Idiom
when in Rome, do as the Romans do
Meaning
It is wise to adapt to the circumstances; it is wise to follow common custom.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“Everyone eats late here, so when in Rome.”
“She had never taken an afternoon nap in her life, but when in Rome, do as the Romans do, and by the second week she was closing the shutters at two.”
“The relocation guide advised new arrivals to observe first and copy second — when in Rome, do as the Romans do — on the grounds that most cultural friction comes from confidently applying a rule that only ever worked at home.”
Examples
simple
“Everyone eats late here, so when in Rome.”
contextual
“She had never taken an afternoon nap in her life, but when in Rome, do as the Romans do, and by the second week she was closing the shutters at two.”
complex
“The relocation guide advised new arrivals to observe first and copy second — when in Rome, do as the Romans do — on the grounds that most cultural friction comes from confidently applying a rule that only ever worked at home.”
Origin
The advice goes back to a fourth-century question about fasting. The church at Rome fasted on Saturdays; the church at Milan did not. Augustine's mother was troubled about which rule to keep, and Augustine asked Ambrose, the bishop of Milan, what to do.
Ambrose's answer, as Augustine reports it in his letters, was practical rather than doctrinal: when I am at Rome I fast on Saturday, when I am here I do not — follow the custom of whatever church you are in, and you will give no offence and take none. The point was that the local practice was not worth a fight.
English shortened it to a rhyming couplet in the sixteenth century and dropped the theology entirely. When in Rome now covers everything from removing your shoes at the door to drinking whatever you are handed, and is very often said by someone talking themselves into it.
Key words
Related idioms
Stories
Rome the City · See all Roman origin
The roads, the Forum, and the city that took centuries to build.
all roads lead to Rome — Different paths can take one to the same goal.
Rome wasn't built in a day — It takes a long time to create something complicated or impressive.
Forum — a place where people can share ideas and talk about specific topics. In the digital world, it is a website where you can post messages and reply to others.
vox populi — The opinion of ordinary people, taken as a verdict.
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