{"id":7473,"date":"2022-08-12T16:25:45","date_gmt":"2022-08-12T16:25:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=7473"},"modified":"2022-08-12T16:25:45","modified_gmt":"2022-08-12T16:25:45","slug":"quo-vadis-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/quo-vadis-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Quo Vadis \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Asking someone where there are headed is a pretty common thing to do. Be it a friend, loved one, or even just a random person. If you are interested in adding a bit of flair to the question, \u201cQuo vadis\u201d is a great way to do it.<\/p>\n

This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.<\/p>\n

Meaning<\/h2>\n

The phrase \u201cquo vadis\u201d is a Latin phrase that translates to \u201cwhere are you going?\u201d It is also often seen as \u201cwhere are you marching?\u201d or \u201cwhither goest thou?\u201d. As implied, you may ask someone this out of curiosity of their destination or their whereabouts. <\/strong><\/p>\n

As will be explained later in the \u201corigin\u201d section of this post, \u201cQuo Vadis\u201d has religious roots, and is most commonly used by those that subscribe to the Christian religion. Being asked where you are going in terms of religion rather changes the meaning from a corporal place, to the divine. In other words, are you going to heaven or to hell. More information can be found in the video (here<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Example Usage<\/h2>\n

\u201cQuo vadis, Amber? Oh, can you get me more soda from the store, then?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cQuo vadis, Tom? Boston? I\u2019ve never been.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I need to go to town later to pick up some things- oh, quo vadis, Amy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cQuo vadis? The mall? Give me a second to put my shoes on, I\u2019m coming.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cQuo vadis, Rachel? Oh, can you drop me off at the hair salon on your way out, then?\u201d<\/p>\n

Origin<\/h2>\n

The phrase \u201cquo vadis\u201d has religious ties. It refers to a Christian tradition involving Saint Peter. In the Acts of Peter, Peter is running away from being crucified in Rome during the persecution of Christians and is able to greet Jesus after he has arisen on the road Appian Way outside of the city. Peter asks, \u201cquo vadis?\u201d to which Jesus replies that he is going to the city to be crucified upside down. This helps Peter gain courage to go back into the city.<\/p>\n

The phrase is also seen multiple times, supposedly exactly 7 times. It was found in the Vulgate translation of the Bible. In one section, Jesus was asked the same question by Peter. In Rome, the Church of Domine Quo Vadis is said to have been built where the alleged meeting between the disciple Peter and Jesus occurred. The phrase has also been seen in various other pieces of literature and media. Polish author Henryk Sienkiewicz wrote a novel titled Quo Vadis: A Narrative of the Time of Nero. <\/em>The popular television series MASH <\/em>has an episode titled \u201cQuo Vadis, Captain Chandler?\u201d<\/p>\n

Phrases Similar to Quo Vadis<\/h2>\n
    \n
  • Where are you off to?<\/li>\n
  • Where are you heading to?<\/li>\n
  • What is your destination?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Phrases Opposite to Quo Vadis<\/h2>\n
      \n
    • I don\u2019t care where you\u2019re going.<\/li>\n
    • I don\u2019t want to know.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      What is the Correct Saying?<\/h2>\n
        \n
      • \u201cQuo vadis\u201d translates from Latin to mean \u201cwhere are you going?\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        Ways People May Incorrectly Say Quo Vadis<\/h2>\n

        \u201cQuo vadis\u201d is a way of asking someone \u201cwhere are you going?\u201d. Using the phrase to mean anything else would be incorrect. Some ways that \u201cquo vadis\u201d is used incorrectly are:<\/p>\n

          \n
        • What is that in your hands, Lizzy? Quo vadis?<\/li>\n
        • I have to be in to work early tomorrow. What about you, Nathan? Quo vadis? What time do you come in?<\/li>\n
        • I have to take chemistry this semester. Quo vadis, Arthur? Are you taking it too?<\/li>\n
        • I\u2019m not sure what to make for dinner tonight. Quo vadis, Amanda? What do you want to eat?<\/li>\n
        • My birthday is next week. Quo vadis, Wyatt? When is yours?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          Acceptable Ways to Phrase Quo Vadis<\/h2>\n
            \n
          • Quo vadis, Jack? To get your hair cut? I\u2019ll come, I\u2019d like to get a manicure.<\/li>\n
          • Quo vadis, Johnny? Oh, you\u2019re going to class. Have fun, I\u2019ll see you later.<\/li>\n
          • Quo vadis, Heather? You\u2019re going out to get lunch? Just let me grab my wallet, I\u2019ll come.<\/li>\n
          • Quo vadis, Mandy? To Target? Can you get me more face wash?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            Asking someone where there are headed is a pretty common thing to do. Be it a friend, loved one, or even just a random person. If you are interested in adding a bit of flair to the question, \u201cQuo vadis\u201d is a great way to do it. This post unpacks the meaning and origin of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7473"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7473"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7473\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7949,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7473\/revisions\/7949"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7473"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7473"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7473"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}