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A tribute to federalism: the central, domed hall in Swiss parliament buildings in Bern. <\/p>\n
Keystone \/ Peter Klaunzer <\/p>\n
Switzerland has a motto, albeit not an official one. Closely interwoven with the nation\u2019s best-known founding myths, the phrase \u201cUnus pro omnibus, omnes pro uno\u201d is part of the invisible fabric that has held the country together since the dawn of the federal state.\n<\/p>\n
This content was published on <\/p>\n
August 1, 2026 – 10:30\n<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/zeno-zoccatelli-profileImage-42587895.png\")
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\n A member of the Swiss Abroad editorial team, I mainly write about Switzerland’s most peculiar features and stories.
\nAfter completing my master’s degree in Asian Studies in Geneva (with a detour at Tokyo University and Kyoto University), I worked on the newsdesk at RSI, occasionally collaborating with Presence Switzerland during the Expo in South Korea and Milan. I have been working for SWI swissinfo.ch since 2016. <\/p>\n
\n Deutsch <\/p>\n \n de <\/p>\n \u00abEiner f\u00fcr alle, alle f\u00fcr einen\u00bb \u2013 das inoffizielle Motto der Schweiz\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Read more: \u00abEiner f\u00fcr alle, alle f\u00fcr einen\u00bb \u2013 das inoffizielle Motto der Schweiz \n Fran\u00e7ais <\/p>\n \n fr <\/p>\n \u00abUn pour tous, tous pour un\u00bb, cette devise (non officielle) qui explique la Suisse\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Read more: \u00abUn pour tous, tous pour un\u00bb, cette devise (non officielle) qui explique la Suisse \n Italiano <\/p>\n \n it <\/p>\n \u201cUno per tutti, tutti per uno\u201d, il motto (ufficioso) che spiega la Svizzera <\/p>\n Original\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Read more: \u201cUno per tutti, tutti per uno\u201d, il motto (ufficioso) che spiega la Svizzera \n Espa\u00f1ol <\/p>\n \n es <\/p>\n \u00abUno para todos, todos para uno\u00bb: el lema que define Suiza\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Read more: \u00abUno para todos, todos para uno\u00bb: el lema que define Suiza \n Portugu\u00eas <\/p>\n \n pt <\/p>\n \u201cUm por todos, todos por um\u201d, o lema (n\u00e3o oficial) que explica a Su\u00ed\u00e7a\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Read more: \u201cUm por todos, todos por um\u201d, o lema (n\u00e3o oficial) que explica a Su\u00ed\u00e7a \n \u65e5\u672c\u8a9e <\/p>\n \n ja <\/p>\n \u30b9\u30a4\u30b9\u306e\uff08\u975e\u516c\u5f0f\u306a\uff09\u56fd\u5bb6\u7684\u30e2\u30c3\u30c8\u30fc\u300c1\u4eba\u306f\u7686\u306e\u305f\u3081\u306b\u3001\u7686\u306f1\u4eba\u306e\u305f\u3081\u306b\u300d\u3000\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Read more: \u30b9\u30a4\u30b9\u306e\uff08\u975e\u516c\u5f0f\u306a\uff09\u56fd\u5bb6\u7684\u30e2\u30c3\u30c8\u30fc\u300c1\u4eba\u306f\u7686\u306e\u305f\u3081\u306b\u3001\u7686\u306f1\u4eba\u306e\u305f\u3081\u306b\u300d\u3000 \n \u0627\u0644\u0639\u0631\u0628\u064a\u0629 <\/p>\n \n ar <\/p>\n \u0633\u0648\u064a\u0633\u0631\u0627 \u0641\u064a \u0623\u0631\u0628\u0639 \u0643\u0644\u0645\u0627\u062a: \u0634\u0639\u0627\u0631 \u064a\u062e\u062a\u0635\u0631 \u0631\u0648\u062d \u0627\u0644\u0641\u062f\u0631\u0627\u0644\u064a\u0629\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Read more: \u0633\u0648\u064a\u0633\u0631\u0627 \u0641\u064a \u0623\u0631\u0628\u0639 \u0643\u0644\u0645\u0627\u062a: \u0634\u0639\u0627\u0631 \u064a\u062e\u062a\u0635\u0631 \u0631\u0648\u062d \u0627\u0644\u0641\u062f\u0631\u0627\u0644\u064a\u0629 \n \u4e2d\u6587 <\/p>\n \n zh <\/p>\n \u6211\u4e3a\u4eba\u4eba\uff0c\u4eba\u4eba\u4e3a\u6211\uff1a\u56fd\u5bb6\u683c\u8a00\u4e2d\u7684\u745e\u58eb\u7cbe\u795e\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Read more: \u6211\u4e3a\u4eba\u4eba\uff0c\u4eba\u4eba\u4e3a\u6211\uff1a\u56fd\u5bb6\u683c\u8a00\u4e2d\u7684\u745e\u58eb\u7cbe\u795e \n \u0420\u0443\u0441\u0441\u043a\u0438\u0439 <\/p>\n \n ru <\/p>\n \u00ab\u041e\u0434\u0438\u043d \u0437\u0430 \u0432\u0441\u0435\u0445, \u0432\u0441\u0435 \u0437\u0430 \u043e\u0434\u043d\u043e\u0433\u043e\u00bb: \u043a\u0430\u043a \u0432\u043e\u0437\u043d\u0438\u043a \u043d\u0435\u043e\u0444\u0438\u0446\u0438\u0430\u043b\u044c\u043d\u044b\u0439 \u0434\u0435\u0432\u0438\u0437 \u0428\u0432\u0435\u0439\u0446\u0430\u0440\u0438\u0438\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Read more: \u00ab\u041e\u0434\u0438\u043d \u0437\u0430 \u0432\u0441\u0435\u0445, \u0432\u0441\u0435 \u0437\u0430 \u043e\u0434\u043d\u043e\u0433\u043e\u00bb: \u043a\u0430\u043a \u0432\u043e\u0437\u043d\u0438\u043a \u043d\u0435\u043e\u0444\u0438\u0446\u0438\u0430\u043b\u044c\u043d\u044b\u0439 \u0434\u0435\u0432\u0438\u0437 \u0428\u0432\u0435\u0439\u0446\u0430\u0440\u0438\u0438 On hearing the words \u201cone for all, all for one\u201d, many would first think of Alexandre Dumas\u2019s The Three Musketeers \u2013 although, to be exact, D\u2019Artagnan and his companions say it the other way around (\u201call for one, one for all\u201d). For Switzerland, however, it is much more than just a literary quote. It is the country\u2019s de facto motto.