Salus publica suprema lex esto (cropped)

(

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, 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 health (welfare, good, salvation, felicity) of the people should be the supreme law", "Let the good (or safety) of the people be the supreme (or highest) law", or "The welfare of the people shall be the supreme law") is a maxim or principle found in

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the esta ...

's ''

De Legibus The ''De Legibus'' (''On the Laws'') is a dialogue written by Marcus Tullius Cicero during the last years of the Roman Republic. It bears the same name as Plato's famous dialogue, ''The Laws''. Unlike his previous work ''De re publica,'' in whi ...

'' (book III, part III, sub. VIII).

Uses

John Locke John Locke (; 29 August 1632 – 28 October 1704) was an English philosopher and physician, widely regarded as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers and commonly known as the "father of liberalism". Considered one of ...

uses it as the epigraph in the form in his ''

Second Treatise on Government ''Two Treatises of Government'' (or ''Two Treatises of Government: In the Former, The False Principles, and Foundation of Sir Robert Filmer, and His Followers, Are Detected and Overthrown. The Latter Is an Essay Concerning The True Original, ...

'' and refers to it as a fundamental rule for government. It was the inscription on the cornet of

Roundhead Roundheads were the supporters of the Parliament of England during the English Civil War (1642–1651). Also known as Parliamentarians, they fought against King Charles I of England and his supporters, known as the Cavaliers or Royalists, who ...

and

Leveller The Levellers were a political movement active during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms who were committed to popular sovereignty, extended suffrage, equality before the law and religious tolerance. The hallmark of Leveller thought was its populis ...

William Rainsborowe Major William Rainsborowe (? – '' fl.'' 1612–1673), or Rainborowe, was an officer in the English Navy and New Model Army in England during the English Civil War and the Interregnum. He was a political and religious radical who prosper ...

during the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I (" Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of r ...

. This motto was also endorsed by

Hobbes Thomas Hobbes ( ; 5/15 April 1588 – 4/14 December 1679) was an English philosopher, considered to be one of the founders of modern political philosophy. Hobbes is best known for his 1651 book ''Leviathan'', in which he expounds an influ ...

at the beginning of Chapter 30 of '' Leviathan'' and by Spinoza in Chapter 19 of his ''

Theological-Political Treatise Written by the Dutch philosopher Benedictus Spinoza, the ''Tractatus Theologico-Politicus'' (''TTP'') or ''Theologico-Political Treatise'' was one of the most controversial texts of the early modern period. In it, Spinoza expounds his vie ...

.'' It was frequently quoted as since at least 1737. In the United States, the phrase is the state motto of

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

and the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus University of Missouri System. MU was founded in ...

, and accepted, like many other states, as an element of its state seal. It is also used for Manassas Park, Virginia, and the

Duquesne University School of Law The Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University is a private Catholic university law school located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is approved by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. ...

. It also appears on many

coats of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in i ...

, sometimes in variant forms such as , or . In the United Kingdom, these coats of arms include the

City of Salford The City of Salford () is a metropolitan borough within Greater Manchester, England. The borough is named after its main settlement, Salford. The borough covers the towns of Eccles, Swinton, Walkden and Pendlebury, as well as the villag ...

, the

London Borough of Lewisham Lewisham () is a London borough in south-east London; it forms part of Inner London. The principal settlement of the borough is Lewisham. The local authority is Lewisham London Borough Council, based in Catford. The Prime Meridian passes thr ...

, Eastleigh, Harrow, Southport, Lytham St. Anne's, Mid Sussex, West Lancashire,

Swinton and Pendlebury Swinton may refer to: Places England * Swinton, Greater Manchester * Swinton, Harrogate, near Masham, North Yorkshire ** Swinton Estate, including Swinton Park * Swinton, Ryedale, near Malton, North Yorkshire * Swinton, South Yorkshire No ...

, Urmston and Willenhall;Mottoes in Latin
/ref> The motto was featured on the masthead of the Irish medical journal '' Medical Press and Circular''. The monument to the 1914-1918 1940-1945 Belgian infantry (place Poelaert, Brussels) includes on its western face (opposite to the avenue Louise) salus patriæ suprema lex. A misquotation, , was used as an epigraph for the third pamphlet of the White Rose. ;Gallery File:Seal of Missouri.svg, ''Salus populi suprema lex esto'' on the Seal of Missouri File:Southport coat of arms.jpg, The coat of arms of Southport File:University of Missouri bookplate.png, A bookplate from

Ellis Library Constructed in 1915, Elmer Ellis Library is the main library of the University of Missouri on the campus of the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri. It was named in 1972 for former university president Elmer Ellis. With holdings of over ...

at the

File:Coat of Arms of Padang (1926).svg, Coat of arms of Padang during Dutch Colonisation

References

{{Portal bar, Law, Languages Brocards (law) Constitutional law Latin mottos Latin political words and phrases Philosophy of law American political catchphrases Latin legal terminology Symbols of Missouri State mottos of the United States Media and communications in the London Borough of Lewisham Cicero

Uses

See also

References