''Unus pro omnibus, omnes pro uno'' is a

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the 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 the power of the ...

phrase that means ''One for all, all for one''. It is the unofficial

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. Mot ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. The phrase describes the relation in monotheistic faiths. God is one
5 Moses 6:4
He is the God of all mankind, and He acts

The pattern "one for all" appears in verse 50 of John 11, where the high priest Caiaphas recognises "that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not". This attitude is taken up in the character of Arnold von Winkelried. A French version, ', was made famous by

Alexandre Dumas Alexandre Dumas (, ; ; born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie (), 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas père (where '' '' is French for 'father', to distinguish him from his son Alexandre Dumas fils), was a French writer ...

in the 1844 novel ''

The Three Musketeers ''The Three Musketeers'' (french: Les Trois Mousquetaires, links=no, ) is a French historical adventure novel written in 1844 by French author Alexandre Dumas. It is in the swashbuckler genre, which has heroic, chivalrous swordsmen who fight f ...

''.

Early uses

In 1594,

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

uses it in his poem ''

The Rape of Lucrece ''The Rape of Lucrece'' (1594) is a narrative poem by William Shakespeare about the legendary Roman noblewoman Lucretia. In his previous narrative poem, '' Venus and Adonis'' (1593), Shakespeare had included a dedicatory letter to his patron, ...

'' to characterize people who take massive risks, including the poem's villainous rapist king,

Tarquin the Proud Lucius Tarquinius Superbus (died 495 BC) was the legendary seventh and final king of Rome, reigning 25 years until the popular uprising that led to the establishment of the Roman Republic.Livy, ''ab urbe condita libri'', I He is commonly known ...

: : The aim of all is but to nurse the life : With honour, wealth, and ease, in waning age; : And in this aim there is such thwarting strife, : That one for all, or all for one we gage; : As life for honour in fell battle's rage; : Honour for wealth; and oft that wealth doth cost : The death of all, and all together lost. Many of Shakespeare's contemporaries recognized him not for plays like ''Hamlet'' and ''Macbeth'', but poems like ''Lucrece'' and '' Venus and Adonis''. Thus, his use of it could have contributed to more widespread usage, since these poems were commercial successes in his time. In a meeting in 1618 between leaders of the Bohemian, Catholic, and Protestant communities, which resulted in the

third defenestration of Prague The Defenestrations of Prague ( cs, Pražská defenestrace, german: Prager Fenstersturz, la, Defenestratio Pragensis) were three incidents in the history of Bohemia in which people were defenestrated (thrown out of a window). Though already exi ...

, a representative of the Protestants read a letter affirming, "As they also absolutely intended to proceed with the execution against us, we came to an unanimous agreement among ourselves that, regardless of any loss of life and limb, honor and property, we would stand firm, with all for one and one for all... nor would we be subservient, but rather we would loyally help and protect each other to the utmost, against all difficulties."

''The Three Musketeers''

''Tous pour un, un pour tous'' (''All for one, and one for all'') is a

traditionally associated with the titular heroes of the novel ''The Three Musketeers'' written by

père, first published in 1844. In the novel, it was the motto of a group of French

musketeer A musketeer (french: mousquetaire) was a type of soldier equipped with a musket. Musketeers were an important part of early modern warfare particularly in Europe as they normally comprised the majority of their infantry. The musketeer was a pre ...

s named

Athos Athos may refer to: Fictional or mythical characters * Athos (character), one of the title characters in the novel ''The Three Musketeers'' (1844) by Alexandre Dumas père * Athos (mythology), one of the Gigantes in Greek mythology * Athos Fadiga ...

, Porthos, Aramis and

d'Artagnan Charles de Batz de Castelmore (), also known as d'Artagnan and later Count d'Artagnan ( 1611 – 25 June 1673), was a French Musketeer who served Louis XIV as captain of the Musketeers of the Guard. He died at the siege of Maastricht in the Fra ...

who stayed loyal to each other through thick and thin. On November 30, 2002, in an elaborate but solemn procession, six

Republican Guard A republican guard, sometimes called a national guard, is a state organization of a country (often a republic, hence the name ''Republican'') which typically serves to protect the head of state and the government, and thus is often synonymous wit ...

s carried the coffin of Dumas from its original interment site in the Cimetière de

Villers-Cotterêts Villers-Cotterêts () is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France, France. It is notable as the signing-place in 1539 of the ''Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts'' discontinuing the use of Latin in official French documents, and as the ...

Aisne Aisne ( , ; ; pcd, Ainne) is a French department in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France. It is named after the river Aisne. In 2019, it had a population of 531,345.Panthéon. The coffin was draped in a blue velvet cloth inscribed with the motto.

As a motto

Traditional motto of Switzerland

Switzerland has no official motto defined in its constitution or legislative documents. The phrase, in its German ('), French ('), Italian (') and Romansh (') versions, came into widespread use in the 19th century. After autumn storms had caused widespread floods in the

Swiss Alps The Alpine region of Switzerland, conventionally referred to as the Swiss Alps (german: Schweizer Alpen, french: Alpes suisses, it, Alpi svizzere, rm, Alps svizras), represents a major natural feature of the country and is, along with the Swiss ...

in late September and early October 1868, officials launched an aid campaign under that slogan, deliberately using it to evoke a sense of duty and solidarity and national unity in the population of the young nation. Switzerland had become a

federal state A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government ( federalism). In a federation, the self-governi ...

only 20 years earlier, and the last civil war among the

cantons A canton is a type of administrative division of a country. In general, cantons are relatively small in terms of area and population when compared with other administrative divisions such as counties, departments, or provinces. Internationally, t ...

, the

Sonderbundskrieg The Sonderbund War (german: Sonderbundskrieg, fr , Guerre du Sonderbund, it , Guerra del Sonderbund) of November 1847 was a civil war in Switzerland, then still a relatively loose confederacy of cantons. It ensued after seven Catholic cantons ...

, had been in 1847. Newspaper ads that used the motto to call for donations were run in all parts of the country. The phrase was increasingly associated with the founding myths of Switzerland, which often also have solidarity as a central theme, to such a degree that ''""'' was even written in the cupola of the Federal Palace of Switzerland in 1902. It has since been considered the motto of the country. Politicians of all parties and regions acknowledge it as the motto of Switzerland.

Others

A part of the phrase in the

Romanian language Romanian (obsolete spellings: Rumanian or Roumanian; autonym: ''limba română'' , or ''românește'', ) is the official and main language of Romania and the Moldova, Republic of Moldova. As a minority language it is spoken by stable communi ...

, ' ("One for All"), was briefly used as the motto of the United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia (a predecessor of modern

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

) between 1862 and 1866, when it was replaced by '' Nihil sine Deo'' ("Nothing without God").

References