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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.
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.
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.
"I gotta do what I gotta do" is an idiom. It is widely known and understood to mean you are compelled to do something, either because you have to or because you want to. It can also suggest a means to an end that you don't particularly like, but need the outcome.
Variations of this include "I have to do what I have to do", and "I do what I must". These are not "formal" as such, but are more grammatically correct than the slang "gotta".
