Maine’s state motto, Dirigo, is Latin for “I direct” or “I lead.” It was adopted when Maine became a state on March 15, 1820, and it appears on the state seal by law under Maine Revised Statutes, Title 1, Section 201. That statutory placement is what gives the Maine state motto Dirigo its legal footing: it is part of the official seal, and rules that govern the seal govern the motto with it.1Maine State Legislature. Maine Revised Statutes Title 1 Section 201 – State Seal
Where the Word Sits on the Seal
Title 1, Section 201 describes the seal in detail: a shield with a pine tree and a moose, flanked by a farmer with a scythe and a sailor with an anchor, the state’s name in Roman capitals below, and the North Star as a crest above. “DIRIGO” appears in small Roman capitals on a label between the shield and the star.1Maine State Legislature. Maine Revised Statutes Title 1 Section 201 – State Seal
That placement, directly beneath the North Star, was deliberate. The star reads as a navigational figure, and the word beneath it declares the role Maine claimed for itself. The statutory language today tracks almost word for word the description the Legislature adopted in 1820. A committee was appointed that June “to report a suitable Device and Seal for the State of Maine,” and while no record of its deliberations survives, the description it produced is detailed enough that the symbolism is plain.2State of Maine. Maine State Seal
Why “I Lead” in 1820
Maine had been part of Massachusetts since colonial times. Frontier settlers pushed to separate after the War of 1812, when Massachusetts proved unable or unwilling to defend Maine’s coast from British raids.3Maine.gov. History of Maine (5) – Statehood Admission came through the Missouri Compromise of 1820: Maine entered as a free state, Missouri as a slave state, preserving the balance in Congress.4National Archives. Missouri Compromise (1820) Choosing “I direct” in that moment read as a claim about the character of the new state, not a decorative flourish.
Where You See It Today
Maine’s state flag, established in 1909, displays the coat of arms on a dark blue field with “Dirigo” appearing above the shield.5Encyclopedia Britannica. Flag of Maine – Meaning, Symbols, Redesign, and History In 2024, voters considered a ballot question that would have replaced this design with a simpler pine tree flag. It was rejected by about 55 percent of voters, leaving the seal-based flag in place.
A new Maine license plate design began distribution in May 2025 with a pine tree and a North Star. The star alludes to the motto, but the word “Dirigo” itself does not appear as text on the plate. The seal, which contains the motto, continues to appear on official state documents and buildings.
Using the Seal or Motto Commercially
Maine law directly limits commercial use of the seal. Title 1, Section 204 prohibits any imitation, representation, or copy of the state seal from being used or displayed for commercial purposes without the Governor’s written permission. A violation is a Class E crime. The statute carves out one exception: anyone may sell flags containing the seal or a facsimile of it.6Maine State Legislature. Maine Revised Statutes Title 1 Section 204 – Use of State Seal for Commercial Purposes
Because “Dirigo” is written into the seal’s description, the protection extends to the motto when it appears as part of a reproduction of the seal. Standalone use of the word “Dirigo,” unconnected to the seal, is a different question that Section 204 does not explicitly address.
Federal law adds a second layer. The Lanham Act bars anyone from registering a trademark that “consists of or comprises the flag or coat of arms or other insignia of the United States, or of any State or municipality, or any simulation thereof.”7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 U.S. Code 1052 – Trademarks Registrable on Principal Register No private party can claim trademark rights over Maine’s seal, coat of arms, or the flag design that includes “Dirigo,” and the bar covers close simulations, not just exact copies.
The Limit on Compelled Display
A state motto on a government-issued plate runs into one clear constitutional limit. In Wooley v. Maynard (1977), the Supreme Court ruled that New Hampshire could not prosecute a Jehovah’s Witness for covering up “Live Free or Die” on his license plates. The state cannot force an individual to serve as “an instrument for advocating public adherence to an ideological point of view he finds unacceptable,” and requiring someone to display a motto “constantly while his automobile is in public view” invades the sphere of thought the First Amendment protects.8Justia U.S. Supreme Court Center. Wooley v. Maynard, 430 U.S. 705 (1977)
The other side of that doctrine matters too. The government has wide latitude to choose what to put on its own property. States may pick and display mottos on seals, flags, buildings, and official documents; the check is political, through the ballot box, not through the courts.
What the Motto Does Not Do
“Dirigo” carries symbolic and statutory weight as part of the seal, but it is not a source of enforceable rights or obligations. No Maine court has read the motto as creating duties citizens can invoke or as constraining state action the way a constitutional provision or statute would. It is a statement of aspiration embedded in the state’s official identity.
Its longevity is worth noting. Maine has used “Dirigo” continuously since 1820, and the 2024 referendum, which would have changed the flag but not the motto itself, left the seal-based design and the word on it in place.