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In the workplace environment, I don’t think it is productive to dwell on what happened or keep score on who did what to whom. In English I would summarize my motto as:

Ever Forward

Now I am looking for an appropriate Latin equivalent, i.e., a phrase that conveys:

  1. The past is behind me and does not matter too much.
  2. Today is a new day, and things are good. A non-defeatist point of view.
  3. We can accomplish great things by focusing on the future and not dwelling on the past.

I found similar discussion on another Latin site. Maybe it helps.

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  • 2
    Perhaps semper prorsus.
    – Anonym
    Commented Sep 16, 2017 at 17:26
  • This old question might contain some useful ideas.
    – Joonas Ilmavirta ♦
    Commented Sep 16, 2017 at 20:58
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    What about plus ultra, meaning further beyond?
    – Rafael
    Commented Sep 16, 2017 at 21:00
  • Would an "actual" motto with that translation be suitable or do you prefer a "hypothetical," one translated from scratch?
    – Tom Au
    Commented Sep 18, 2017 at 22:58
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    "Semper anticus" is a motto "actually" being used by someone (the 45th U.S. infantry). The other answers were created "hypothetically" in response to your question..
    – Tom Au
    Commented Sep 18, 2017 at 23:30

4 Answers 4

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A common motto is semper prorsum, "always forward." You can find examples of this all over Google, and is used as a way of expressing the necessity of marching forward. "Always forward, never backward" is what the link is saying in Latin—double down and don't retreat. Semper prorsus is a less common but still valid alternative.

If it's not too cheesy, I'd also suggest just a simple Excelsior!. This has now entered the common parlance as a way of saying "Onward & Upward," which I think gets to the heart of what you're intending to convey.

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  • Very nice. Stan Lee has a patent on "Excelsior!" so I think I'll have to leave it to him :-D Will you help this non-Latin speaker with the difference between your phrases (-sum versus -sus) ?
    – Tony Ennis
    Commented Sep 17, 2017 at 14:40
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    @cmw rem acu tetigisti!
    – Tom Cotton
    Commented Sep 17, 2017 at 16:23
  • @TonyEnnis Essentially nothing. In this context, they're identical. For whatever reason, semper prorsum is the more common phrase, so anyone coming across it as your motto will more likely recognize that form than the other.
    – cmw ♦
    Commented Sep 17, 2017 at 22:58
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From a good many possibilities, I personally should prefer Nunc progrediamur!, or 'Now let's press on!', 'Let's get on with things!' etc.

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Here is a list of Latin phrases, including 20 or so beginning with semper. The translation they give is semper anticus, which is the motto of the U.S. 45th Infantry Division (now combat brigade).

Other expressions with "semper" (always) include semper fidelis (always faithful), semper fortis (always brave), motto of the U.S. Navy, and semper liber (always free), which may have inspired an Italian song of a similar name from La Traviata.

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  • First, anticus is a rarely used adjective, meaning "being up front," but not connoting a movement forward. It also has a very frequent homonym antiquus (that was too spelled anticus sometimes) meaning "former, previously existing," like maybe "old" but not implying how exactly old. It might not be the best choice of a word for a concise motto (although the U.S. 45th Infantry Division would likely disagreee with me on that). Second, this is probably not the sense the OP wanted--if I understand, a meaning that would invoke moving forward.
    – kkm mistrusts SE
    Commented Sep 18, 2017 at 19:24
  • @kkm: I decided to ask the OP directly, commenting under his question.
    – Tom Au
    Commented Sep 18, 2017 at 23:10
  • @kkm You're correct in that I am not looking for "being in a forward position" but indeed "moving forward" but in a metaphorical sense.
    – Tony Ennis
    Commented Sep 18, 2017 at 23:26
  • @TonyEnnis: I don't know a better group for "moving forward in a metaphorical sense" than a U.S. combat group.
    – Tom Au
    Commented Sep 18, 2017 at 23:28
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"Duc in altum !" coming from the Holy Scriptures (Luke, 5,4): dixit (Jesus) ad Simonem duc in altum et laxate retia vestra in capturam : Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.*

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