United States Postal Service creed

"Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds" is a phrase long associated with the American postal worker. Though not an official creed or motto of the United States Postal Service,^[1] the Postal Service does acknowledge it as an informal motto^[2] along with a slightly revised version of Charles W. Eliot's poem "The Letter".^[3]

The phrase's association with the U.S. Mail originated with its inscription on New York City's James A. Farley Post Office Building, which opened in 1914.^[4] The inscription was added to the building by William M. Kendall of the architectural firm of McKim, Mead & White, the building's architects.

The phrase derives from a passage in George Herbert Palmer's translation of Herodotus's Histories, referring to the courier service of the ancient Persian Empire:

This slogan is not a formal commitment, and in fact the USPS may delay mail during bad weather.^{[6][7][8][9][10][11][12]}

• History — United States Postal Service