The closest match to a Chinese idiom that I can think of is 克己服人 (overcome yourself, win over others). I guess one can make up a spin-off on it, like, 以德克己者王，以力服人者霸 (using virtue to discipline oneself is a [true] king; using power to dominate people is [just] a tyrant). Of course, neither one is an exact match to your original phrase.
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