# Si vis pacem, para bellum



## Outsider

Does this Latin saying have an equivalent in your language? If so, what is it?

Thanks in advance.


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## DearPrudence

French:

*"Si tu veux la paix, prépare la guerre." *(very literally: "If you want peace, prepare war")
*"Qui veut la paix, prépare la guerre"* ("He who wants peace, prepare war")


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## Outsider

Two ways of saying it in Portuguese:

_Se queres a paz, prepara a guerra.
Se queres a paz, prepara-te para a guerra._

I think the first one is the most traditional.


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## federicoft

Italian:

"Se vuoi la pace, prepara la guerra".


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## Kangy

I've never heard a similar phrase in Spanish, but its translation would be:

Si quieres la paz, prepárate para la guerra.


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## Saluton

Russian:
Хочешь мира - готовься к войне.


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## Setwale_Charm

Russian: Если хочешь мира, готовься к войне.


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## halfminded

Estonian: *Kui tahad rahu, siis valmistu sõjaks*


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## Nizo

In *Esperanto*, _se vi volas pacon, preparu militon_.


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## OneStroke

Chinese: 有文事者必有武備，有武事者必有文備　(you wenshi zhe bi you wubei, you wushi zhe bi you wenbei.) I have no idea how to translate that into English literally, so hopefully someone else can do that.


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## mataripis

In Tagalog;  Ang kapayapaan ay bunga pagkatapos ng sigalot. ( Peace is the end result of conflict)


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## apmoy70

In Greek:

«Αν επιθυμείς ειρήνη προετοίμαζε πόλεμο»
/an epiθi'mis i'rini proe'timaze 'polemo/
lit. "If you yearn for peace prepare for war"


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## AutumnOwl

_*Swedish:*
Om du vill ha fred, förbered dig för krig_ - If you want to have peace, prepare yourself for war
_Vill du fred, håll dig beredd för krig_ - If you want peace, be ready for war


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## francisgranada

*Hungarian*:

Ha békét akarsz, készülj a háborúra.


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## terredepomme

> Chinese: 有文事者必有武備，有武事者必有文備


Personally, I don't think that's similar at all...


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## ThomasK

We can only translate literally: *'Als je vrede wil, bereid je dan voor op *[you recognize _ready_; lit. pre-pare for] *de oorlog' *OR simpler: 'Als je ..., maak je dan klaar voor de oorlog.'

 I wonder if there are any metaphorical expressions. It does not seem to correspond to a common or basic feeling, does it ?


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## ilocas2

Translation in Czech:

Chceš-li mír, připravuj válku.


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## OneStroke

terredepomme said:


> Personally, I don't think that's similar at all...



所謂的「文事者」，其實就暗示了「厭戰」。例如唐初經過太宗的統治後，天下太平，要打的仗不多，最後安史之亂便差點兒沒亡國了。


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## sakvaka

*Finnish: *_Jos haluat rauhaa, valmistaudu sotaan._


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## catlady60

*English: *_If you want peace, prepare for war._


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## HUMBERT0

Si quieres paz, prepárate para la guerra.


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## lysuhoai

[Moderator's Note: Merged with a previous thread]
[Si vis pacem, para bellum]
Does this Latin saying have an equivalent in your language? If so, what is it?

Thanks in advance.


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## apmoy70

In Greek we usually leave Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus' quote, as it is.
Translated into Greek is:
*«Αν επιθυμείς ειρήνη, προετοιμάσου για πόλεμο»* [an epiθiˈmis iˈɾini pro.etiˈmasu ʝa ˈpolemo]

A Classical Greek parallel expression is Heraclitus' famous quote:
*«Πόλεμος πάντων μὲν πατήρ ἐστι, πάντων δὲ βασιλεύς»*
Ancient Greek pronunciation: [ˈpolemos ˈpanˌtoːn͜ men ˌpaˈteːr͜ esti ˈpanˌtoːn͜ de basiˈleu̯s]
Modern Greek pronunciation: [ ˈpolemos ˈpandon men paˈtiɾ͜ ˌesti ˈpandon ðe vasiˈlefs]
English translation: "War is the father and king of all"


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## Frank78

Latin quotes usually remain untranslated in German as well.

But if you want the translation is "Wenn du Frieden willst, bereite den Krieg vor." (If you want peace, prepare for war)


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## Dymn

Catalan: _si vols la pau, prepara la guerra_
Spanish: _si quieres la paz, prepara la guerra
_
Although we often leave it in Latin.


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## jazyk

Portuguese:
Se queres a paz, prepara a guerra/prepara-te para a guerra.

But as others have said, it is usually kept in Latin.


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## kloie

In order to have peace one must prepare for war.


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## momai

Hi,
I am sure Arabic has some native equivalents for this expression, but I can't really think of any right now.
A litteral translation of my rendition :
.إن بغيت السّلم, فأعّد للحرب
inn baghayta as-silma, fa-'a33ida lil-7arb .


