Civis romanus sum

The Latin phrase civis romanus sum (cīvis rōmānus sum) (Classical Latin: [ˈkiːwɪs roːˈmaːnʊs ˈsʊm], I am a Roman citizen) is a phrase used in Cicero's In Verrem as a plea for the legal rights of a Roman citizen.

In the New Testament, Paul the Apostle, when imprisoned and on trial, claimed his right as a Roman citizen to be tried before Caesar, and the judicial process had to be suspended until he was brought to Rome.

The locution was quoted by Lord Palmerston when called to explain his decision to blockade Greece during the Don Pacifico Affair. In his speech in the Houses of Parliament on June 25, 1850 he claimed that every British subject in the world should be protected by the British Empire like a Roman citizen in the Roman Empire.

American president John F. Kennedy used the phrase in 1963: "Two thousand years ago, the proudest boast was 'civis romanus sum'. Today, in the world of freedom, the proudest boast is 'Ich bin ein Berliner'."