Connecticut State Motto: Qui Transtulit Sustinet
Qui Transtulit Sustinet
Qui Transtulit Sustinet
The motto appears on the state seal of Connecticut
- Motto
- Qui Transtulit Sustinet
- Language
- Latin
- Translation
- He Who Transplanted Still Sustains
- Colonial use
- c. 1647
- Formally adopted
- 1784
Connecticut State Motto
Connecticut's state motto is Qui Transtulit Sustinet, a Latin phrase meaning He Who Transplanted Still Sustains. The motto has appeared on Connecticut's official seal since approximately 1647, when the colonial General Court adopted it. The Connecticut General Assembly formally carried it forward into the state seal in 1784.
Connecticut is one of the few states whose motto predates American independence by more than a century. The phrase was not invented for a new nation — it was already part of the colony's identity for 137 years before the state seal was officially adopted.
Connecticut State Motto Meaning
The phrase uses an agricultural metaphor: a vine transplanted to new soil. Qui Transtulit means "He who transplanted" and Sustinet means "still sustains." The "He" refers to divine providence — the belief that God transplanted the English settlers to Connecticut and continued to sustain them there.
The image of transplanting a vine was not accidental. Psalm 80 in the Old Testament describes God bringing a vine out of Egypt and planting it in a new land. Connecticut's Puritan founders applied that passage directly to their own migration from England, and the motto made that comparison official.
For a student reading the motto today, the simplest version is this: God moved us here, and God keeps us going. The phrase is both a historical description and a statement of faith — unusual for a state motto, and rare in its directness.
Translation of "Qui Transtulit Sustinet"
"Qui Transtulit Sustinet" breaks down word by word: Qui means "he who" or "the one who," Transtulit is the past tense of transfero meaning "transplanted" or "transferred," and Sustinet is from sustineo, meaning "still sustains" or "still upholds."
The standard English translation is He Who Transplanted Still Sustains. Some sources give He Who Transplanted Us Still Sustains Us, which adds the implied objects for clarity. Both versions are accepted.
History of Connecticut's State Motto
English settlers from Massachusetts founded Windsor, Hartford, and Wethersfield along the Connecticut River in 1636. These three towns formed the nucleus of the Connecticut Colony. Around 1647, the Connecticut General Court adopted a seal bearing three grapevines and the motto Qui Transtulit Sustinet — the three vines traditionally representing the three founding towns.
The colonial seal remained in use through the Royal Charter of 1662 and the Revolutionary period without significant change. When Connecticut became one of the original thirteen states, the General Assembly formally adopted the state seal in 1784. The colonial grapevines and the motto were carried forward unchanged — a deliberate choice to tie the new state's identity to its Puritan colonial roots.
The current authorized form of the seal is governed by Connecticut General Statutes § 3-107. The basic design has not changed since 1784: three grapevines on a white shield, with the motto on a ribbon below.
"Qui Transtulit Sustinet" on the Connecticut State Seal
The motto appears on a ribbon below the heraldic shield on the Great Seal of Connecticut. The shield shows three grapevines, each bearing three clusters of grapes, on a white field. The outer border of the seal reads "Sigillum Reipublicae Connecticutensis" — Latin for "Seal of the Republic of Connecticut."
The coat of arms — the three grapevines and the motto, without the circular seal border — appears at the center of the Connecticut state flag on a blue field. Unlike the full seal, the flag uses just the coat of arms, so the motto ribbon appears directly below the shield without the border inscription.
Connecticut State Motto Facts
- Connecticut's state motto is "Qui Transtulit Sustinet" — Latin for "He Who Transplanted Still Sustains."
- The motto has appeared on Connecticut's seal since approximately 1647, making it one of the oldest state mottos in continuous use in the United States.
- It was formally adopted with the state seal in 1784 by the Connecticut General Assembly.
- The three grapevines on the seal traditionally represent Windsor, Hartford, and Wethersfield — Connecticut's three founding English towns, all settled in 1636.
- The motto and coat of arms also appear on the Connecticut state flag, on a blue field.
- The phrase draws on Psalm 80, which describes God transplanting a vine from Egypt to a new land — the Puritan founders applied it to their own migration from England.
Can You Match All 50 State Mottos?
Some questions show the original motto — Latin, Italian, Chinook — and ask which state it belongs to. Others give you the English translation and ask you to work backward. Both directions are harder than they look.
Take the State Mottos QuizQuick Answers
What is Connecticut's state motto?
What does "Qui Transtulit Sustinet" mean?
What is the English translation of "Qui Transtulit Sustinet"?
When did Connecticut adopt its state motto?
Where does Connecticut's motto appear?
Connecticut State Symbols
Show more (2)
Related States
Compare all 50 states by population, land area, statehood date, and more.
Themed lists - states sharing the same bird, oldest symbols, flags with bears, and more.
Side-by-side comparison of population, area, income, taxes, climate, and more.
Top 20 most common surnames per state - with origins, meanings, and heritage context. Is yours on the list?
You Might Also Like
Stand Your Ground Laws by State
30 states have statutory Stand Your Ground laws with no duty to retreat. 11 states require retreat before using deadly force in public.
Best Healthcare by State
Hawaii leads all states with a healthcare score of 87.6. Alaska ranks last at 27.8, with West Virginia and Mississippi also below 30.
Squatters Rights by State
Arizona has one of the shortest adverse possession periods at 3 years, while New Jersey and Texas require up to 30 years.
Age of Consent by State
32 states set the age of consent at 16. California and Florida require 18. Romeo and Juliet exemption status for all 50 states.
Basilosaurus Whale
The Alabama state fossil is the Basilosaurus Whale (Basilosaurus cetoides), adopted in 1984. Fossils are found in southwest Alabama's Eocene deposits.
Petrified Wood
The Arizona state fossil is Petrified Wood (Araucarioxylon arizonicum), adopted in 1988. Fossil logs are found throughout Petrified Forest National Park.
Colorado State Colors
Official Colorado state colors are Blue and White, adopted in 1911. Blue reflects the sky and the columbine, white the Rocky Mountain snow.
Alabama State Colors
Crimson and white are Alabama's traditional state colors, taken from the 1895 state flag's wide saltire cross on a white field.