Myers notes the significance is that the official motto of the State of Michigan is, "If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you."

"Whoever composed the motto for Michigan seems to have been inspired by Sir Christopher Wren's epitaph, attributed to his son: Si monumentum requiris, circumspice," says Bowen. "The great seventeenth century architect was responsible for many of London's most notable public buildings - the fire of 1666 sort of cleared the field and gave Wren more opportunities than most architects ever see. I think St. Paul's Cathedral and the Royal Naval buildings at Greenwich are considered his greatest achievements. Anyway, the epitaph says, 'If you want to see a monument, look around.' Nobody could have looked very far in London in 1723 without taking in several of Wren's buildings."