<\/p>\n \u201cIt encapsulates federalism in only six words,\u201d explains journalist and Swiss history expert Jonas Marti.<\/p>\n Overcoming mutual mistrust\u00a0<\/p>\n The origins of the phrase are lost in the mists of time, and it is impossible to say who first uttered it on Swiss soil. It became popular above all in the mid-19th century when Switzerland became a modern federal state, in 1848.<\/p>\n This moment was, as Marti describes it, \u201ca huge revolution\u201d, as it forced the cantons to hand over part of their sovereignty to Bern. The process was far from painless. It sparked considerable resistance, stemming as much from economic interests (in particular the loss of revenue from customs duties) as political distrust between conservative and liberal cantons, after the latter emerged victorious from the Sonderbund civil war of 1847.<\/p>\n \n More<\/p>\n More <\/p>\n Swiss oddities\n <\/p>\n Putsch: the most revolutionary Swiss-German word in the world <\/p>\n This content was published on <\/p>\n Jun 6, 2026 <\/p>\n Buckle up for a fascinating \u2013 and often violent \u2013 etymological journey. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Read more: Putsch: the most revolutionary Swiss-German word in the world The motto also gained prominence after two tragedies. \u201cOne for all, all for one\u201d was the slogan used for the fundraising campaigns organised after the Glarus fire of 1861, which reduced two-thirds of the city to ashes, and the floods that struck several cantons in 1868, especially Ticino, Valais, Graub\u00fcnden, Uri and St Gallen. Fifty-one people lost their lives in the floods, and the damage came to around CHF40 million at the time \u2013 almost CHF1 billion ($1.2 billion) today.<\/p>\n \n More<\/p>\n More <\/p>\n Demographics\n <\/p>\n The natural catastrophe that changed Switzerland <\/p>\n This content was published on <\/p>\n Oct 2, 2018 <\/p>\n Exactly 150 years ago, Switzerland\u2019s lakes and rivers broke their banks, flooding many parts of the country. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Read more: The natural catastrophe that changed Switzerland In the aftermath of these disasters, \u201cthe phrase explained in simple terms why a citizen of Zurich, for example, should be concerned about \u2013 and pay for \u2013 something that had happened in another canton,\u201d says Marti.<\/p>\n Like a hammer in the hands of a skilled blacksmith, the motto forged Swiss intercantonal cohesion and solidarity, come what may.<\/p>\n Commemorative sheet marking the revision of the Swiss federal constitution in 1874. <\/p>\n Public domain \/ Zentralbibliothek Z\u00fcrich <\/p>\n A few years later, the authorities used it for a more subtle purpose, as noted in a blog articleExternal link<\/a> by the Swiss National Museum, namely to promote and present the overhauled federal constitution of 1874; this introduced the optional referendum and fundamental rights such as freedom of conscience and worship, among other things.<\/p>\n Since 1902, the Latin version \u201cunus pro omnibus, omnes pro uno\u201d (chosen so as not to upset any of the different linguistic regions) has adorned the inside of the dome of the Swiss parliament building, the Federal Palace \u2013 itself a symbol of federalism, built with materials sourced from across the country. The Federal Palace \u201cembodied how Switzerland wanted to present itself to itself\u201d, explains Marti.<\/p>\n Despite occupying such a prestigious place, the motto has never become official, however. This illustrates another Swiss characteristic, that of allowing national symbols to take root through custom rather than by the will of the authorities. This is perhaps a way to avoid unduly fuelling the cantons\u2019 mistrust of a central state and its top-down regulations.<\/p>\n >> The Swiss government showed reluctance before formally adopting the national anthem:<\/p>\n \n More<\/p>\n More <\/p>\n Swiss oddities\n <\/p>\n The Swiss national anthem: outdated but resilient <\/p>\n This content was published on <\/p>\n Jul 26, 2025 <\/p>\n It\u2019s hardly the most stirring national anthem, and few know it by heart, but the Swiss Psalm has survived all attempts at replacement. