A very interesting essay about the embarrassment of motto confronted by Chinese educators.

The Education Committee of Dong Cheng District in Beijing conducted an investigation on mottos of all the elementary schools in this region. Among all the 50 schools examined in the survey, 49 of them utilize the style of motto as a slogan of 4 words 8 characters [ two characters per word ]. Altogether 38 words were employed in all the mottos. Four of the most frequently used words are diligence [ used by 38 schools ], solidarity [ 26 schools ], creativity [ 21 school ], and civility [ 20 schools ]. In a similar investigation of 122 middle schools in Nanjing, factualism is used 64 times; diligence 60; solidarity 54.

I can't recall what the mottos of my elementary school, middle school and high school were. The only thing I can remember is that they are all of a unexceptionally 4-words-8-characters style. I don't know how much children can understand those so-called mottos and how they will follow them. As for me, a motto is a belief, an ideal, a goal and anything but a slogan.

I collected some mottos of US universities in hope they would be enlightening.

Harvard University: Veritas [ Latin for "truth" ]

Yale University: Lux et Veritas [ Latin for "light and truth" ]

Standford University: Die Luft der Freiheit weht [ German translation of Latin text "the wind of freedom blows" ]

Columbia University: In lumine tuo videbimus lumen [ Latin for "In thy light we shall see light" ]

Princeton University: Princeton in the nation's service

The University of Chicago: Crescat scientia; vita excolatur [ Latin for "Let knowledge grow from more to more; and so be human life enriched" ]