To the victor go the spoils
Meaning: Victory earns the right to claim rewards and resources from the defeated.
Origin: From a Senate speech by William L. Marcy of New York in January 1832, defending Martin Van Buren against Henry Clay — and with him President Andrew Jackson's practice of rewarding political supporters with government jobs: his party saw nothing wrong in the rule "that to the victor belong the spoils of the enemy." The phrase gave the "spoils system" its name.
Equivalents in Japanese
- Japanese: 勝利者に略奪品を行きます (Shōrisha ni ryakudatsuhin o ikimasu)
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