Your state has a motto, here's what it actually means

https://www.dictionaryscoop.com/article/Your-state-has-a-motto-heres-what-it-actually-means A motto is part of a state's identity, much like a nickname or a famous landmark, and is often born from a real moment in history. Take Kansas, whose motto "Ad astra per aspera" ("To the stars through difficulties") nods to its rocky road to statehood. Or Virginia's "Sic semper tyrannis" ("Thus always to tyrants"), a phrase with a dramatic afterlife nobody saw coming. Let's dig into 10 of these mottos and the history that shaped them.