This page is one of a series listing English translations of notable Latin phrases, such as veni, vidi, vici and et cetera. Some of the phrases are themselves translations of Greek phrases, as ancient Greek rhetoric and literature started centuries before the beginning of Latin literature in ancient Rome.[1]
| Latin | Translation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| faber est suae quisque fortunae | every man is the artisan of his own fortune | Appius Claudius Caecus; motto of Fort Street High School in Petersham, Sydney, Australia |
| fac et spera | do and hope | motto of Clan Matheson |
| fac fortia et patere | do brave deeds and endure | motto of Prince Alfred College in Adelaide, Australia |
| fac simile | make a similar thing | origin of the word facsimile, and, through it, of fax |
| faciam eos in gentem unam | I will make them into one nation | appeared on British coinage following the Union of the Crowns |
| faciam quodlibet quod necesse est | I'll do whatever it takes | |
| faciam ut mei memineris | I'll make you remember me | from Plautus, Persa IV.3–24; used by Russian hooligans as tattoo inscription |
| facile princeps | easily the first | said of the acknowledged leader in some field, especially in the arts and humanities |
| facilius est multa facere quam diu | It is easier to do many things, than one thing consecutively | Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria 1/12:7 |
| facio liberos ex liberis libris libraque | "I make free adults out of children by means of books and a balance." | motto of St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland, and Santa Fe, New Mexico |
| facta, non verba | deeds, not words | Frequently used as motto |
| factum fieri infectum non potest | It is impossible for a deed to be undone | Terence, Phormio 5/8:45 |
| falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus | false in one, false in all | A Roman legal principle indicating that a witness who willfully falsifies one matter is not credible on any matter. The underlying motive for attorneys to impeach opposing witnesses in court: the principle discredits the rest of their testimony if it is without corroboration. |
| familia supra omnia | family over everything | frequently used as a family motto |
| fas est et ab hoste doceri | It is lawful to be taught even by an enemy | Ovid, Metamorphoses 4:428 |
| Fatetur facinus qui judicium fugit | He who flies from justice acknowledges himself a criminal. | Under such circumstances the presumption is one of guilt.[2] |
| febris amatoria | fever of love | Hypochromic anemia or chlorosis, once described as the "fever of love", which was believed to stem from the yearning for passion in virgins. First written about in 1554 by the German physician Johannes Lange. Also known as "Disease of the Virgins".[3] |
| feci quod potui, faciant meliora potentes | I have done what I could; let those who can do better. | Slight variant ("quod potui feci") found in James Boswell's An Account of Corsica, there described as "a simple beautiful inscription on the front of Palazzo Tolomei at Siena".[4] Later, found in Henry Baerlein's introduction to his translation of The Diwan of Abul ʿAla by Abul ʿAla Al-Maʿarri (973–1057);[5] also in Anton Chekhov's Three Sisters, act 1. Also in Alfonso Moreno Espinosa, Compendio de Historia Universal, 5. ed. (Cádiz 1888). |
| NN fecit | NN made (this) | a formula used traditionally in the author's signature by painters, sculptors, artisans, scribes etc.; compare pinxit |
| fecisti patriam diversis de gentibus unam | "From differing peoples you have made one native land" | Verse 63 from the poem De reditu suo by Rutilius Claudius Namatianus praising emperor Augustus.[6] |
| felicior Augusto, melior Traiano | "be more fortunate than Augustus and better than Trajan" | ritual acclamation delivered to late Roman emperors |
| Felicitas, Integritas et Sapientia | Happiness, Integrity and Knowledge | The motto of Oakland Colegio Campestre school through which Colombia participates of NASA Educational Programs |
| felix culpa | fortunate fault | from the "Exsultet" of the Catholic liturgy for the Easter Vigil |
