Lijfspreuken

Narrative by Thierry Mortier, Posted January 13, 2026

Image courtesy of TM

Semioticians analyze symbols, so for this series, we’ve asked 25 of our semio colleagues from around the world to explicate the symbolism of… one of their own tattoos.

You ask about my tattoos, but I have none. I have lijfspreuken (Dutch), which needs some context.

I was born and bred in Flanders, Belgium, which means I grew up with Flemish-Dutch as my mother tongue. None of us choose our first language — and even if we manage to dig a profound well of vocabulary in our second or third languages, they rarely compare to the abysmal depths of our first. Dutch, as far as I can tell, is the only language that has the term lijfspreuk. It translates to “personal motto,” which is not a bad translation, nor is it a poor connection to tattoos, but there is a subtle detachment that sneaks in. Lijf and lichaam both translate to “body” in English, except that the first has a thoroughly visceral, coarse, tactile, and emotionally embodied connotation, whereas the second is clinically neutral, scientific, and almost detached. It’s the lived body versus the body as an object. Lijf is flesh and bones, as the Dutch saying je lijf redden exemplifies. It literally reads “save your skin” — even in English, you would not say “body” here. The second part, spreuk, uncontroversially translates as “saying”. Together, lijfspreuk is quite unique in its fusion of “saying + flesh,” suggesting a motto so lived that it becomes part of the body, something that sits under your skin, much more than a slogan adopted intellectually.

Nulli secundus in aeternum (left) and A fronte praecipitium, a tergo lupi (right) are my two lijfspreuken, tattooed on the insides of my forearms. When asked about them, I often joke and say that they are my address… and that when I moved, I had to get a second address inked — with the added personal challenge that, when drunk, I must be lucid enough to show the correct arm to the bus driver. It makes for a good laugh, especially because it is not far from the truth — metaphysically. The first translates to “second to none, forever,” and the second to “between the devil and the deep blue sea”, but I prefer the literal translation: the abyss in front, the wolves behind. Together, they are my geo-location in life, which could be interpreted as an address, no? “Second to none” means that I’m not the first, but neither is anyone else — it’s an equalization across the entire board. “The abyss in front and the wolves behind” means that I’m on the ledge; there’s an unforgiving end ahead and behind, but as long as I draw breath, I can move left or right.

A personal motto is an expression of beliefs and values serving as a guiding principle. It can motivate, provide direction, and remind one of what is important. My lijfspreuken are the first things I see and read when sitting on the toilet after waking. I start my day with them, and have done so for the last 25 years. There’s a difference between knowing something in your head and knowing it in your flesh. My guiding principles have passed into my living tissue: they are not written on the skin; they are etched in the marrow of my being.

Tags: Tattoo You

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