Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
“Who will guard the guards themselves?.”
Juvenal, Satires 6.347-348
What does “Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?” mean?
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? translates as “Who will guard the guards themselves?.”
Who watches the watchmen? The classic question about power, control and accountability.
“Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?” word by word
| Latin | English | Grammar |
|---|---|---|
| Quis | who? | interrogative pronoun, nominative singular masculine; the subject of the question |
| custodiet | will guard | third person singular future active indicative of custodio, “I guard, watch over” |
| ipsos | themselves | intensive pronoun (from ipse), accusative plural masculine; agrees with custodes |
| custodes | the guards | accusative plural of custos, “guard, keeper”; the object of custodiet |
How to pronounce “Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?”
The two differ mainly in the final syllable of custodes (classical “dayss”, church “dess”). The stress falls on the second syllable of custodiet and custodes, and on the first of ipsos.
The story behind it
Word for word the line asks “Who will guard the guards themselves?”. It comes from Juvenal’s sixth Satire, a long and bitter attack on Roman women and marriage, written around the early second century AD.
In context the question is domestic. The speaker considers locking up his wife and setting guards over her, then points out that the guards could be corrupted and would need watching too.
Over time the line took on a wider meaning. It is now the standard way to ask who holds the powerful, the police, officials or any watchdog to account, and it is often quoted in discussions of politics, law and oversight.
How to use “Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?”
It suits an essay or speech on power, accountability or government oversight, and works as a pointed caption, a desk motto for anyone in compliance or journalism, or a tattoo for those who distrust unchecked authority.
- Latin
- Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
- English
- Who will guard the guards themselves?
- Source
- Juvenal, Satires 6.347-348
- Era
- Antiquity
- Theme
- Society
Common mistakes
- The original context is marital, not political. Juvenal was talking about guarding a wife, not about governments.
- The quote is often misattributed to Plato, whose Republic raises a similar idea about guardians but not in this Latin wording.
- Quis is “who” (singular), so the verb is custodiet, not the plural custodient. Changing it to “custodiat” gives a different, subjunctive sense.
- The text of the passage is debated by editors, and the line is sometimes printed with slightly different word order or even doubted as original to Juvenal.
Questions about “Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?”
What does “Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?” mean literally?
“Who will guard the guards themselves?”. It asks who keeps watch over those whose job is to keep watch.
Who said “Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?”
The Roman satirist Juvenal, in his Satires (6.347-348). It is not from Plato, despite a common claim.
How do you pronounce “Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?”
Classical: kwiss koo-STOH-dee-et IP-sohs koo-STOH-dayss. Church Latin ends the last word “dess”.
Is “Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?” correct Latin for a tattoo?
Yes, it is genuine Latin as written by Juvenal, with custodiet in the future tense. Check the spelling carefully, since the plural and subjunctive forms change the meaning.
More to explore
Translation and grammar checked by Latin Quoter · last reviewed November 2026
One Latin line. Every Monday.
A quote, its translation and the story behind it, free in your inbox.