Help me create a free thinking family motto

54and56

Hi all,

I'm an Athiest but from a traditional Roman Catholic family i.e. parents, siblings etc.

My wife is pretty agnostic (goes to mass at Xmas etc) and my son is in an RC school and has been baptised and confirmed etc but we don't go to mass or pray etc and we discuss whether there is a God or not quite openly. I know it's a bit hypocritical but we're using the RC infrastructure as its the only practical education option available to us. I spent 5 years in a RC boarding school and saw their best work first hand so I'm not losing any sleep over using their school as a trojan horse to secure an education for my son, at least now there are no nuns/priests teaching him

Anyway, I have a nice watch I want to bequeath to my son when he turns 30 (17 years from now) which I hope he'll pass to his eldest and so on and I would like to engrave something on the base of the watch which will act as a positive reinforcement type family motto which promotes free thinking and trusting your own judgement. It's a relatively small space so I need something which will be no more than 6 words max.

I'm thinking of something like

"Think Freely
Trust Yourself
Carpe Diem!"

Any suggestions/thoughts/comments?

lazygal

Don't Give Into
Religion Like We Did.

Don't Baptise
It Might Change
The System.

54and56

lazygal wrote: »

Don't Give Into
Religion Like We Did.

Don't Baptise
It Might Change
The System.

Love it, pity it's too big though!!

FYI I didn't give any thought to my own position in relation to religion until a few years ago. I knew I wasn't a card carrying RC but I also hadn't spent any time thinking about or researching the subject until I read The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins and started watching debates by Hitchens, Sam Harris and Neil DeGrasse Tyson. I am now clear in my own mind and an affirmed Athiest (not yet an Anti Theist though) and as my son matures I'm discussing these issues with him but my wife is agnostic so I want the motto to be open minded rather than prescriptive or anti anything so that it is as relevant in 100 years time as it is today.

Brian Shanahan

Je_suis_Jean wrote: »

Hi all,

I'm an Athiest but from a traditional Roman Catholic family i.e. parents, siblings etc.

My wife is pretty agnostic (goes to mass at Xmas etc) and my son is in an RC school and has been baptised and confirmed etc but we don't go to mass or pray etc and we discuss whether there is a God or not quite openly. I know it's a bit hypocritical but we're using the RC infrastructure as its the only practical education option available to us. I spent 5 years in a RC boarding school and saw their best work first hand so I'm not losing any sleep over using their school as a trojan horse to secure an education for my son, at least now there are no nuns/priests teaching him

Anyway, I have a nice watch I want to bequeath to my son when he turns 30 (17 years from now) which I hope he'll pass to his eldest and so on and I would like to engrave something on the base of the watch which will act as a positive reinforcement type family motto which promotes free thinking and trusting your own judgement. It's a relatively small space so I need something which will be no more than 6 words max.

I'm thinking of something like

"Think Freely
Trust Yourself
Carpe Diem!"

Any suggestions/thoughts/comments?

I'm quite partial to the old Pratchettian stand by "Primitive and Outmoded Concept on a Crutch!"

T-K-O

Winter is coming

L1m1tless

Wear Sunscreen

54and56

Neo_Ninja wrote: »

Wear Sunscreen

Best one yet!

jank

"Be brave in the search for truth"

mikom

Je_suis_Jean wrote: »

Anyway, I have a nice watch I want to bequeath to my son when he turns 30 (17 years from now) which I hope he'll pass to his eldest and so on and I would like to engrave something on the base of the watch

Any suggestions/thoughts/comments?

Son, this watch was your birthright.
I'd be damned if any slope's gonna put their greasy, yellow hands on this boy's birthright
So I hid it in one place he knew he could hide something -
My ass.

Sofiztikated

Carpe Jugulum.

Cork boy 55

Take your magic elsewhere holyman!

SmilingLurker

Think and be free.

Peregrinus

"Just because it's engraved on the back of a watch doesn't mean it's good advice".

(OK, you'll need a very small font.)

Sofiztikated

Peregrinus wrote: »

"Just because it's engraved on the back of a watch doesn't mean it's good advice".

(OK, you'll need a very small font.)

Oooooohhhh, what's that in latin?

Peregrinus

Sofiztikated wrote: »

Oooooohhhh, what's that in latin?

Quod scriptum in horologio est, consilium bonum esse non debet.

But don't take my word for it. It's been a while since Inter Cert. Latin.

robindch

Si tacuisses, philosophus mansisses.

F1ngers

Cunas, bothar, cailin, bainne.
You'll need a few fadas.

Peregrinus

robindch wrote: »

Si tacuisses, philosophus mansisses.

= "You'd have done better to keep your gob shut."

Un Croissant

E pluribus anus.

Sofiztikated

Peregrinus wrote: »

Quod scriptum in horologio est, consilium bonum esse non debet.

But don't take my word for it. It's been a while since Inter Cert. Latin.

Now doesn't that just look impressive.

