La fin justifie les moyens
Meaning: A worthwhile goal excuses whatever it takes to reach it.
Language: French
Literally: The end justifies the means
Category: Daily Life
Origin: Universally attributed to Machiavelli, who never wrote the sentence — The Prince argues something narrower about outcomes being what men judge by. The formulation is a later compression of his reputation rather than his text.
More idioms — Daily Life
- Conter fleurette — To woo someone with sweet talk.
- Des manœuvres florentines — Devious, elaborately indirect political scheming.
- De bonne foi — Sincerely, without intent to deceive.
- S'attirer les foudres de quelqu'un — To bring down someone's wrath on oneself.
- Ne pas pouvoir être au four et au moulin — To be unable to be in two places at once.
- Épater la galerie — To show off for the benefit of onlookers.
More French idioms
- Sans crier gare — Without any warning at all.
- Une promesse de Gascon — A promise nobody expects to be kept.
- Vouer aux gémonies — To denounce someone publicly and utterly.
- Cousin germain — A first cousin.
- Faire partie du Gotha — To belong to the highest society.
- Des goûts et des couleurs on ne discute pas — There is no arguing with personal preference.
From our false friends
- Blesser — Actually means 'to wound' or 'to injure'. Je suis blessé = I am injured — not blessed.
- Location — Actually means 'rental'. Une location de voiture = a car rental. For location (place), sa…
- Assister — Actually means 'to attend' an event. J'assiste à la réunion = I attend the meeting. For a…
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