when in Rome, do as the Romans do

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Alternative forms[edit]


First attested in medieval Latin si fueris Rōmae, Rōmānō vīvitō mōre; si fueris alibī, vīvitō sicut ibi(if you should be in Rome, live in the Roman manner; if you should be elsewhere, live as they do there); which is attributed to St Ambrose.


when in Rome, do as the Romans do

  1. behave as those around do
  2. conform to the larger society
  3. respect the beliefs and practices of a local culture

Derived terms[edit]



  • Seferyan, S. S.; Hovhannisyan, L. V.; Lazaryan, A. A. (1986) Angleren-hayeren darjvacabanakan baṙaran [English–Armenian Phraseological Dictionary], Yerevan: University Press, page 179