When in Rome, do as the Romans do

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When in Rome, do as the Romans do[1] (often shortened to when in Rome...)[2] or a later version when in Rome, do as the Pope does,[3] a proverb attributed to Saint Ambrose, means that it is advisable to follow the conventions of the area in which you are residing or visiting.[1]

Saint Monica and her son, Saint Augustine, found out that Saturday was observed as a fast day in Rome, where they planned to visit. It was not a fast day in Milan, where they lived. 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. 1 2 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. p. 1070. OCLC 258268902.


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