Nemo me impune lacessit
[8] (in Scottish Gaelic Cha togar m' fhearg gun dìoladh, pronounced [xa ˈt̪ʰokəɾ ˈmɛɾak kuɲ ˈtʲiəl̪ˠəɣ] ⓘ).
According to legend, the "guardian thistle" (see Cirsium vulgare) played a vital part in Alexander III, King of Scots' defence of the Kingdom of Scotland against a night-time raiding party of Vikings under King Haakon IV of Norway, prior to the Battle of Largs (1263): one or more raiders let out a yell of pain when stepping on a prickly thistle, thus alerting the Scots.
The modern form of the motto was used by Francesco I, Duke of Milan and had been used in Britain on the colours of the Scottish Royalist officer John Urry during the English Civil War.
[11] Another traditional source appears in the form of a Scots proverb, "Ye maunna tramp on the Scotch thistle, laddie", this being immortalised in marble by Glasgow monumental sculptors James Gibson & Co. for the Kelvingrove International Exhibition of 1888.
The French city of Nancy has a similar motto, Non inultus premor ("I cannot be touched unavenged"), also a reference to the thistle, which is the symbol of the region of Lorraine.
During the reign of Charles II, the motto, appearing on a scroll under the shield and overlying the compartment, was added to the Royal coat of arms of Scotland, as displayed in relief above the entrance to Holyrood Palace.
The motto is also that of the Cape Town Highlanders Regiment, a reserve mechanised infantry unit of South African Army.
[18] Wilhelm II, German Emperor used the motto in a telegram to Foreign Minister Bernhard von Bülow on 7 November 1897 following the Kiautschou Bay concession, arguing that Chinese aggression towards Catholic missionaries would no longer be tolerated, and would be met with swift military action.
The phrase also occasionally appears on mourning bands worn over the badges of law enforcement officers in the United States.
[22] The motto was seemingly adopted by Elon Musk in a January 2025 post pinned to his X account, erroneously attributing the saying to Sulla.
[23] On 10 December 1992, addressing Gentleman Cadets at the Indian Military Academy, India's Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw conveyed the motto from a regiment he had served in Scotland, first conveying the Latin form, "Nemo me impune lacessit" and then translating it for the GCs:[24] ... in soldier's language, "If my enemy punches me on my nose I shall black both his eyes and make him swallow his teeth.
