Donde fueres, haz lo que vieres

The saying “Donde fueres, haz lo que vieres”, literally translated as “Where you go, do what you see” is used when a person moves to a new place and is recommended to adapt himself/herself to the customs and traditions of that place.

The place can be a country, a city or even a family, and the visitor or guest has to respect their customs, not only for education and respect, but also to integrate more quickly.

In fact, who respects habits, laws and customs, facilitates their integration in a community or society. For the first time in the 4th century Ambrose of Milan, one of the parents of the present Catholic Church, pronounced this saying, but with a different meaning.

By using this expression, Ambrose of Milan wanted to tell the faithful that they had to follow the commands of the Roman Church instead of Arianism, which denied the divinity of Christ.
Therefore it was a warning that over time lost its religious meaning, becoming a proverb for travellers and visitors.

In addition, there are many variants of this proverb, depending on the different areas of Spain: “When you go to Rome, live like Rome”, “Wherever you go, do as you see”, “Wherever you go, do what you see”.
It is also necessary to mention the saying “In each land, its use”, which has exactly the same meaning.
Finally, what also stands out in this refrain is the use of the future of subjunctive (“fueres” and “vieres”).

Other Proverbs

Gallina vieja hace buen caldo
Haciendo y deshaciendo se va aprendiendo
Si hay trato, pueden ser amigos perro y gato
El tiempo todo lo cura