備えよ常に sonae yo tsune ni Be Prepared

備えよ常に is a short order in two words. 備えよ is the imperative of 備える, to make ready, and 常に is always, so the motto reads: make ready, always. Whether it is for your own years as a Scout or for a Scout you are proud of is yours.

The phrase is the Japanese Scouts' motto, their rendering of Baden-Powell's Be prepared of 1908, and it is in print as the Boy Scouts' motto by 1924, in the older spelling 備へよ常に, with the imperative first; a 1910 adaptation of his book had rendered the motto 用意せり.

We want you to be as happy with the meaning as you are with Master Takase's art. To learn more, visit Philology of 備えよ常に.

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