-- Posted by the seer at 8:44 pm on Nov. 8, 2008 everywhere i  go it seems that no one knows the meaning to these three phrases. TWO of theme even having a lot to do with the ideals on witch america is founded. so does anyone else here actully know what the following phrases means lazes fare Carpe diem E Pluribus Unum -- Posted by Vordhosbn at 10:09 pm on Nov. 8, 2008 i'm not a spelling/grammar nazi, but perhaps you should at least use correct english if you're going to attack people for not knowing what they mean? it is spelt laissez-faire. and yes, i know what they mean. -- Posted by Periwinkle at 5:37 am on Nov. 9, 2008 Laissez-faire, not 'lazes fare'. And Vordhosbn, it's a little difficult to use correct English when it's actually, uh, French. Yes, I know what they all mean. -- Posted by Vordhosbn at 7:19 am on Nov. 9, 2008 Quote: from Periwinkle at 5:37 am on Nov. 9, 2008 And Vordhosbn, it's a little difficult to use correct English when it's actually, uh, French. I was talking about the rest of the post. everywhere i  go it seems that no one knows the meaning to[of] these three phrases. TWO of theme[them] even having a lot to do with the ideals on witch[which] america is[was] founded. so does anyone else here actully[actually] know what the following phrases means[mean?] like i said, i wouldn't care, but it irritates me when people attack others for being stupid, and can't put a sentence together themselves. -- Posted by whoami111 at 2:29 pm on Nov. 10, 2008 I agree with you most people need to know what that means, but lacking knowledge=/= lacking intelligence. What if you put a smart guy in a box for his whole life? -- Posted by save the world at 3:25 pm on Nov. 10, 2008 I only know the second. The first rings a bell, haven't seen the third before. -- Posted by telomere13 at 5:22 pm on Nov. 10, 2008 I know all three of them, but, to be honest, who cares?  It's not like you need them to cure cancer or do, you know, anything. Why would anyone really need to know the Latin phrases for "seize the day," "from many, one" or the French for "let do"?  They're fine, if trite, ideas, but do you really need to know special phrases? -- Posted by sadnessness at 11:02 am on Nov. 18, 2008 How arrogant of you to assume that just because a selection of people dont know a couple of latin phrases, the intellectual level must be lowering. -- Posted by Scui at 10:58 pm on Nov. 21, 2008 Laissez-faire - "let do" - used when referring to capitalism and the free market etc. Carpe diem = seize the day. E Pluribus Unum = out of many, one. Wow, I know what they mean. Does that mean I'm more intelligent than people who don't? Of course not. I know what "laissez-faire" means because I take politics and I know what "carpe diem" and "E Pluribus Unum" means because I tried my hand at Latin (and not very successfully at that). Knowledge is not the same as intelligence, and it is highly ironic that you criticise the 'intelligence' of other people because they don't know the meaning of words you can't spell correctly. -- Posted by MotoMojo at 4:54 pm on Nov. 26, 2008 Having knowledge of history you see as general knowledge doesn't constitute intelligence. I hated history in highschool, and I don't really know about two of those in depth at all. -- Posted by sophos at 9:06 am on Dec. 7, 2008 Quote: from the seer at 12:44 pm on Nov. 9, 2008 everywhere i go it seems that no one knows the meaning to these three phrases. TWO of theme even having a lot to do with the ideals on witch america is founded. so does anyone else here actully know what the following phrases means lazes fare Carpe diem E Pluribus Unum Besides the last one, there's no reason why Americans should know them. -- Posted by xoxo1234 at 2:57 am on Dec. 9, 2008 My vocabulary is absolutely horrendous. I guess it is understandable based on the fact that I moved to Israel when I was 11, but it's still quite embarrassing. Especially in this forum. I've become horrible at expressing myself in English. Yet I still speak it better than my Hebrew. It sucks. =/ Yeah, anyway, I only knew carpe diem. -- Posted by omnifariam at 12:02 am on Dec. 10, 2008 Popular Latin and French terms. I seriously doubt that many people would have an inkling as to their meanings.