Etiam si omnes, ego non

Etiam si omnes, ego non is a Latin phrase often used as a motto, which translates into English approximately as "Even if all others, not I".

It is the motto of the family of Clermont-Tonnerre;[1][2] the title of a poem by Ernest Myers[3] and the inscription on the tombstone of Italian philosopher Giuseppe Rensi. It is also the motto of the Italian Joint Special Operations Command C.O.F.S. special unit.[4]

A variant is Et si omnes ego non, as written on the door of Philipp von Boeselager's home,[5] highlighting the necessity of maintaining one's own opinion and moral judgment, even in the face of a differing view held by the majority (in particular, it refers to von Boeselager's dissent and resistance against Hitler during the Nazi dictatorship). The last part of the phrase, in its German translation, is the title of an autobiographical work of Joachim Fest: Ich nicht.

A longer adaptation of the phrase can be seen in a passage from the Vulgate Gospel of Matthew 26:33: "Respondens autem Petrus ait illi et si omnes scandalizati fuerint in te ego numquam scandalizabor." (English translation: "Peter replied, 'All the others may turn away because of you. But I never will.'"[Mat. 26:33]). (Greek: Εἰ πάντες σκανδαλισθήσονται ἐν σοί, ἐγὼ οὐδέποτε σκανδαλισθήσομαι, Ei pantes skandalisthēsontai en soi, egō oudepote skandalisthēsomai.)

See also

References
  1. Life of Prince Talleyrand: Accompanied with a portrait, by Charles Maxime Catherinet de Villemarest
  2. Clermont-Tonnerre website
  3. Myers, Ernest, Etsi omnes ego non (poem)
  4. For direct reference to the original site, please see Italian Ministry of Defence website on Special Forces
  5. Paolo, Valentino (2004-07-01), "La mia armata a cavallo per abbattere il nazismo", Corriere della Sera, p. 35


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