Et facere et pati fortia Romanum est

Origin

According to legend, a certain Mucius Cordus attempted to kill an Etruscan king Lars Porsena, who was beleaguering Rome. When the Etruscans caught him, he said “Romanus sum civis” (I am a Roman citizen). In order to prove his audacity, he held his right hand into fire. In this way, he is assumed to have got his byname “Scaevola” (The “left-hand”). Porsena was so impressed by that, that he gave up the besiegement of Rome. In this way Mucius Cordus became an example for a brave and audacious Roman burgess. A similar phrase, for example, is Civis Romanus sum.