Nec temere, nec timide is a Latin phrase that translates to 'Neither rashly nor timidly'. Its exact origin is unknown although Aristotle in "Ethica Nicomachea", Book III, mentions, along with other examples, that the virtuous man is not temerarious nor timorous, but courageous. It is best known as the motto of the Dano-Norwegian naval hero Niels Juel, who supposedly used it first at the dawn of July 1, 1677, just before the Battle of Køge Bay.