But Google translates it to

Google Translate wrote:

Reason why the writing on the dial of the counsel of the good is not to be

I'm horrific at languages, so I don't know if thats the way Latin translates into English.

robindch

Peregrinus wrote: »

robindch wrote:

Si tacuisses, philosophus mansisses.

= "You'd have done better to keep your gob shut."

To be used as follows:

Passerby: What's your family motto?
Upright citizen: Si tacuisses, philosophus mansisses.
Passerby: What does that mean?
Upright citizen: You would have seemed a philosopher if you'd stayed quiet.

Peregrinus

Sofiztikated wrote: »

Now doesn't that just look impressive.

But Google translates it to



I'm horrific at languages, so I don't know if thats the way Latin translates into English.

I'm not great at Latin, but Google translate is worse.

Pherekydes

Sum, ergo cogito

recedite

"Semper fidelis"
(always faithful)

And this little speech to accompany the handover of the watch from father to son, throughout the generations;

"I give unto you, my son and heir, this outmoded timepiece as a symbol of our family values. Although we now tell the time with our fablets, we faithfully retain this useless item to symbolise our family's refusal to give up outdated concepts in general; our family religion, male supremacy and primogeniture, and this ancient but dead language. Amen et Exitus."

HelgaWard

Lost time is never found again
Benjamin Franklin

Turtwig

"Test everything and hold onto the good."

It's from Thessalonians though. :P

Brian Shanahan

Sofiztikated wrote: »

Carpe Jugulum.

Or, Fabricati Diem, Pvnc.


From:

"Fabricati Diem, Pvncti Agvnt Celeriter" ("Make the Day, the Moments Pass Quickly")

JaseBelleVie

Et infinitum ultra

"To infinity and beyond"

Pherekydes

recedite wrote: »

"Semper fidelis"
(always faithful)

And this little speech to accompany the handover of the watch from father to son, throughout the generations;

"I give unto you, my son and heir, this outmoded timepiece as a symbol of our family values. Although we now tell the time with our fablets, we faithfully retain this useless item to symbolise our family's refusal to give up outdated concepts in general; our family religion, male supremacy and primogeniture, and this ancient but dead language. Amen et Exitus."

Or maybe:

The way your dad looked at it, this watch was your birthright. He'd be damned if any slopes gonna put their greasy yellow hands on his boy's birthright, so he hid it, in the one place he knew he could hide something: his ass. Five long years, he wore this watch up his ass. Then when he died of dysentery, he gave me the watch. I hid this uncomfortable piece of metal up my ass for two years. Then, after seven years, I was sent home to my family. And now, little man, I give the watch to you.

Change relations to suit...

130Kph

3 suggestions:

Attitude is Everything

Suaimhneas sa bhuidéal

Ni beidh aon badass sa teach seo!

endacl

Semper ubi sub ubi.

Ninap

Romanae aeunt domus


Or


Romanus itae do mum

Peregrinus

JaseBelleVie wrote: »

Et infinitum ultra

"To infinity and beyond"

Actually, that means something like "and an unbounded thing on the other side"

You want ad infinitatem ultraque!

endacl

Ninap wrote: »

Romanae aeunt domus


Or


Romanus itae do mum

Peregrinus wrote: »

Actually, that means something like "and an unbounded thing on the other side"

You want ad infinitatem ultraque!

Tigger

Test everything, keep what is true

robindch

Illegitimi non carborundum.

54and56

Inspired by Recedite's smarmy contribution I might have to go with

"Don't hit me with them negative waves." and a QR code linking to

heebusjeebus

"Unhand me Priest!"

Michael OBrien

Cut to the chase and simply add "42". That pretty much covers it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aboZctrHfK8

alternatively you can mess with the reader by putting
"don't read this".

recedite

Je_suis_Jean wrote: »

Inspired by Recedite's smarmy contribution I might have to go with ..."Don't hit me with them negative waves."

Nice one; Kellys Heroes, one of my favourite movies
But them's not negative waves you got hit with, its razor sharp wit.
That's my story anyway, and I'm sticking to it. No hard feelings I hope.

54and56

recedite wrote: »

No hard feelings I hope.

none whatsoever, live and let live. Stay cool ;-)

Mehaffey1

Think Freely As You Pay For Everything Else!

mewso

A stopped clock tells the right time twice a day!

zeffabelli

It doesn't go backwards.

mickydcork

"If it disagrees with experiement, it is wrong"

Fleawuss

This time is your time. Live it.

tipparetops

do you want some corn with that ham

Sheldons Brain

Superbus est hypocritae sumus

Crann na Beatha

This post has been deleted.

Hotblack Desiato

6 x 9 = 42

Dades

Nice idea, OP.

Je_suis_Jean wrote: »

It's a relatively small space so I need something which will be no more than 6 words max.

"Forget religion, have faith in yourself."


Alternatively:
Valar morghulis. Valar dohaeris.