| felix qui potuit rerum cognoscere causas | happy is he who can ascertain the causes of things | Virgil. "Rerum cognoscere causas" is the motto of the London School of Economics, University of Sheffield, and University of Guelph. |
| felo de se | felon from himself | archaic legal term for one who commits suicide, referring to early English common law punishments, such as land seizure, inflicted on those who killed themselves |
| fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt | men generally believe what they want to | People's beliefs are shaped largely by their desires. Julius Caesar, The Gallic War 3.18 |
| festina lente | hurry slowly | An oxymoronic motto of Augustus. It encourages proceeding quickly, but calmly and cautiously. Equivalent to "more haste, less speed". Motto of the Madeira School, McLean, Virginia and Berkhamsted School, Berkhamsted, England, United Kingdom |
| festinare nocet, nocet et cunctatio saepe; tempore quaeque suo qui facit, ille sapit. | it is bad to hurry, and delay is often as bad; the wise person is the one who does everything in its proper time. | Ovid[7] |
| fex urbis lex orbis | dregs [classical Latin faex] of the city, law of the world | attributed to Saint Jerome by Victor Hugo in Les Misérables[8][9] |
| fiat iustitia et pereat mundus | let justice be done, even if the world should perish | motto of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor |
| fiat justitia ruat caelum | let justice be done, even if the sky should fall | attributed to Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus |
| fiat lux | let there be light | from the Genesis, "dixitque Deus fiat lux et facta est lux" ("and God said: 'Let there be light', and there was light."); frequently used as the motto of schools. |
| fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum | be it done to me according to thy word | Virgin Mary's response to the Annunciation |
| fiat panis | let there be bread | Motto of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) |
| fiat voluntas Dei | May God's will be done | motto of Robert May's School; see the next phrase below |
| fiat voluntas tua | Thy will be done | Quotation of the third petition of the Pater Noster (Our Father) prayer dictated by Jesus Christ and his response to the Father during the [[Agony in the Garden#Gospel narratives|Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane; motto of Archbishop Richard Smith of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton]] |
| ficta voluptatis causa sint proxima veris | fictions meant to please should approximate the truth | Horace, Ars Poetica (338) |
| Fidei Defensor (Fid Def) or (fd) | Defender of the Faith | A title given to King Henry VIII of England by Pope Leo X on 17 October 1521, before Henry broke from the Roman Church and founded the Church of England. British monarchs continue to use the title, which is still inscribed on all British coins, and usually abbreviated. |
| fidem scit | he knows the faith | sometimes mistranslated to "keep the faith" when used in contemporary English writings of all kinds to convey a light-hearted wish for the reader's well-being |
| fides qua creditur | the faith by which it is believed | Roman Catholic theological term for the personal faith that apprehends what is believed, contrasted with fides quae creditur, which is what is believed; see next phrase below |
| fides quae creditur | the faith which is believed | Roman Catholic theological term for the content and truths of the Faith or "the deposit of the Faith", contrasted with fides qua creditur, which is the personal faith by which the Faith is believed; see previous phrase |
| fides quaerens intellectum | faith seeking understanding | motto of St. Anselm; Proslogion |
| fidus Achates | faithful Achates | refers to a faithful friend; from the name of Aeneas's faithful companion in Virgil's Aeneid |
| filiae nostrae sicut anguli incisi similitudine templi | may our daughters be as polished as the corners of the temple | motto of Francis Holland School |
| finis coronat opus | the end crowns the work | A major part of a work is properly finishing it. Motto of Poole Grammar School in Dorset, UK; St. Mary's Catholic High School in Dubai, United Arab Emirates; on the coat of arms of Seychelles; and of the Amin Investment Bank |
| finis origine pendet | the end depends upon the beginning | one of the mottos of Phillips Academy[10] |
