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I was wondering how to say "Only for us" (or something equivalent) in Latin for a plutocratic group that would want a fancy name to distinguish itself from the masses. For example, here are some other sentences that would be suitable:

  • Just For Us,
  • Just Like Us,
  • We Are Chosen,
  • We Are Special,

or anything else that would adequately describe the idea of "super-specialness" for a rich and snobby ruling class.

Edit: Thank you for responding. I should say this is for a work of fiction, not a group I'm personally involved with. :)

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    "Causa nostra" - "our interest/issue" comes to mind, but has already been branded in its Italian form ... Commented Jul 10, 2021 at 14:33

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The political faction in the Roman republic most closely associated with advocacy for unfettered rule by Rome's plutocrats was the Optimates (in that form both an English and a Latin word). Literally it means “the best, the noblest.”

Now, haud dolo dicam, that's not strictly true. For one, the Optimates were not a political faction in the modern sense. (They certainly did not hold an Annual General Meeting.) It may have been more like an inclination, on the part of certain individuals, to exclude the popular assemblies from political decisions. Also, the ruling classes in Rome are generally considered an aristocracy, not a plutocracy. But I feel the historical details may not be that important. Your group may still call themselves the Optimates, which is certainly self-flattering and does carry a sense of keeping things in the family.

(In case you are wondering, their opponents were called the Populares, and of course they were the same rich aristocrats, only in that case individuals who decided it would serve their personal political fortunes better to let the popular assemblies make a decision or two at times.)

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  • Thank you for the name! It's perfect. Commented Jul 13, 2021 at 19:05
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“Only for us” is nobis solum. The opposite, non nobis solum (“not only for us/ourselves”) is a popular motto. As you can read on Wikipedia, it is supposed to go back to Cicero's De officiis, 1,22, where he says:

Sed quoniam, ut praeclare scriptum est a Platone, non nobis solum nati sumus ortusque nostri partem patria vindicat, partem amici ⋯

But since, as it is famously written in Plato, we are not born for ourselves alone, and a part of our birth is claimed by our country, a part by our friends ⋯

(Note: This was probably not actually written by Plato.)

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  • Would SOLUS NAM NOS work as well? Commented Jul 11, 2021 at 15:28
  • @JohhanSantana No, that is no replacement for the phrase Sebastian suggests.
    – Joonas Ilmavirta
    Commented Jul 12, 2021 at 15:01
  • Thank you! The quote is great. Commented Jul 13, 2021 at 19:05

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