I like a good motto. So, for me, one of the few bright spots of our July 1 union with our new Conference (as I am inherently suspicious of all conferences), is that it comes with a catchy motto: The Journey Begins. Every place, every event should have a motto with a nice ring to it. We have several. There’s Vita, Dulcedo, Spes for the University, and Ave Crux Spes Unica for us CSCs. They are poetic; and for those troglodytes who don’t read God’s Language, translations appear at the bottom. Our publicity department has even taken the liberty of riffling through my personal correspondence to come up with a zinger of my own – A Powerful Means for Doing Good. Had I known someone would one day boost that phrase and print it on everything including cocktail napkins, I would have made it more pithy.
You see, a good motto should be concise, stirring, and evocative. Take, for example, the many beautiful, motto-worthy phrases which the Shea lad wrote into our Victory March: Wake Up the Echoes and also Shake Down the Thunder, and…well…Her Loyal Sons. Or the equally inspiring, though more sentimental phrases that Charlie O’Donnell (my fellow CSC) composed for the Alma Mater: Tender, Strong, and True as well as Golden is Thy Fame, and the one that seems to get the most traction these days, Love Thee Notre Dame. We are motto people, and poetry is our language. Which immediately begs the question, what the hell happened with the wording on this year’s Shirt? That phrase looks more like a logical entailment than a motto. You shouldn’t have to parse a sentence in order to achieve inspiration. I blame the English Department.
Even our football coaches, over the past century and a quarter, have generated some universally famous mottos. Rockne gave us Win One for the Gipper, and Holtz first posted Play Like a Champion Today for all to see and be motivated. Thus, the Athletic Department got it right with The Journey Begins. And they have has inspired me – to come up with a few choice phrases…er…mottos of my own for this momentous event in our University’s sporting history.
Mottos for Notre Dame Joining the Atlantic Coast Conference
Michigan Shall Weep
Let Fourteen Rivalries Bloom
Erin Go BrACC (I must give credit to HLS author Bayou Irish for creating this one; though I fear it will only cause randy Florida State frat boys to seek out whoever this Erin is…for lascivious purposes.)
We’re Rowing This Boat Ashore
Keeping Miami Honest
We Don’t Need No Coast
Carpe Congressionem (Seize the Conference)
Beware the Leprechaun
Tighten Your Bible Belts
Twelve Universities, Two Institutes, and the Jesuits
Mottos for the Big East, Now That Notre Dame is Joining the Atlantic Coast Conference
Someone’s Crying, Lord, Kumbaya
Non Sum Dignus (I am Not Worthy)
Where’s the Corned Beef
Keep Calm and Carry On
Lama Sabachthani (Why Have You Forsaken Me)
Trying to Live Long and Prosper
Let’s Get Ready to Grumble
And the Hits Just Keep on Coming
What You See is What Your Get…For Now
At Least We’re Not the Big Ten
Mottos for the Football Team Which is NOT (exactly) Joining the Atlantic Coast Conference
Noli Me Tangere (Don’t Touch Me)
Ireland is an Island, and so are We
Non Nobis (Not for Us)
We Come in to Your House and Push You Around
Blue and Gold Meets Black and Blue
You’ll Be Shaken, Not Stirred
Greensboro, You Have a Problem
This Force Will Be With You
You’re Gonna Need a Bigger Stadium
We Come, We See, We Conquer
Those are just a few humble suggestions. Of course, the Athletic Department didn’t ask for my input. Yet, they still came up with a fine motto: The Journey Begins. But if you would permit me to embellish that just a bit, I might say: A Journey of a Thousand Victories Begins with a Single Win.
EFS CSC
Vita, Dulcedo, Spes – Life, Sweetness, Hope
Ave Crux Spes Unica – Hail The Cross, Our Only Hope
- Good Fridays w/Padre: WORTHY! - November 30, 2018
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- Good Fridays w/Padre: BALLS! - September 7, 2018
kyndfan
Thanks for the translation. – common troglodyte.
More suggestions:
We’ll beat you in the workplace as well.
It’s not your fault, God is on our side.
See you in 3 years.
trey
In honor of the geographic truths o most ACC schools:
You bring the crab, we’ll supply the hammer
gbsk
Tighten Your Bible Belts
This is hilarious.