This proverb emphasizes that possessing great physical strength (sandry be) does not equate to true power (hery), and despite the vigor and vitality of youth (fahatanorana), it cannot prevent the inevitable, which is death (faty). In other words, it reminds us of the limitations of physical strength and the inevitable nature of death. An equivalent English proverb could be ‘Might does not make right, and youth does not promise immortality’.