# Qvod scis esse volis [& 'quod sis esse velis']



## juan89

I don't know Latin at all, but this is what's written in my family's arms, so I'd like to know what it means. I posted it here because it sounded a bit latin to me.

Thanks in advance for your help, and happy holidays to all.


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## Lamb67

You know what you are willing to be.

But I am not  one hundred persent sure.


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## juan89

Lamb67 said:


> You know what you are willing to be.
> 
> But I am not  one hundred percent sure.



 thanks Lamb67, I really have no idea of the language so maybe I'll wait for other opinions to confront.


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## djlaranja

Are you sure the last word in sentence is "volis"? Isn't it "vobis"?


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## Cagey

As given, I would translate it as:
"What you know to be, you wish to be."  
Here, _to be_ has the sense of "to exist, to be the case."​I read it as the saying of a realist, who doesn't wish for things that don't exist or aren't possible.

If the last word is _vobis_, it also would make sense, thoough a different sense.


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## litelchau

Hola:
 La forma clásica de _volo_ en 2ª persona del singular es _vis,_ no _volis_. ¿Sería entonces una forma vulgar de ese verbo?


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## Cagey

You are right; my mistake.


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## juan89

I'm pretty sure it is written as reported above, and am sorry for not being able to provide context.

Maybe it's what litelchau said. I am not sure.

What would it mean with *vobis *instead of *volis*?


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## litelchau

Hola:
 Es seguro _volis_, lo he encontrado en varios escudos heráldicos italianos. Debe de ser una forma del latín vulgar para el clásico _vis._ La traducción puede ser: _Quieres ser lo que sabes (ser)._

_Saludos_


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## XiaoRoel

*Velis/volis* es una forma analógica de _nolis_ que incluso se llegó a fijar en la fraseología española, _velis nolis_, 'quieras o no quieras', esta forma analógica _volis_ explica las formas francesas, catalanas, etc.


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## juan89

La frase qué traduciría exactamente? (perdón la falta de signo de interrogación)


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## relativamente

volis no es una forma muy correcta de la conjugacion de volo.El presente de subjuntivo es velim, velis, velit....
El signifivado vendría a ser 

que quieras ser aquello que sabes que eres.


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## juan89

Gracias relativamente 

Habéis sido todos de gran ayuda. Hablo por mí y mi abuelo, cuando os agradezco.
GRACIAS


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## Stoicorum_simia

juan89 said:


> I don't know Latin at all, but this is what's written in my family's arms, so I'd like to know what it means. I posted it here because it sounded a bit latin to me.
> 
> Thanks in advance for your help, and happy holidays to all.


 
I would suggest it ought to be _quod scis esse velis,_ 'may you wish/(you should) wish to be what you know [you are]; a deliberate or otherwise modification of _quod sis esse velis,_ which is more snappy: 'may you wish/(you should) wish to be what you are', this being a quotation from Martial, book 10 epig. 47.


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## juan89

Stoicorum_simia said:


> I would suggest it ought to be _quod scis esse velis,_ 'may you wish/(you should) wish to be what you know [you are]; a deliberate or otherwise modification of _quod sis esse velis,_ which is more snappy: 'may you wish/(you should) wish to be what you are', this being a quotation from Martial, book 10 epig. 47.


Thanks!


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