Horace · motto of the Royal Society, 1662
Nullius in Verba — “Take nobody’s word for it.”
Epistles I.1, line 14 · c. 20 BC
Documented source
Origin
Horace, Epistles I.1, line 14 (c. 20 BC)
Adopted by
The Royal Society, London — as official motto, 1662
Translation
“Take nobody’s word for it” — the Royal Society’s rendering
Every quote here is traced to a documented source. How we verify →
About this line
Horace wrote it refusing to swear loyalty to any school of philosophy — take no one’s word for it. Seventeen centuries later the Royal Society made it their motto and meant the same thing: evidence before authority, always.
Why we carry this line
I had a couple years of Latin in high school. I don’t remember a lot. But when I read this quote with the Latin and English, it was the perfect addition to our Quoteiac library.
