Olympic mottoes and their meanings

What you’ll practice

Olympic mottoes are short, memorable—and easy to mix up when you’re under pressure. This quiz helps you connect each motto to its meaning, language, and the values it represents.

Expect a blend of well-known phrases and trickier entries that test careful reading and context, not just memorization.

Format and difficulty settings

Each question comes with 4 options and there’s no timer, so you can think through translations and nuances. Before you start, choose how many questions you want to answer and select a difficulty level; “Mixed” combines easy recognition items with deeper meaning-and-origin checks.

Difficulty is balanced by alternating straightforward motto-to-meaning matches with questions that require distinguishing similar wording or closely related concepts.

Common pitfalls to avoid

• Confusing Latin wording with modern translations (close words can shift the meaning)
• Mixing up Olympic, Paralympic, and event-specific slogans
• Choosing the “inspiring” option instead of the most literal meaning
• Overlooking small differences like comparative forms (e.g., “faster” vs. “fast”)
• Assuming every famous phrase is an official motto

Tips to score higher

Read every option fully before you pick—many wrong answers are designed to be almost right. If you’re unsure, use process of elimination: rule out meanings that don’t match the tone (comparative, imperative, or value statement) and keep an eye on repeated key words across questions.