Integer vitae scelerisque purus
“Upright in life and free of wrongdoing.”
Horace, Odes 1.22.1
What does “Integer vitae scelerisque purus” mean?
Integer vitae scelerisque purus translates as “Upright in life and free of wrongdoing.”
A person of clean conscience and honest life needs no weapons or protection.
“Integer vitae scelerisque purus” word by word
| Latin | English | Grammar |
|---|---|---|
| Integer | upright, sound, blameless | nominative singular masculine of the adjective integer, integra, integrum, “untouched, whole, blameless”; agrees with the unnamed man the ode is about |
| vitae | in life, of life | genitive singular of vita, “life”; a genitive of respect, meaning “blameless as regards his life” |
| scelerisque | and of wrongdoing | scelerisque is sceleris + -que, “and”; sceleris is the genitive singular of scelus, “crime, wickedness”, depending on purus |
| purus | free, clean | nominative singular masculine of the adjective purus, “pure, clean”; takes a genitive here, “free of wrongdoing” |
How to pronounce “Integer vitae scelerisque purus”
The differences are in the soft sounds: Classical has a hard g in integer, v as w in vitae and a hard c in scelerisque, while Church Latin has j, v and sh, and says vitae as VEE-teh.
The story behind it
Word for word the line says “upright of life and pure of wrongdoing”. It is the opening of Horace’s Odes 1.22, written in the first century BC and addressed to a friend, Aristius Fuscus.
Horace says that a man of this kind needs no Moorish spears, bow or poisoned arrows, because his clear conscience protects him. He then adds a playful touch: a wolf in the Sabine woods ran away from him, though he was unarmed and singing about his beloved Lalage.
The ode was later set to music and became a well-known song in schools and choirs. Today the line is quoted as a short statement of honesty and a clean conscience.
How to use “Integer vitae scelerisque purus”
It suits a motto for someone who values honesty, a school or choir reference, a card message for a person of good character, or a tattoo or print about a clear conscience. For a tattoo, keep the whole line, since the first words alone lose the idea of being free of wrongdoing.
- Latin
- Integer vitae scelerisque purus
- English
- Upright in life and free of wrongdoing.
- Source
- Horace, Odes 1.22.1
- Era
- Antiquity
- Theme
- Character
Common mistakes
- The English “upright in life” is a free rendering. Integer vitae literally means “untouched or whole in life”, and the sense of moral soundness comes from context.
- The ending -que on scelerisque means “and” and is attached to the word. Writing it as a separate word, or leaving it out, breaks the line.
- The line is about a person’s character, not about a person being innocent of one specific charge, so it should not be used as a legal or courtroom claim.
- Integer and purus are masculine singular. For a woman, the forms would be integra and pura, and for a group, integri and puri.
Questions about “Integer vitae scelerisque purus”
What does “Integer vitae scelerisque purus” mean literally?
Roughly “upright of life and pure of wrongdoing”. Integer means whole or blameless, vitae is “of life” and purus is “pure”, with scelerisque meaning “and of wrongdoing”.
Who wrote “Integer vitae scelerisque purus”?
The Roman poet Horace, in the first line of Odes 1.22, written in the first century BC.
How do you pronounce “Integer vitae scelerisque purus”?
In Classical Latin: IN-teh-gher WEE-tie skeh-LEH-rees-kweh POO-roos. In Church Latin: IN-teh-jer VEE-teh sheh-LEH-rees-kweh POO-roos.
Is “Integer vitae scelerisque purus” good Latin for a tattoo?
Yes, it is a real line of Horace and the grammar is correct. It is written for a man, so a woman would use integra and pura.
More to explore
Translation and grammar checked by Latin Quoter · last reviewed November 2026
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