Tempus fugit is a Latin phrase, usually translated into English as "time flies". However, the literal translation of fugit is actually “flees” and not “flies”.
The expression comes from line 284 of book 3 of Virgil's Georgics, written around 29 BCE, where it appears as fugit irreparabile tempus: "it escapes, irretrievable time”.
The phrase was later condensed and adopted into common Latin usage. Its survival across centuries reflects an enduring human preoccupation with the speed and impermanence of life. The phrase is used in both its Latin and English forms as a proverb with that sentiment – and is a common motto, particularly on sundials, clocks – and sometimes on gravestones.
The expression entered widespread use during the medieval and Renaissance periods, when Latin functioned as the primary written language of scholarship, science and religion. It appeared frequently in manuscripts, philosophical commentaries and sermons. Christian writers used it to remind readers that earthly time is finite and that moral action should not be delayed. The phrase was also incorporated into early mechanical clocks and public inscriptions, especially in Europe from the 16th century onward. Many clockmakers engraved Tempus Fugit into clock faces as a concise motto about the passing of hours.
By the 18th and 19th centuries, the phrase became a common feature of English-language literature. Writers such as Henry Fielding, Charles Dickens and Mark Twain used it to frame reflections on aging, progress, memory and mortality. The adoption of classical mottos into Victorian domestic culture further entrenched the phrase. It appeared in household objects: mantelpiece clocks, bookplates, graduation gifts and memorial cards.
Artists and designers adopted Tempus fugit as a symbolic motif. It appeared in funerary art, especially on headstones featuring hourglasses, wings and skulls – the traditional imagery of vanitas. The phrase functions as a stabilising link between ancient Latin literature and modern memento mori traditions.
The phrase also entered broader popular culture. It has appeared in films, television, song lyrics and tattoos. It is used by institutions ranging from universities to military units as a motto representing discipline, urgency and respect for the limited nature of time. Even marketing campaigns have deployed the phrase, usually to evoke nostalgia or to suggest that an opportunity will not last. [Ed: I'm looking at you, Tempus Fugit Spirits.]
And indeed, since 1991 REMO, the parent brand for REMORANDOM, has used it as the product brand for its popular annual wallplanner – once available as an A1 poster, but now orderable online as a digital print-ready PDF. Browse REMO’s “Tempus Fugit” HERE.
The phrase persists because it captures a universal idea in an economical and ye olde elegant way. It is brief, memorable and recognisable even to audiences with limited knowledge of Latin. It applies equally to personal life, historical processes, and scientific observations about change.
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References
wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempus_fugit
Images
1. Tempus Fugit logo. Credit: REMO Since 1988. First used on wallplanner in 1991.
2. A 3rd-century Roman mosaic of Virgil from Hadrumetum [Sousse] in Tunisia
3. Tempus Fugit grave art in Maine
4. Clock at Dyson's jewellers, Briggate, Leeds. Photo credit: Tim Green
5. Sundial motto in Redu, Belgium. Photo credit: Jean-Pol Grandmont
6. Poster for Tempus Fugit Spirits, Novato, CA
7. REMO Tempus Fugit wallplanner since 1991. Order digital file for 2026 HERE.
