motto

noun

A brief statement used to express a principle, goal, or ideal.

A short pithy sentence or phrase, sometimes a single word, used to indicate the tenor of that to which it is attached (as an essay or a treatise), or adopted as expressive of one's guiding idea or principle, or appended to a device or a coat of arms.

The poetry or verse contained in a motto-kiss or paper cracker.

A motto-kiss.

A sentence, phrase, or word, forming part of an heraldic achievment.