There is the wise saying: *"He who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day".
Today I came up with something that's closely related, but perhaps with a little more Victorian-style dash(?^), and it goes: "Vengeance is a luxury the dead cannot afford".
Imagine that line spoken by the head of a small clan that's just seen its territory overrun by a dastardly enemy, and whose people are torn between two cruel choices: mass suicide, or being taken into brutal slavery. I think it would be a nice fit in a novel by Dumas or Sabatini^.
IN THE REAL WORLD, COWARDICE IS SURVIVAL-ENHANCING
I suppose a more pithy, snappy version is possible for the internet age -- imagine Schwarzenegger's T-800 Terminator wisecracking "Dead humans can't shoot back" (pity that it's been reprogrammed not to kill humans).
Of course, that last version is pregnant with a different nuance. It's gone from the heartfelt defiance of the original to a simple -- but smartly delivered -- affirmation of fact. That crucial difference is even more glaring in this Mafioso-style version, which carries an extra layer of gloating: "A dead man can't get even". How about that^.
*Full quote is "He who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day; but he who is battle slain, can never rise to fight again", attributed to Oliver Goldsmith
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