Nil desperandum
“Never despair.”
Horace, Odes 1.7.27
What does “Nil desperandum” mean?
Nil desperandum translates as “Never despair.”
Never give up hope. Even after setbacks, there is always a reason to keep going.
“Nil desperandum” word by word
| Latin | English | Grammar |
|---|---|---|
| Nil | nothing, in no way | indeclinable pronoun, a shortened form of nihil; here it works as an adverb meaning “in no way” |
| desperandum | to be despaired of | gerund or gerundive of despero, “I despair”; used impersonally, so the phrase means “there is nothing to be despaired of” |
How to pronounce “Nil desperandum”
Both pronunciations sound the same here. The stress falls on the third syllable of desperandum: deh-speh-RAHN-doom.
The story behind it
Word for word the phrase says “nothing is to be despaired of”, which in English becomes “never despair”. It is a line of Horace, the Roman poet of the Augustan age, from the seventh ode of his first book of Odes.
In the poem the hero Teucer has been banished from home and is about to sail into the unknown. He cheers up his companions with this advice, telling them to drown their cares in wine, since the journey ahead is guided by a good omen.
Because it is short and positive, the line has long lived on as a motto. It is often used by schools, regiments and families, and today it appears on cards, tattoos and desk prints as a simple call to keep going.
How to use “Nil desperandum”
A good fit for a tattoo, a card to someone going through a hard stretch, or a personal motto for exams, recovery or a long project. It also works well as an essay quote about resilience.
- Latin
- Nil desperandum
- English
- Never despair.
- Source
- Horace, Odes 1.7.27
- Era
- Antiquity
- Theme
- Hope
Common mistakes
- It is often written as “Nil desperandum est”. The short form is the usual motto and is fine as it stands, with est understood.
- Nil is not an English word. It is Latin nil, a short form of nihil, so check the spelling before you commit to a tattoo.
- The line is sometimes credited to a general or politician. The source is Horace, Odes 1.7.27.
Questions about “Nil desperandum”
What does “Nil desperandum” mean literally?
Literally it means “nothing is to be despaired of”, or “there is no cause for despair”. In everyday English it is “never despair”.
Who said “Nil desperandum”?
It comes from the Roman poet Horace, in Odes 1.7. The speaker in the poem is the hero Teucer, who says it to his men.
How do you pronounce “Nil desperandum”?
In classical Latin it is “nihl deh-speh-RAHN-doom”, with the stress on RAHN. The church pronunciation sounds the same.
Is “Nil desperandum” correct Latin for a tattoo?
Yes. It is a genuine line of Latin and the short form is grammatical, with est understood. Many people use it exactly as written.
More to explore
Translation and grammar checked by Latin Quoter · last reviewed November 2026
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