What motto is written on the scroll beneath the coat of arms on Brazil’s national flag?

“Ordem e Progresso” is the motto on the scroll beneath the coat of arms on Brazil’s national flag.

The Portuguese phrase means “Order and Progress.” It appears on a white band crossing a blue globe, which is set inside a yellow diamond on a green field. The globe displays stars representing Brazil’s states and the Federal District.

The motto was inspired by the positivist phrase “Love as a principle, order as the basis, and progress as the goal,” associated with French philosopher Auguste Comte. Brazil adopted its current flag shortly after becoming a republic in 1889, replacing the imperial flag.

The phrase is sometimes translated with slightly different capitalization or punctuation, but the canonical wording on the flag is Portuguese: Ordem e Progresso. It is not Brazil’s official national anthem or a separate military slogan.