ProverbWisdom
Latin origin
Latin originWhen in Rome, do as the Romans do
Meaning: Adapt to local customs when visiting a new place.
Example: “Everyone was eating dinner at ten at night, so when in Rome, do as the Romans do.”
Origin: Saint Augustine recorded advice from Saint Ambrose, bishop of Milan, about whether to fast on Saturdays: when he was in Rome he fasted on Saturday, as the Romans did, and in Milan he did not. Ambrose's point was to follow the local church's custom, and the saying now means adapting to local ways wherever you are.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, German, Italian, and 5 more languages
French: À Rome, fais comme les Romains (literally: In Rome, do as the Romans)
Spanish: Donde fueres, haz lo que vieres (literally: Where you go, do what you see)
Japanese: 郷に入っては郷に従え (Gō ni itte wa gō ni shitagae) (literally: When entering a village, follow the village)
German: Andere Länder, andere Sitten (literally: Other countries, other customs)
Italian: Paese che vai, usanza che trovi (literally: Every country you go to, a custom you find)
Portuguese: Em Roma sê romano (literally: In Rome, be Roman)
Dutch: 's Lands wijs, 's lands eer (literally: The country's ways are the country's honor)
Russian: В чужой монастырь со своим уставом не ходят (V chuzhoy monastyr' so svoim ustavom ne khodyat) (literally: You don't bring your own rulebook to someone else's monastery)
Polish: Kiedy wejdziesz między wrony, musisz krakać jak i one (literally: When you go among crows, you must caw like them)
Chinese: 入乡随俗 (Rù xiāng suí sú) (literally: Entering a village, follow its customs)
Explore another collection: Untranslatable Words
Words that capture a feeling or idea English needs a whole sentence for.
Keep exploring