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Read more: The Swiss national anthem: outdated but resilient But \u201cOne for all, all for one\u201d is not just a nice phrase, detached from time and place. In Switzerland, it is associated with a specific national myth, as bloody as many national myths (see Romulus and Remus, or Joan of Arc). To understand this, we must take a step back into the distant past.<\/p>\n Death of Winkelried<\/p>\n Sempach, near Lucerne, 1386. In the heat of battle, Arnold Winkelried of Nidwalden sees his comrades fall to the long lances of the Habsburg troops. The Swiss Confederates\u2019 short weapons are proving tragically ineffective. \u201cIf only we could force a small breach!\u201d, Winkelried says to himself, and makes a drastic decision.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll clear the way for you!\u201d (one for all), he shouts, spreading his arms wide. \u201cTake care, dear fellow citizens, of my wife and children!\u201d (all for one), he exclaims, and throws himself into the sharp pikes, taking down as many as he can with his body. By letting himself be impaled, he creates the vital breach. The \u201cdear fellow citizens\u201d rush through, slaughter the enemy, win the war, free themselves of the Habsburg yoke and consolidate the Swiss Confederation. A myth is born.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Death of Winkelried at Sempach\u201d, by Konrad Grob (1828\u20131904). <\/p>\n Public domain \/ Konrad Grob <\/p>\n There is no evidence that Winkelried ever existed. The first account of his heroic deed and the words he is said to have spoken dates back more than a century later, appearing in the Halbsuterlied of 1533, according to the Historical Dictionary of SwitzerlandExternal link<\/a>. \u201cThe legend arose from the need to strengthen the sense of cohesion within the fragile system of confederate alliances, which was threatened by internal conflicts, and from the 17th century it became firmly rooted in popular culture,\u201d the dictionary says.<\/p>\n The motto is also echoed in another founding story, that of the Federal Charter of 1291, which is closely linked to the legendary R\u00fctli Oath. This was named after the R\u00fctli meadow in central Switzerland, where representatives of the three founding cantons (Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden) set aside their mistrust, and their differences, for the greater good. It was an alliance of mutual aid, directed, in this case too, against the Habsburgs.<\/p>\n Neither Winkelried nor the founding fathers actually uttered the words \u201cone for all, all for one\u201d. Yet their stories can be summed up in this phrase, which became the perfect motto for Swiss federalism.<\/p>\n Constantly renewing vows<\/p>\n The Habsburgs no longer pose a threat, but the power of the slogan \u201cone for all, all for one\u201d remains as relevant as ever; for, although times have changed, federalism \u201cis by no means natural\u201d and should not be taken for granted, Marti stresses. Even today, he notes, a person living in Italian-speaking Switzerland, for example, has very little in common \u2013 in terms of priorities, needs, language and mindset \u2013 with a fellow Swiss in the northernmost canton of Schaffhausen.<\/p>\n \n More<\/p>\n More <\/p>\n Swiss oddities\n <\/p>\n Why Switzerland hasn\u2019t got a capital city <\/p>\n This content was published on <\/p>\n Mar 29, 2025 <\/p>\n Bern is not officially the capital of Switzerland. Rather, it\u2019s the \u201cfederal city\u201d. Why? <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Read more: Why Switzerland hasn\u2019t got a capital city The beauty of Switzerland, he is convinced, lies precisely in this choice to remain united despite all the differences, because it is better to stand together than alone. However, it is a relationship that must be continually nurtured, especially when times are hard.<\/p>\n This task is regularly seen to by the seven members of the government. In their speeches, they often invoke this motto, which has lost none of its rhetorical power.<\/p>\n During the Covid-19 pandemic, then-Health Minister Alain Berset used it repeatedly to emphasise collective responsibility, when urging the public to stay at home to prevent the spread of the virus.<\/p>\n In 2019External link<\/a> Italian-speaking Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis used it to describe the essence of a country united not by a single language but by a cohesion pact in which intercultural understanding is a daily endeavour.<\/p>\n In his 2013 New Year\u2019s addressExternal link<\/a>, Ueli Maurer, former defence minister and later finance minister, paraphrased it to ask the people to temper their expectations and promote a spirit of community. \u201cSwiss society cannot function in the long term if we only ask ourselves what the state should do for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
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