

~ Recordare quia ego Dominus - Remember that you have to live

~ Facilius est vitae risus - Life is easier with a smile

~ Sed anima plus est quam manere - Life is more than merely staying alive

~ Odi et amo - I hate and I love

~ Nam illa, quae dilexi - For those that I love

~ Amare et honorare - Love and honor

~ Ut diligas atque colui - To love and cherish

~ Amor numquam moritur - Love never dies

~ Fortunam iuuare - Fortune favors the bold

~ Non submersam, sed superficies - Not drowning, but surfing

~ Lorem fugere discamus - I'll learn how to fly

~ De possibilitate ad actum - From possibility to actuality

~ Optata cunctis duxi paucis - Desired by all, felt by few

~ Fuerunt facta non verba - Deeds, not words

~ Perveniet ad altitudinem - Reach for the heights

~ Facere et pati fortia - Do brave deeds and endure

~ Ille vincit qui se vincit - He conquers who conquers himself

~ Faber est quisque fortunae suae - Every man is architect of his own fortune

~ Qui estis - Be who you are

~ Sub Rosa - Under the rose

~ Ut amem et foveam - So that I love and cherish

~ Sed ego laboro supersunt - I struggle but I'll survive

~ Ad astra - To the stars

~ Sicut levare te consurget - Lift as you rise

~ Nemini cedere - Yield to no one

~ Fame indulcet fabam - Hunger sweetens beans

~ Nunc aut numquam - Now or never

Philosophical Latin Sayings

~ Neutiquam erro - I am not lost

~ Ego autem sum puer Dei - I'm God's child

~ Primum scire te - Know thyself first

~ Numquam timebunt umbrae - Never fear the shadows

~ Quaerere desine iam scies - Stop searching and you will see

~ Ut avertam oculos meos ad intuendum - I close my eyes in order to see

~ Quaerere veritatem - Seek the truth

~ Veritas lux mea est - Truth is my light

~ Nihil verius quam verum - Nothing truer than truth

~ Transit umbra, lux permanet - Shadow passes, light remains

~ Deo adiuvante, facere bona - With God's help, work prospers

~ Si vis amari, ama - If you wish to be loved, love