Changing the Motto

While I am sympathetic with Sonia Sotomayor ’76’s motivation to change Princeton’s informal motto (On the Campus, April 20), there is a simpler, more concise, more inclusive, and more elegant solution. 

The original change to “Princeton in the nation’s service and the service of all nations” seemed cumbersome and unmemorable at best. Revising the motto to “Princeton in the nation’s service and the service of humanity” is equally cumbersome and unmemorable, and the change implies that the United States is not obligated to serve humanity. 

Simply moving the apostrophe to “Princeton in the nations’ service” would honor and restore the historical legacy of the motto, while making it more inclusive of Princeton graduates and faculty who choose to serve people and governments outside the borders of the United States.