when in Rome, do as the Romans do

alternative when in Rome, do as the Romans · alternative when in Rome, do like the Romans do

1. strictlyWhen situated in a foreign place, it is wise to follow the local customs.

   It will be observed that the document is written in the ordinary style of English correspondence, for Mehemet Ali endeavours to adopt European habits as far as he possibly can, and, as when in Rome he would do as Rome does, so his son, being in this country, is addressed as an Englishman.

   1846, “A Letter from Mehemet Ali to Ibrahim Pacha”, in Punch, or the London Charivari, volume 11, London, page 35

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   […] but, as I seated myself at table, I thought how my friends in Scotland would stare to see stewed monkey, roasted mermaid, and a pepper-pot of macaws, set down on table for their repast. But my plan always has been when in Rome to do as Rome does; and we found our food both delicate and cooked in such a manner, with every savoury spice, that it would have tickled the palate of the most fastidious gastronome.

   1834, Thomas Staunton St. Clair, A Soldier's Recollections of the West Indies and America, with a Narrative of the Expedition to the Island of Walcheren, volume 1, London: Richard Bentley, page 345

   But it is hardly an act of hostility to make people improve their social or work skills; it happens to all schoolchildren. And to most of the native Dutch, this was simply a reasonable “when in Rome do as the Romans do”, and a recognition that this acculturation was not happening fast enough, but needed to be pushed.

   2003 May 8, “Forget Asylum-Seekers: It's the People Inside Who Count”, in The Economist, archived from the original on 15 Aug 2020

   Synonyms: when in Rome

2. broadlyidiomaticIt is wise to adapt to the circumstances; it is wise to follow common custom.

   The good intentions of the individual cannot control the evil operations of an organization which is essentially wrong. Men when in Rome are apt to do as the Romans do, however evil it may be; and the member of a Lodge is not likely to remain for a long time better than the Lodge itself.

   1873, J. W. Phelps, editor, Secret Societies, Ancient and Modern; an Outline of Their Rise, Progress, and Character with Respect to the Christian Religion and Republican Government, Chicago: Ezra A. Cook, page 224

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   But my friend says, ‘when in Rome, we must do as Rome does,’ Ah! this is the very principle of an ungodly world; and Christians have caught the spirit, and are acting up to it. Peter and Paul were in Rome.—If they had done as Rome did, they would not have suffered death there. If we were in Rome, and must do as Rome does, we must become idolaters, and papists, or lose Rome's favor, and suffer her displeasure. But we must separate ourselves from Rome, and from the world, and their wicked and God-robbing practices. We must not be conformed to the world. We must be Christians in deed and in truth.

   1842 July, “The Opinion of the Apostle Peter Respecting Trifles”, in Barton W. Stone, editor, The Christian Messenger, volume 12, number 9, Jacksonville, IL, page 282

   I know of many instances where such persons have been under the necessity of buying or hiring slaves, just to preserve their reputation and keep up appearances; and even among a class of people who profess to be opposed to Slavery, have I known instances of the same kind, and have heard them apologize for their conduct by saying that “when in Rome, we must do as the Romans do.”

   1857, Austin Steward, Twenty-two Years a Slave, and Forty Years a Freeman; Embracing a Correspondence of Several Years, While President of Wilberforce Colony, London, Canada West, Rochester, NY: William Alling, page 101