Nemo me impune lacessit
Nemo me impune lacessit (Latin for 'No one provokes me with impunity') is the national motto of Scotland.[1][2][3] It also served as the national motto of the historic Kingdom of Scotland prior to the Treaty of Union 1707.[4]
The motto was the Latin motto of the Royal Stuart dynasty of Scotland from at least the reign of James VI when it appeared on the reverse side of merk coins minted in 1578 and 1580.[5][6] It is the adopted motto of the Order of the Thistle and of three Scottish regiments of the British Army.[7]
The motto also appears, in conjunction with the collar of the Order of the Thistle, in later versions of the royal coat of arms of the Kingdom of Scotland and subsequently in the version of the royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom used in Scotland. It has been loosely rendered in Scots as Wha daur meddle wi' me?[8] (in Scottish Gaelic Cha togar m' fhearg gun dìoladh, pronounced [xa ˈt̪okəɾ ˈmɛɾak kuɲ ˈtʲiəl̪ˠəɣ] ). It more or less translates as 'No one can harm me without (detrimental) consequence'. Whatever harm comes to me, shall be returned.
