When in Rome, do as the Romans do explained

When in Rome, do as the Romans do (la-x-medieval|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]}

External links

• Important English Proverbs

Notes and References

1. Book: Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs . . 2015 . 269 . 978-01-910-5959-9 . Speake, Jennifer . Jennifer Speake . 6th . 914473236.
2. Book: Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins . OUP Oxford . Cresswell, Julia . 2010 . Rome; pp. 371–372 . 978-01-995-4793-7 . 965141221.
3. Book: James Main Dixon

   . Dictionary of Idiomatic English Phrases . . Dixon, James Main . James Main Dixon . 1891 . 273 . 156125145.

4. Book: The Antiquity of Proverbs: Fifty Familiar Proverbs and Folk Sayings with Annotations and Lists of Connected Forms, Found in All Parts of the World . . Marvin, Dwight Edwards . 1922 . 294–299 . 978104222.
5. Book: E. Cobham Brewer

   . Dictionary of Phrase and Fable: Giving the Derivation, Source, Or Origin of Common Phrases, Allusions, and Words that Have a Tale to Tell . . Brewer, Ebenezer Cobham . E. Cobham Brewer . 1900 . 1070 . 3 . 258268902.