The ends justify the means

Meaning: A good outcome excuses questionable methods.

Origin: Attributed to Niccolò Machiavelli's The Prince (1532), though he never wrote it verbatim.

Translations

• French: La fin justifie les moyens (literally: The end justifies the means)
• Spanish: El fin justifica los medios (literally: The end justifies the means)
• Japanese: 目的のためには手段を選ばず (Mokuteki no tame ni wa shudan wo erabazu) (literally: For the goal, choose no means)

More proverbs about Morality

• Charity begins at home — Take care of your own family before helping others.
• Don't look a gift horse in the mouth — Don't question the value of a gift.
• If the shoe fits, wear it — Accept criticism that accurately applies to you.
• The fish rots from the head down — Problems in an organization or society start at the top, with its leaders.
• The axe forgets, but the tree remembers — Those who cause harm often forget quickly, while those who suffer carry the wound far lon…
• A house divided against itself cannot stand — Internal conflict destroys an organization from within; unity is essential for survival.

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