Illegitimi non carborundum

Illegitimi non carborundum is a mock-Latin aphorism possibly read as "Don't let the bastards grind you down". The phrase is believed to have originated during World War II by British army intelligence agents very early in the war (using the ablative plural illegitimis). It was adopted by US Army General "Vinegar" Joe Stilwell as his motto during the war, in the form Illegitimati non carborundum, and was later further popularized in the US by 1964 presidential candidate Barry Goldwater.

Quotes about

• Illegitimum non carborundum; Domine salvum fac.
  Gaudeamus igitur! Veritas non sequitur?
  Illegitimum non carborundum—ipso facto!
  • Primus V: The College Pump, Ipso Facto! Harvard Magazine (November 2012)