Quam Bene Vivas Refert, Non Quam Diu

We say this at the end of every meeting of The League of Gentlemen Adventurers, so I thought I might explain why we say it, and how we came by it.  This latin phrase is our official League motto & toast.  We, the San Diego Chapter, learned the toast from Cap’n John, the gentleman who inducted us into the League in the late 1990s.  Cap’n John said that he learned it from the gent who inducted him when he was a young man; Cap’n John (who had a penchant for making extravagant claims) asserted on numerous occasions that the League and its motto went back many hundreds of years.

The latin “Quam bene vivas refert, non quam diu” translates as, “It is how well you live that matters, not how long,” a sentiment that lies at the heart of the mission of our League.  We encourge gentlemen and gentlelady adventurers everywhere to raise a glass, speak the motto, and take it to heart.  It is truly a sentiment to live by.