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## Awwal12

*Russian*s use a direct translation of the Latin saying:
Хочешь мира - готовься к войне (khóchesh míra - gotóv'sya k voyné) ~['xoʨəʂ 'mʲirə gɐ'tofʲsʲə kvɐj'nʲe].


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## Delvo

I haven't seen or heard this Latin saying before, but it reminds me of "the best defense is a good offense" and "the best offense is a good defense".

Other than that, the closest thing I can think of would be something I made up myself and have heard nobody else use: "The only way for the peaceful to have peace is to be better at violence than the violent". Due to the lack of a particular common standard saying for it in English, I expect that many other Englishers have made up their own as well.


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## 810senior

Not in Japanese as far as I remember and yet I just recall the one that was literally translated:
汝平和を欲さば、戦への備えをせよ
[If thou want peace, get prepared for warfare]

もし平和を望むのであれば、戦いに備えるべきである
[If you(omitted) want peace, you should be reminded to get prepared for warfare]


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## Nizo

In Esperanto, the expression is translated directly from the Latin:

_Se vi volas pacon, preparu militon._


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## Kotlas

German:
Wenn du (den) Frieden willst, bereite (den) Krieg vor.

Si vis pacem para bellum – Wikipedia


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## Kotlas

Delvo said:


> I haven't seen or heard this Latin saying before, but it reminds me of "the best defense is a good offense".


We have it in Russian, too:
Лучшая защита - нападение ['lutshaya za'shchita napa'deniye]

I think this saying exists in languages of those countries where sports competitions are popular.


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## apmoy70

Kotlas said:


> We have it in Russian, too:
> Лучшая защита - нападение ['lutshaya za'shchita napa'deniye]
> 
> I think this saying exists in languages of those countries where sports competitions are popular.


We have it too:

*«Η καλύτερη άμυνα είναι η επίθεση»*
[i kaˈliteɾi ˈamina ˈine i eˈpiθesi] --> lit. _the better defence is offence_.

*«Άμυνα»* [ˈamina] (fem.) --> _defence_ < Classical deverbative feminine noun *«ἄμυνᾱ» ắmūnā* --> _defence_ < Classical v. *«ἀμύνω» ămū́nō* --> _to ward off, defend_ (possibly from *h₂me̯u(H)- _to move, push_ and with cognates Skt. मीवति (mīvati), _to move_, Lat. movēre).

*«Επίθεση»* [eˈpiθesi] (fem.) --> _attack, offence_ < Classical 3rd declension feminine noun *«ἐπίθεσις» ĕpítʰĕsis* (nom. sing.), *«ἐπιθέσεως» ĕpĭtʰésĕōs* (gen. sing.) --> lit. _setting upon_, _position taken up_, metaph. _offence, attack_ < Classical Gr. prefix, preposition & adverb *«ἔπι» épĭ* & *«ἐπί» ĕpí* --> _on it, at it_ (PIE *h₁epi- _on, at, near_ cf Skt. अपि (ápi), _also, too_, Lat. ob, Arm. եւ (ew), _and_) + Classical deverbative 3rd declension fem. noun *«θέσις» tʰésis* (nom. sing.), *«θέσεως» tʰésĕōs* (gen. sing.) --> _setting, placing, position_ < Classical Gr. athematic v. *«τίθημι» títʰēmĭ* --> _to put (away), lay (down), fix, make, place, set up, establish, create_ (PIE *dʰeh₁- _to put, lay down, create_ cf Latin facere, Proto-Germanic *dōną > Ger. tun, Eng. do, Dt. doen; the Greek reduplicated athematic present is also found in Skt. ददामि (dadhāmi), _to give_, Av. daδąmi, _to give_).


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## ilocas2

The best defense is offense.

Czech: Nejlepší obrana je útok.

--------------------------------------

Offense is the best defense.

Croatian: Napad je najbolja obrana.

Serbian: Napad je najbolja odbrana.


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## franknagy

Hungarian: "Ha békében akarsz élni, készülj a háborúra!"


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## L'irlandais

Delvo said:


> I haven't seen or heard this Latin saying before, but it reminds me of "the best defense is a good offense" and "the best offense is a good defense".
> 
> Other than that, the closest thing I can think of would be something I made up myself and have heard nobody else use: "The only way for the peaceful to have peace is to be better at violence than the violent". Due to the lack of a particular common standard saying for it in English, I expect that many other Englishers have made up their own as well.


I am not sure I understand the adage the same way you do.  The Palmerstone forts were built in England from 1860 onwards.  The politician was roundly criticized for wasting money on military spending.  Yet in 1870, England avoided a costly war with Germany, because she was well prepared to repel any attacks.  The Victorians were not more violent than their German cousins.  Their preparation for war dissuaded the Kaiser, who chose to invade France (1870-71) instead.  His previous wars on Denmark (1848-52, 1864)  and Austria (1866) inspiring the English to prepare for war.

Compare with the original Latin version.
Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." Translation: "Therefore, whoever wishes for peace let him prepare for war." (Vegetius in De Re Militari)
Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum.


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