| finis vitae sed non amoris | the end of life, but not of love | unknown |
| flagellum dei | the scourge of God | title for Attila the Hun, the ruthless invader of the Western Roman Empire |
| flatus vocis | [a or the] breath of voice | a mere name, word, or sound without a corresponding objective reality; expression used by the nominalists of universals and traditionally attributed to the medieval philosopher Roscelin of Compiègne |
| flectere si nequeo superos, Acheronta movebo | if I can not reach Heaven I will raise Hell | Virgil, Aeneid, Book VII.312 |
| floreat Etona | may Eton flourish | Motto of Eton College, England, United Kingdom |
| floreat nostra schola | may our school flourish | a common scholastic motto |
| floreat pica | may the Magpie flourish | Motto of Collingwood Football Club |
| floruit (fl.) | one flourished | indicates a date on which a person is known to have been alive, often the period when a historic person was most active or was accomplishing that for which he is famous; may be used as a substitute when the dates of his birth and/or death are unknown. |
| fluctuat nec mergitur | it is tossed by the waves but does not founder | Motto of the City of Paris, France |
| fons et origo | the spring and source | also: "the fountainhead and beginning" |
| fons sapientiae, verbum Dei | the fount of knowledge is the word of God | motto of Bishop Blanchet High School |
| fons vitae caritas | love is the fountain of life | motto of Chisipite Senior School and Chisipite Junior School |
| formosam resonare doces Amaryllida silvas | teach the woods to re-echo "fair Amaryllis" | Virgil, Eclogues, 1:5 |
| formosum pastor Corydon ardebat Alexin | the shepherd Corydon burned with love for the handsome Alexis | Virgil, Eclogues, 2:1. Highlighted by various authors (Richard Barnfield, Lord Byron) as a reference to same-sex love. Also Alexim. |
| forsan et haec olim meminisse iuvabit | perhaps even these things will be good to remember one day | Virgil, Aeneid, Book 1, Line 203 |
| fortes fortuna adiuvat | Fortune favors the brave or Fortune favors the strong | From Terence's comedy play Phormio, line 203. Also spelled fortis fortuna adiuvat. The motto of HMS Brave and USS Florida. |
| fortes fortuna iuvat | Fortune favors the brave | From the letters of Pliny the Younger, Book 6, Letter 16. Often quoted as fortes fortuna juvat. The motto of the Jutland Dragoon Regiment of Denmark. |
| fortes in fide | strong in faith | a common motto |
| fortis cadere, cedere non potest | the brave may fall, but can not yield | motto on the coat of arms of the Fahnestock Family and of the Palmetto Guard of Charleston, South Carolina |
| fortis est veritas | truth is strong | motto on the coat of arms of Oxford, England, United Kingdom |
| fortis et liber | strong and free | motto of Alberta, Canada |
| fortis in arduis | strong in difficulties/adversary | motto of the Municipal Borough of Middleton, from the Earl of Middleton and of Syed Ahmad Shaheed House of Army Burn Hall College in Abbottabad, Pakistan |
| fortiter et fideliter | bravely and faithfully | a common motto |
| fortiter in re, suaviter in modo | resolute in execution, gentle in manner | a common motto |
| fortius quo fidelius | strength through loyalty | Motto of St Kilda Football Club |
| fortunae meae, multorum faber | artisan of my fate and that of several others | motto of Gatineau |
| fraus omnia vitiat | fraud vitiates everything | a legal principle: the occurrence or taint of fraud in a (legal) transaction entirely invalidates it |
| Frustra legis auxilium quaerit qui in legem committit | in vain does he who offends the law seek the law's aid | a legal principle: one cannot invoke the law to assist in an illegal purpose. Inscribed on the facade of the Quebec Court of Appeal in Montreal. |
| fui quod es, eris quod sum | I once was what you are, you will be what I am | An epitaph that reminds the reader of the inevitability of death, as if to state: "Once I was alive like you are, and you will be dead as I am now." It was carved on the gravestones of some Roman military officers. |
| fumus boni iuris | presumption of sufficient legal basis | a legal principle |
| fundamenta inconcussa | unshakable foundation |