The Melian Dialogue is an excerpt from Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War between the powerful Athenian Empire and the tiny island state of Melos.

The Athenians explain that power dynamics dominate the dialogue, whereas the Melians appeal to logic, reason and morality.

The Melian dialogue is most famous for the phrase: "The strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must."