If you can't lick 'em, join 'em

If you can't lick 'em, join 'em

If you can't defeat your opponent, then you might as well work alongside them or do what they do. A: "I thought you said you'd never join social media." B: "Yeah, but everybody else has, so if you can't lick 'em, join 'em, I guess."
See also: if, join, lick
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • If you can't beat 'em, join 'em
  • If you can't beat them, join them
  • be/get in on something
  • get in on
  • have (something) to spare
  • have to spare
  • come in on the ground floor
  • be in on the ground floor
  • be, come, get, etc. in on the ground floor
  • goodnight Vienna
References in periodicals archive
But then I came to the belief that: "If you can't lick 'em, join 'em." I began searching for strategic alliances.
"If you can't lick 'em, join 'em." This appears to be the tactic of Canadian provincial governments with regard to Catholic hospitals.
If you can't lick 'em, join 'em. That's the lesson agricultural researchers have been applying recently.