the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must

Etymology
in ’s  5.89 (the ). Thucydides presents the sentence as part of an ultimatum from Athens to the city of Melos demanding tribute. The Melians having rejected the order, their city was taken by force and their population enslaved and massacred by the Athenians. The wording that has become standard is from ’s 1874 translation.

Proverb

 * 1)  The weak cannot resist the decisions of the strong; power, not morality, decides the outcome of any dispute.