Moralitas, voluntas, creativitas
“Morality, will, creativity.”
Latin motto
What does “Moralitas, voluntas, creativitas” mean?
Moralitas, voluntas, creativitas translates as “Morality, will, creativity.”
The motto names three qualities a modern education should build: ethical character, determination and creative thinking. Together they describe a person able to act well and imaginatively.
“Moralitas, voluntas, creativitas” word by word
| Latin | English | Grammar |
|---|---|---|
| Moralitas | morality | nominative singular feminine noun, from moralitas, moralitatis. The word is late and medieval in origin, formed from moralis, “relating to character or custom” |
| voluntas | will | nominative singular feminine noun, from voluntas, voluntatis, “will, wish, determination”; a classical word used by Cicero |
| creativitas | creativity | nominative singular feminine noun, from creativitas, creativitatis; a modern Latin coinage built on the creative- stem (creo, “I create”) plus the abstract suffix -itas |
How to pronounce “Moralitas, voluntas, creativitas”
Classical and Church Latin differ mainly in v (w or v) and in the ae/ee-style vowels, which do not occur here. Moralitas stresses -RA-, voluntas stresses -LUN-, and creativitas stresses -TI-.
The story behind it
Word for word the motto is a list of three abstract nouns: “morality, will, creativity”. There is no verb, so it works as a slogan or a statement of values rather than a sentence.
The motto is a recent coinage and has no classical source. Moralitas is late Latin, voluntas is a classical word, and creativitas is a modern invention, since Roman writers had no abstract noun for “creativity”.
All three nouns use the Latin ending -tas, which turns qualities into abstract nouns. That gives the phrase a rhythmic, repeating sound, which is why it works well as a motto.
How to use “Moralitas, voluntas, creativitas”
Suited to a school, design studio, innovation lab or personal manifesto that wants to pair ethics with drive and imagination. It also works as a three-word tattoo or an engraved desk motto.
- Latin
- Moralitas, voluntas, creativitas
- English
- Morality, will, creativity.
- Source
- Latin motto
- Era
- Modern Latin
- Theme
- Character
Common mistakes
- Do not look for this line in Roman literature. It is a modern motto, and creativitas especially is a modern Latin word.
- Creativitas is not found in classical dictionaries. Some purists prefer a phrase built on ingenium or inventio, but that would be a different motto.
- The three nouns are in the nominative singular. Do not change their endings for a plural or other grammatical use without checking, since the forms are not interchangeable.
- Moralitas is sometimes misspelt with a single l or a final -es. The correct form ends in -itas.
Questions about “Moralitas, voluntas, creativitas”
What does “Moralitas, voluntas, creativitas” mean?
It means “Morality, will, creativity”. It names three qualities a person or institution aims to develop.
Is “creativitas” a real Latin word?
It is a modern Latin coinage, not a classical word. It is built from the creo stem and the suffix -itas, so it is understandable but not Roman.
Who said “Moralitas, voluntas, creativitas”?
No ancient author. It is a modern Latin motto with no known classical source.
How do you pronounce “Moralitas, voluntas, creativitas”?
In Classical Latin: moh-RAH-lih-tahs woh-LOON-tahs kreh-ah-TEE-wih-tahs. In Church Latin, v is pronounced as v rather than w.
More to explore
Translation and grammar checked by Latin Quoter · last reviewed November 2026
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