Its exact origin is unknown although Aristotle in Ethica Nicomachea, Book III, mentions, along with other examples, that the virtuous man is not temerarious nor timorous, but courageous.
[1] It is best known as the motto of the Dano-Norwegian naval hero Niels Juel, who supposedly used it first at the dawn of July 1, 1677, just before the Battle of Køge Bay.
The phrase has been used as a motto by armigerous families Bent, Buckley and Sherbourne, as well as individuals including the Williams-Bulkeley baronets and Charles Western, 1st Baron Western.
[2] Today, it is used as a motto by various institutions, including: Media related to Nec temere nec timide at Wikimedia Commons
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