The unofficial motto of Stanford University, "Die Luft der Freiheit weht," which translates to "The wind of freedom blows," was chosen by the institution's very first president, David Starr Jordan. He discovered the phrase in the writings of the German humanist Ulrich von Hutten while studying historical accounts of academic and spiritual independence. Jordan incorporated the German phrasing into the university's foundational ethos to symbolize the unfettered pursuit of truth, fearless inquiry, and academic freedom.