Oklahoma State Motto

"Labor omnia vincit"

(Labor conquers all things)

Adopted in 1907.

Language: Latin

Focus: Progress and Prosperity

See Oklahoma State Seal

Labor Omnia Vincit was incorporated into the design of the Grand Seal of the Territory of Oklahoma during the second session of the Territorial Legislative Assembly held in Guthrie, January 1893. This is shown, magnified, to the right on the territorial seal.

The phrase was later specified as a feature of the Great Seal of the State of Oklahoma in the 1907 Oklahoma Constitution.

Oklahoma State Motto
"Labor omnia vincit"

The states with mottos that focus on the Progress and Prosperity:

1. New York: "Excelsior"
2. Oklahoma: "Labor omnia vincit"
3. Utah: "Industry"

Labor Omnia Vincit, signifying Labor conquers all things, is found in Virgil's Georgics, Book I, Line 145. These poems were written in support of Augustus Caesar's "Back to the Land" campaign to encourage more Romans to take up farming. The phrase is found in a section of the poem describing the growth of agriculture from primitive beginnings.

Oklahoma Constitution

The law designating the official Oklahoma state motto is found in the Oklahoma Constitution, Article 6, Section 6-35.

This statute describes the Oklahoma seal. The motto is specified within this description.

Article VI: EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT.

Section VI-35: Description of seal.

In the center shall be a five pointed star, with one ray directed upward. The center of the star shall contain the central device of the seal of the Territory of Oklahoma, including the words, "Labor Omnia Vincit." The upper left hand ray shall contain the symbol of the ancient seal of the Cherokee Nation, namely: A seven pointed star partially surrounded by a wreath of oak leaves. The ray directed upward shall contain the symbol of the ancient seal of the Chickasaw Nation, namely: An Indian warrior standing upright with bow and shield. The lower left hand ray shall contain the symbol of the ancient seal of the Creek Nation, namely: A sheaf of wheat and a plow. The upper right hand ray shall contain the symbol of the ancient seal of the Choctaw Nation, namely: A tomahawk, bow, and three crossed arrows. The lower right hand ray shall contain the symbol of the ancient seal of the Seminole Nation, namely: A village with houses and a factory beside a lake upon which an Indian is paddling a canoe. Surrounding the central star and grouped between its rays shall be forty-five small stars, divided into five clusters of nine stars each, representing the forty-five states of the Union, to which the forty-sixth is now added. In a circular band surrounding the whole device shall be inscribed, "GREAT SEAL OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA 1907."