The United States Postal Service has no official creed or motto. Often falsely cited as such, "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds" is merely an inscription on the James Farley Post Office, derived from a quote from Herodotus' Histories (8.98), referring to the ancient courier service of the Persian Empire:
- It is said that as many days as there are in the whole journey, so many are the men and horses that stand along the road, each horse and man at the interval of a day’s journey; and these are stayed neither by snow nor rain nor heat nor darkness from accomplishing their appointed course with all speed. (trans. A.D. Godley 1924)
The "creed" is quoted in the lyrics of the 1981 Laurie Anderson single, "O Superman".
