Omnia mea mecum porto
“All that is mine I carry with me.”
Cicero, Paradoxa Stoicorum 1.8
What does “Omnia mea mecum porto” mean?
Omnia mea mecum porto translates as “All that is mine I carry with me.”
True wealth is what you carry inside you – your mind and character – not your possessions.
“Omnia mea mecum porto” word by word
| Latin | English | Grammar |
|---|---|---|
| Omnia | all things, everything | neuter plural accusative of omnis, “all”; used as a noun and the object of porto |
| mea | my, mine | neuter plural accusative of meus, “my”; agrees with omnia |
| mecum | with me | me (ablative of ego, “I”) plus cum, “with”; cum is attached to the end of personal pronouns |
| porto | I carry | first person singular present active indicative of porto, “to carry” |
How to pronounce “Omnia mea mecum porto”
Both pronunciations sound the same here, since there is no c or g before e or i and no v. Stress falls on the first syllable of each word.
The story behind it
Word for word the line says “all my things I carry with me”. Cicero gives it in his Paradoxa Stoicorum, a short work on Stoic ideas, and credits it to Bias of Priene, one of the Seven Sages of Greece.
Cicero tells the story that when Bias’s city fell and its people fled loaded with their belongings, Bias left with nothing. Asked why he carried nothing, he answered with this line: what he valued was in his mind, not in his bags.
Cicero uses the saying to support the Stoic claim that only virtue is truly one’s own. Today the line is quoted for the idea that real wealth is character, learning and inner resources that no loss, exile or theft can take away.
How to use “Omnia mea mecum porto”
It suits a tattoo, a motto for someone who travels or has moved far from home, or a line in an essay or speech on what really counts as wealth. It also fits a card for a graduate or for someone starting a new life elsewhere.
- Latin
- Omnia mea mecum porto
- English
- All that is mine I carry with me.
- Source
- Cicero, Paradoxa Stoicorum 1.8
- Era
- Antiquity
- Theme
- Wisdom
Common mistakes
- It is not a call to travel light or live without possessions. The point is that your real worth sits in your mind and character.
- The line is Cicero’s Latin rendering of a saying credited to Bias, not Bias’s own Latin, since he was Greek and spoke Greek.
- Some modern versions begin Omnia mecum porto mea. The word order is freer in Latin, but the usual form is Omnia mea mecum porto.
- Mecum is one word, not “me cum”. Cicero’s wording is a close paraphrase of the Greek saying, so do not present it as a word-for-word quotation of Bias.
Questions about “Omnia mea mecum porto”
What does “Omnia mea mecum porto” mean literally?
“All my things I carry with me.” The sense is that everything valuable to you is within you, not in your belongings.
Who said “Omnia mea mecum porto”?
Cicero reports it in Paradoxa Stoicorum 1.8 and ascribes it to Bias of Priene, one of the Seven Sages of Greece.
How do you pronounce “Omnia mea mecum porto”?
In Classical Latin: OM-nee-ah MEH-ah MEH-koom POR-toh. The Church pronunciation sounds the same.
Is “Omnia mea mecum porto” correct Latin for a tattoo?
Yes. It is correct Latin, taken from a classical source. Keep the word order and spelling as given.
More to explore
Translation and grammar checked by Latin Quoter · last reviewed November 2026
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