"S" is for State mottoes

“S” is for State mottoes. South Carolina has two official mottoes.  Animis Opibusque Parati (Prepared in Mind and Resources) was on the rim of the front of the state seal. The words were taken from the second book of Virgil’s Aeneid at the point when Aeneas and his band of followers were about to set forth on the great voyage of adventure that ultimately lead to the founding of Rome. Revolutionary South Carolina’s use of this motto expressed confidence in the state’s destiny. Dum Spieo Spero  (While I breathe I Hope) appeared on the back of the great seal. The phrase was popular in the British isles where it was borne as a motto by more than fifty families. The words were probably chosen for South Carolina’s seal as an expression of optimism.