Latin Quotes, Sayings, Tattoos, Phrases & Mottos

I started working on a page of Latin mottos, phrases and quotations in popular use. After correcting a ton of errors many still remain, I am sure. I will keep adding more phrases there. Fortunately, I have a lot of sources for this kind of thing.

http://www.inrebus.com/latinphrases_a.php

Per aspera ad astra (sometimes 'per ardua ad astra' etc.) - Through hardships to the stars. I wonder how this motto has been overlooked by UFO enthusiasts. Really, what possible use would anyone prior to the 20th century have for a phrase so vividly referring to space exploration? Did Virgil's 'sic itur ad astra' ('in such a manner one goes to the stars') imply the Romans' familiarity with interstellar voyages? Or how about continuous use of the verb 'to fly' when referring to merely visiting one's friends, as found in Cicero? Also, note that in Latin 'altus' means both 'high' and 'deep'. It's as if for the Ancient Romans top and bottom were interchangeable, just like they are in space!

I saw this amusing snippet of "Latin" in a few places online:

Imperiequeritis, tria pendent corpora ramis dis meus et gestas in media et divina potestas dimeas clanator sed jetas as astra levarut.

This phrase is actually a magic spell, supposed to alleviate pain and suffering caused by torture. Well, maybe. Maybe not. The Latin language is the one being tortured here, because the original phrase looked like this (a little piece of Medieval poetry):

Imparibus meritis, pendent tria corpora ramis,
Dismas et Gesmas, media est divina potestas.
Gestas damnatur, Dismas ad astra levatur.


Unequal in their merits, three bodies hang on the tree,
Dismas and Gesmas, and in the middle - God's Might.
Gestas is condemned, and Desmas is lifted up the the stars.


I must add that there are many variations in the apocryphal names of the two criminals that were crucified alongside Jesus.

That's right. The law does not favor the wishes of the dainty.
Due to the unusually high interest to this maxim, I will provide a little extra explanation from E.H. Jackson's "Law Latin":

Lex non favet delicatorum votis

An action does not lie because of a trifling inconvenience, which would only be regarded as such by the dainty.