When in Rome, do as the Romans do

This article is about the proverb. For other uses, see When in Rome.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do (Medieval Latin: Sī fuerīs Rōmae, Rōmānō vīvitō mōre; sī fuerīs alibī, vīvitō sīcut ibī), often shortened to when in Rome..., is a proverb attributed to Saint Ambrose.^[1][2] The proverb means that it is best to follow the traditions or customs of a place being visited. A later version reads when in Rome, do as the Pope does.^[3]

Background

In the 4th century, Saint Monica and her son, Saint Augustine, discovered that Saturday was observed as a fast day in Rome, where they planned to visit. However, it was not a fast day where they lived in Milan. They consulted Saint Ambrose who said "When I am here (in Milan) I do not fast on Saturday, when in Rome I do fast on Saturday".

That reply is said to have brought about the saying "When in Rome, do as the Romans do".^[4][5]

References

1. Speake, Jennifer, ed. (2015). Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs (6th ed.). OUP Oxford. p. 269. ISBN 978-01-910-5959-9. OCLC 914473236.
2. Cresswell, Julia (2010). Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins. OUP Oxford. Rome; pp. 371–372. ISBN 978-01-995-4793-7. OCLC 965141221.
3. Dixon, James Main (1891). Dictionary of Idiomatic English Phrases. T. Nelson and Sons. p. 273. OCLC 156125145.
4. Marvin, Dwight Edwards (1922). The Antiquity of Proverbs: Fifty Familiar Proverbs and Folk Sayings with Annotations and Lists of Connected Forms, Found in All Parts of the World. G. P. Putnam's Sons. pp. 294–299. OCLC 978104222.
5. Brewer, Ebenezer Cobham (1900). Dictionary of Phrase and Fable: Giving the Derivation, Source, Or Origin of Common Phrases, Allusions, and Words that Have a Tale to Tell (3 ed.). Cassell. pp. 1070. OCLC 258268902.

External links

• Important English Proverbs