ta seden dit man kommer
Swedish
Etymology
Literally, “to take the customs (of the place) where you come”. Easy to misinterpret as "bring the customs" in Swedish as well.
Phrase
- when in Rome, do as the Romans do
- 1905, Hjalmar Söderberg, Doktor Glas [Doctor Glas][1], Albert Bonniers förlag, accessed at Litteraturbanken.se, courtesy of Göteborgs universitetsbibliotek, archived from the original on 2 September 2025:
- Det är klokt att ta seden dit man kommer; det är enfaldigt att göra det med [övertygelse].
- When in Rome, it's wise to do as the Romans do, but it's foolish to do so with conviction.