Poland has no official motto of the State, namely the one which is recognized as such by the Polish national law.
However, there are some common phrases which appear commonly on banners, flags and other symbols of the Polish State.
- Bóg, Honor, Ojczyzna ("God, Honour, Fatherland"): the most common phrase found on military standards. It is also popular
- Za wolność Naszą i Waszą ("For our freedom and yours"): Its history dates back to the times when Polish soldiers, exiled from the partitioned Poland, fought in the various independence movements throughout the world.
- Żeby Polska była Polską ("Let Poland be Poland"): a song written in 1976 by Jan Pietrzak. The song was regarded as an expression of the struggle against communist rule in Poland and support for the "Solidarity" movement in the 1980s. English translation of the title song is often quoted in various speeches. Queen Elizabeth II herself delivered this statement in Polish in a speech cementing the re-establishment of Anglo-Polish friendship after the end of communism.
- Nic o nas, bez nas ("Nothing about us, without us"): Derives from the title of the Nihil novi Constitution of 1505, which established nobles' democracy in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. In a modern context, it can also signify frustration at Poland's fate being determined by foreign powers since the end of the 18th century. That is, the partitions and the Congress of Vienna, as well as, the Western Betrayal.
- Pro Fide, Lege et Rege (For Faith, Law, and King): motto of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth during the 18th century and the Order of the White Eagle.
Famous quotes containing the word poland:
“It is often said that Poland is a country where there is anti-semitism and no Jews, which is pathology in its purest state.”
—Bronislaw Geremek (b. 1932)