Shit happens; needs of the many outweigh those of the few

[Anonymous]

I would like to have " shit happens" and "The needs of the many outweigh those of the few."

And would also just like to confirm that a few translations I have are correct.


dulce bellum inexpertis
War is sweet to those who have never fought

victis honor
Honour to the vanquished




Thanks

 

[Chamaeleo]

Re: A few translations

I would like to have " shit happens"

We could say ‘merda’ for ‘shit’, but it wouldn't have the connotation of ‘unfortunate events’. Overall, the phrase means ‘sometimes, one's luck is bad’ or similar. We could therefore say something like ‘Fortūna incōnstāns est’, although there is no obscenity in it.

 

[Chamaeleo]

Re: A few translations

dulce bellum inexpertis
War is sweet to those who have never fought

victis honor
Honour to the vanquished

Wiktionary's page on the first one gives all the info you might need. (And this page illustrates the sentiment.)

I don't know the second one, although it seems perfectly correct. More common is ‘væ victīs’ — ‘woe upon the vanquished’ / ‘alas for the vanquished’.

 

[Chamaeleo]

Re: A few translations

"The needs of the many outweigh those of the few."

This, which — as far as I can tell — is a quotation from Star Trek, although I'm sure many philosophers have expressed similar views, is probably best expressed in Latin by something along the lines of:

‘Necessitātēs popŭlī/vulgī/multōrum necessitātēs paucōrum præpondĕrant.’

 

[Matthaeus]

Re: A few translations

I would like to have " shit happens"

We could say ‘merda’ for ‘shit’, but it wouldn't have the connotation of ‘unfortunate events’. Overall, the phrase means ‘sometimes, one's luck is bad’ or similar. We could therefore say something like ‘Fortūna incōnstāns est’, although there is no obscenity in it.

Maybe you could say Fortuna nonnumquam merda est? Is there an adjective 'shitty'?

 

[Bitmap]

Re: A few translations

merdaceus; merdaleus

 

[Encolpius]

Re: A few translations

There is a verb "concaco, -are" meaning "I shit on" or "shit up" (Seneca, Apocolocyntosis 4). So one could say:

"nonnunquam/interdum concacatur" (with the passive used impersonally) = "sometimes one shits things up"
"concacari potest" = "it's possible to be shitted on"
"concacatum fieri potest" = "being shitted on can happen"

Also, a dung hill is "sterquilin(i)um". "Everywhere's a dung hill" = "ubique sterquilinum".

 

[Diaphanus]

Re: A few translations

There is just plain cacare, caco.

 

[Matthaeus]

Re: A few translations

Verba cloacæ, how interesting. Thanks for that link, Diaphanus.

Edit=gratias Enclopio quoque!