A family creed for a family of readers
Reading families share a particular kind of evening: everyone on the couch, everyone somewhere else. This creed starts from learning and curiosity, adds wisdom, and keeps kindness in the mix so that being well read never becomes being a know-it-all. The classic tone suits a family that owns more books than shelves. The owl and the open book are two of the oldest heraldic signs of learning, and blue stands for truth. It looks right framed in a library corner or printed as a bookplate.
The creed
We hold these things to be true:
We read, we ask, we think, and we grow wise together.
We seek to understand the world and our place in it.
We honor the wisdom of those who came before us.
We are gentle with the weak and patient with the weary.
We live simply and treasure what matters.
We read together and share what we learn.
We speak openly and settle our troubles together.
Let it be said of our family: they were wise and kind.
This is our way.
Motto options
- Doctrina et Studio (“By learning and eagerness to learn”)
- Keep learning. Stay curious.
- Sapere Aude (“Dare to be wise”)
- Quaerite et Invenietis (“Seek and you will find”)
- Keep Learning
- Wonder Always
What the crest means
Azure, a bend Argent between an owl Argent and a feather Argent.
- Azure (blue): truth and loyalty
- Argent (silver): peace and sincerity
- The owl: wisdom and watchfulness
- The feather: freedom and the written word
- The bend, a diagonal band, stands for protection and defense
- The laurel wreath: honor and achievement
- The motto: Doctrina et Studio (“By learning and eagerness to learn”)
Values in this creed
Talk about it together
- What is the best thing you learned this year?
- Who in our family taught you something important?
- What is something you have always wondered about?
- What could our family learn about together this year?