English
Proverb
if you can't beat them, join them
- If one's adversaries are stronger, it is better to join their side.
1985 August 24, “Will You Marry Me? (personal advertisement)”, in Gay Community News, volume 13, number 7, page 17:GWM seeks gay female for liberal marriage. If you can't beat them, join them!
Derived terms
Translations
if your adversaries are stronger than you, it is better to join their side
- Bulgarian: ако не можеш да ги победиш, присъедини се към тях (bg) (ako ne možeš da gi pobediš, prisǎedini se kǎm tjah)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 如果打不過他們，就加入他們 / 如果打不过他们，就加入他们 (rúguǒ dǎ bùguò tāmen, jiù jiārù tāmen)
- Finnish: jos et voi voittaa heitä, liity heihin
- French: il faut savoir hurler avec les loups (one must know how to howl with wolves)
- German: man muss mit den Wölfen heulen (de) (one should howl with wolves)
- Korean: 이길 수 없다면 합류해라 (igil su eopdamyeon hamnyuhaera)
- Norwegian:
- Bokmål: kan du ikke slå dem, bli med dem
- Portuguese: se não pode vencê-los, junte-se a eles
- Russian: не мо́жешь поби́ть, присоединя́йся к ним (ne móžešʹ pobítʹ, prisojedinjájsja k nim) (literal), с волка́ми жить — по-во́лчьи выть (s volkámi žitʹ — po-vólčʹi vytʹ) (to live amongst wolves, you should howl like a wolf)
- Scottish Gaelic: chan eil air an loch nach gabh ligeadh ach a fhàgail far am bi e (literally “the loch you can't drain must be left as it is”)
- Spanish: si no puedes contra el enemigo, únete a él
- Thai: ถ้าสู้ไม่ไหวจงเข้าร่วมซะ (Tha Su Mai Wai Chong Khao Ruam Sa)
- Turkish: bükemediğin eli öp başına koy.
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References