Learn English – n idiom that roughly means “we gotta do what we gotta do”

idiom-request

Is there an idiom that roughly means "we gotta do what we gotta do"? I can think of another one like "I gotta earn my keep", but it's a little too specific and wage related. Is there any general idiom that means roughly the same thing? I can't think of one.

I am looking for a general idiom that can be used in almost any context and not just some random phrase.

Best Answer

Your original suggestion is fine:

Do what you gotta do

but the word "gotta" is only used in informal, spoken English.

Try

Do what you have to do

Google N-grams shows that this formation has become incredibly popular since 1970. It is very well understood.

If you feel the original sentence is not clear, or too informal, you can try:

We will do what has to be done.

Or use a single word

User Sam suggests words that provide this meaning:

required, necessary, unavoidable, crucial, imperative, urgent, vital, binding, compulsory, obligatory

These have different levels of formality. In spoken English the word "urgent" is fine, while the words "compulsory" and "obligatory" suggest formal rules.

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