Corruptissima re publica plurimae leges

This observation by the Roman historian Tacitus in his Annals is as true today as when he wrote it over 1900 years ago.

Whether you translate it as: "The more numerous the laws, the more corrupt the government", or as: "The more corrupt the state, the more laws", the wise message is the same.

Wikipedia has an entire article devoted to the various possible translations of the phrase res publica . Res is, of course, a fifth declension noun and publica an adjective.

Plurimae is part of the 1st / 2nd declension adjective plurimus, a, um, which means most or very many.

In Spe Laboramus

If ever there was a motto thought up by a cynical teacher then it is this one, in spe laboramus, which means: we work in hope. It is the motto of North London Collegiate School, a private day school for girls, which was founded in London in 1850 and now has associated schools in several other countries.

Spe is the ablative singular of spes, spei a fifth declension noun. The ablative singular is used to agree with the preposition in.

spes, spei f 5th declension noun - hope