"Ever to Excel" is the English translation of the Ancient Greek phrase 'αἰὲν ἀριστεύειν' aièn aristeúein. It has been used as motto by a number of educational institutions.
The phrase is derived from the sixth book of Homer's Iliad, in which it is used in a speech Glaucus delivers to Diomedes. During a battle between the Greeks and Trojans, Diomedes is impressed by the bravery of a mysterious young man and demands to know his identity. Glaucus replies: "Hippolochus begat me. I claim to be his son, and he sent me to Troy with strict instructions: Ever to excel, to do better than others, and to bring glory to your forebears, who indeed were very great ... This is my ancestry; this is the blood I am proud to inherit."
It is the motto of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff. The phrase has also been used as the motto of a number of schools and universities, mainly in the United Kingdom, notably the University of St Andrews,[1] but also in the United States and Canada. These include schools such as Caistor Grammar School, the Edinburgh Academy,[2] Kelvinside Academy[3] and Old Scona Academic High School,[4] also primary school in Malaysia, SK Sg Karangan as well as universities such as Boston College.[5]
