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"Civis Romanus sum" (pronounced Cīvis Rōmānus sum) (Latin meaning I am a Roman citizen) is a locution that indicated membership in Roman civilization and implied, in a wider sense, all the rights (and duties) associated with such a state (Cicero, In Verrem II.v.162).

A phrase repeated with pride by many important Roman figures, it was put forward in order to assert the privileges granted to Roman citizens. Even prisoners were allowed to take advantage of that prerogative, and subsequently they were granted favorable treatment. Paul of Tarsus, under trial and appealing to the Emperor, claimed his right as a citizen to be tried in Rome, and the judicial process was suspended until he, in chains and escorted by guards, was carried to the capital city (Acts 22, 27).

The locution was quoted by Lord Palmerston who claimed on June 25, 1850 that every British citizen in the world should be protected by the British Empire like a Roman citizen abroad by the Roman Empire.^[1][2]

The locution was famously quoted by U.S. President John F. Kennedy in his "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech in West Berlin, on June 26, 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".^[3]

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