<P> Ua Mau ke Ea o ka ʻĀina i ka Pono is a well - known Hawaiian phrase which was adopted in 1959 as the motto of the state of Hawaii . It is commonly translated as The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness . </P> <P> This phrase was first spoken by Kamehameha III, the King of Hawaii, on July 31, 1843, on Thomas Square, Oʻahu, when the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Hawaii was returned by the British through the restorative actions of Admiral Richard Darton Thomas, following the brief takeover by Lord George Paulet . </P>

Ua mau ke ea o ka aina lyrics