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Meaningful Small Tattoos: 20 Tiny Designs That Speak Volumes

Tattoos with meaning you can't deny.

Samantha Williams

Aug 08, 2023

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

3288212

A young woman expresses herself with a small tattoo that carries great meaning

You probably want something permanent on your body to mean something deeply, but how do you choose a tattoo that will still be significant in 5, 10, 15, or 50 years? Over time, tattoos have lost much of their stigma and many people consider them a form of art, but it's still possible to get a tattoo you regret.

So here are 20 tattoos you can't go wrong with. Each tattoo has its own unique meaning, but don't blame me if you still have to deal with questions that everyone with a tattoo is tired of hearing!

A semicolon

A semicolon indicates a pause in a sentence but does not end. Sometimes it seems like you may have stopped, but you choose to continue on.

"A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor."

A smooth sea-inspired lyrical tiny tattoo

Unclosed Delta, Strategy Symbols

Top symbol: unclosed delta symbol which represents open to change. Bottom symbol: strategy.

Open Moon

"There are nights when the wolves are silent and only the moon howls."

Viking Symbol

Meaning "create your own reality."

Greek symbol of Inguz

Where there's a will, there's a way

Deer

Psalm 18:33 "He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he causes me to stand on the heights."

'Ohm'

Represents 4 different states of consciousness and a world of illusion: waking (jagrat), dreaming (swapna), deep sleep (sushupti), transcendental state (turiya) and world of illusion (maya).

Alchemy

Symbolizes copper, means love, balance, feminine beauty, and artistic creativity.

The Greek word “Meraki"

To do something with soul, passion, love, and creativity or to put yourself into whatever you do.

Malin (Skövde, Sweden)

You have to face setbacks to be able to go forward.

Symbol meaning "thief" from "The Hobbit"

It was the rune Gandalf etched into Bilbo's door so the dwarves could find his house.

“Lux in tenebris"

Means "light in darkness."

Anchor Tattoo

Symbolizing strength and stability, something (or someone) who holds you in place, and provides you the strength to hold on no matter how rough things get.

Ad Maiora"

Translated literally as "Towards greater things." It is a formula of greeting used to wish more success in life, career or love.

A glyph

Means "explore." It was meant as a reminder for me to never stop exploring.

"Aut inveniam viam aut faciam"

Means roughly, "Either I shall find a way, or I will make one."

Lotus Flower

It grows in muddy water, and it is this environment that gives forth the flower's first and most literal meaning: rising and blooming above the murk to achieve enlightenment.

The zen (or ensō) circle

Represents enlightenment, the universe and the strength we all have inside of us.

The moon affirms life.

It looks as if it is constantly changing. Can remind us of the inconsistency of life. It also symbolizes the continuous circular nature of time and even karma.

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Meaningful Small Tattoos: 20 Tiny Designs That Speak Volumes

Tattoos with meaning you can't deny.

In This Article:

A semicolon

"A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor."

Unclosed Delta, Strategy Symbols

Open Moon

Viking Symbol

Greek symbol of Inguz

Deer

'Ohm'

Alchemy

The Greek word “Meraki"

Malin (Skövde, Sweden)

Symbol meaning "thief" from "The Hobbit"

“Lux in tenebris"

Anchor Tattoo

Ad Maiora"

A glyph

"Aut inveniam viam aut faciam"

Lotus Flower

The zen (or ensō) circle

The moon affirms life.

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No one best represents the struggle like our favorite 90s squad.

1. When course schedules are released and you have a conflict between two required classes.

2. When there is only one section of a popular course.

3. Receiving the 18,000 emails reminding you to register ASAP.

4. When you need to see an advisor, but they are too busy/unresponsive.

5. Trying not to dress like a bum for your appointments with your advisors/department heads.

6. When you have a perfectly planned out schedule, and one class ruins it.

7. Carefully moving things around to accommodate a different class/section.

8. Waking up at 6:00 a.m. for your enrollment time.

9. Concocting a new schedule at your enrollment time after your original plan gets changed.

10. Getting into a class and filling the last available seat.

11. When all of your classes finally go through.

12. Realizing that you forgot a class that was a pre-requisite for everything else.

When your capability of "adulting" is put to the test

Nobody deserves to be living in poverty.

"Nobody living in one of the most influential nations in the world should be worried about making ends meet."

What is the current minimum wage at the federal level?

What are the benefits of raising the minimum wage?

What are the states that have set a $15/hour minimum wage?

Because who understands your bitterness better than April?

1. When you have to provide an "interesting fact" for your first day ice-breaker.

2. When your professor is babbling on and on in his lecture.

3. When you edit your friend's paper and they get an A.

4. When it's 2 AM and you remember you have a test tomorrow.

5. When you finish taking the test and you're pretty sure you failed...

6. ...but then you get the test back and somehow passed.

7. When you've been up for 12 hours straight writing a paper.

8. And then you manage to stay awake in class the next day.

9. When you have to butter up your professor for an extra credit opportunity.

10. When you're assigned a group project.

11. And your group-mates are trying to chat about life instead of the assignment.

12. When it's your last class of the day and you're about to go home.

13. But then you remember rent is due tonight and the anger comes back.

Graduation is coming.

1. The classes you are taking are actually difficult.

2. You probably have a fancy internship somewhere.

3. You and your pals are all of a legal age to drink (even the late bloomers).

4. The future... what is that?

5. Apply, interview, rejection, repeat.

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