Mind your own business: the Americans had it first
Some extremely witty national mottos are being suggested in response to my earlier post. If you have a moment do read the comments.
Among the suggestions that caught the eye was Mind Your Own Bloody Business.
Thanks to Michael Scott I have now discovered that Mind Your Business has been used already. It was the first motto of the United States of America.
Benjamin Franklin had the words engraved on one of the earliest coins approved by the Continental Congress of the United States - the Fugio cent.
Subsequently coins appeared with the words E Pluribus Unum on them. And in 1956 the words In God we trust was decreed by Congress to be the official motto.
So there you go.
Britain:We are so 20th century
Posted by: Marco | 11 Nov 2007 15:27:57
Wasn't America's first motto. "You can shove your frigging tax bill up your ......"
Posted by: 200 years later | 12 Nov 2007 04:04:56
It must have been:
"Kill em all, let god sort em out".
Posted by: Paul | 12 Nov 2007 11:06:21
How about some of these phrases for a national motto.
Some are self effacing, some are a bit "two fingers up".
Now Invent Your Own Stuff.
Please Dilute To Foreign Taste.
Sold All The Family Silver.
Are You Better Than Us?
Burnt Out Wreck, Steer Clear.
Freeloaders Form An Orderly Queue.
Posted by: Simon Ludkin | 12 Nov 2007 13:18:01
Lenimentus eversio vellit
[Improvement means deterioration - Hutber's Law]
Posted by: Bruce Barnfield | 12 Nov 2007 13:27:20
My motto
This weather's nice, isn't it?
Posted by: Hermia | 12 Nov 2007 14:28:01
Was it "In slavery we trust?"
or "In tutti-fruiti double chocolate chip ice-cream with extra maple syrup we trust."
Posted by: D. Cormack | 12 Nov 2007 14:35:22
Some additional five-word motto suggestions:
Right Thinking Members of Society
What Would Daily Mail Say?
Strong in Currency and Accent
Watch Our Red Lines, Europe
Posted by: Ben Roberts | 12 Nov 2007 15:36:48
The new slogan should read something like
'Give me mushy peas or give me death'
Will that fit on a pound coin ?
Posted by: Doug from North Bay, Canada | 12 Nov 2007 21:22:09
how about
drunken xenophobic child neglecting imperialists?
Posted by: AlbertaSallie | 13 Nov 2007 22:12:27
"In Rod We Trust"
Stupid inanimate carbon rod
Posted by: John Zoidberg | 14 Nov 2007 06:05:01
Land of Nope to tory
Posted by: Mark Baker | 14 Nov 2007 12:14:31
Principles espoused but not practiced...
Posted by: Casual Observer | 14 Nov 2007 14:08:00
Yeah but no but yeah...
That's nice dearie, fancy another
It's not all that bad
Do you remember when...
Nothing is as it seems
ASBO reductio ad absurdium
Posted by: Timbo1 | 15 Nov 2007 03:23:53
What we don't understand, we destroy!
Posted by: Max | 16 Nov 2007 14:14:50
"Mind your own business"
That says it for most of us, believe me.
Posted by: Stepperg | 12 Dec 2007 14:19:14
I would like to tell the irs to mind their own business when april comes around
Posted by: HermitMoney | 2 May 2008 18:48:48