Quo non ascendam?
“To what heights can I not rise?”
Motto of Army Burn Hall College, Abbottabad
What does “Quo non ascendam?” mean?
Quo non ascendam? translates as “To what heights can I not rise?”
An expression of limitless ambition and self-belief.
“Quo non ascendam?” word by word
| Latin | English | Grammar |
|---|---|---|
| Quo | to where, to what place | adverb; interrogative, used here in the sense “to what height” |
| non | not | negative adverb, negates the verb |
| ascendam | may I climb, can I rise | first person singular present subjunctive active of ascendo, “I climb up”; a deliberative question (“how could I not…?”) |
How to pronounce “Quo non ascendam?”
The two differ only in the sc of ascendam: hard sk in Classical, soft sh in Church Latin. Stress falls on the second syllable, ascendam, in both.
The story behind it
Word for word the line asks “To where may I not climb?”, which is a rhetorical question: the unspoken answer is “nowhere is out of reach”. The verb ascendere means to climb up, so the image is of ascent, a mountain or a ladder.
The line is the motto of Army Burn Hall College in Abbottabad, Pakistan, a school that adopted it to encourage its pupils to aim high. It is a modern school motto in Latin form, not a quotation from an ancient author, so it has no classical source.
Mottos of this kind borrow Latin for its brevity and weight. The question form turns self-belief into a challenge rather than a boast.
How to use “Quo non ascendam?”
Suits a school, team or club motto, a graduation card, a speech about ambition, or a tattoo for someone who wants a reminder to aim higher. As a question it works best where the reader supplies the answer themselves.
- Latin
- Quo non ascendam?
- English
- To what heights can I not rise?
- Source
- Motto of Army Burn Hall College, Abbottabad
- Era
- Modern
- Theme
- Ambition
Common mistakes
- It is a question, not a statement. It does not mean “I will climb everywhere”, and it should keep its question mark.
- The verb is ascendam, a subjunctive. Changing it to the plain present ascendo (“I am climbing”) would remove the sense of possibility.
- It is not an ancient Roman saying. Do not attribute it to a classical author; it is a modern school motto.
Questions about “Quo non ascendam?”
What does “Quo non ascendam?” mean literally?
Literally “To where may I not climb?” In natural English: “To what heights can I not rise?” It implies there is no limit.
Who said “Quo non ascendam?”
No ancient author is known. It is the motto of Army Burn Hall College in Abbottabad, Pakistan, so it is a modern motto in Latin.
How do you pronounce “Quo non ascendam?”
Classical: kwoh nohn ah-SKEN-dahm. Church Latin: kwoh nohn ah-SHEN-dahm. Stress the second syllable of ascendam.
Is “Quo non ascendam?” correct Latin for a tattoo?
Yes. It is grammatical Latin: a question with the subjunctive ascendam. Keep the question mark so the meaning stays clear.
More to explore
Translation and grammar checked by Latin Quoter · last reviewed November 2026
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