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Crescit eundo
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Crescit eundo" is the State Motto of the U.S. State of New Mexico. It is Latin in origin and can be translated to "It grows as it goes" or "Increases as it goes", though the former is the official translation for the motto.
The motto was first used in 1882, when acting Territorial Secretary, William G. Ritch, added the Latin phrase "Crescit eundo" to an early 1860's version of the territorial seal. In 1887, Ritch's version of the seal, including the words "Crescit eundo," was adopted by the legislature as part of the official New Mexico Territory seal and coat of arms. When New Mexico became a state in 1912, the Legislature appointed a commission to settle on a design for an official "state" seal. As it turned out, the commission recommended the territorial seal to be continued as the state seal, including the words "Crescit eundo" which were then adopted as the official state motto.
The motto has been criticized for being irrelevant as many fail to understand it because it has no applicable meaning. However, it is actually a quotation from the first-century B.C. Latin poet Lucretius in his epic poem De Rerum Natura (On The Nature of Things) book VI. In context it refers to the motion of a thunderbolt across the sky, which acquires power and momentum as it goes. Once one realizes that the motto is comparing the state of New Mexico to a mighty thunderbolt flashing across the sky, it gives a whole new meaning to the expression.