the end justifies the means

• the ends justify the means

Widely attributed to Machiavelli's The Prince,[1] which does reflect this philosophy but does not use the phrase in this wording. A possible source is Ovid's Heroides (ca. 10 BC), which says exitus ācta probat (“the outcome justifies the deeds”).

the end justifies the means

1. Morally wrong actions are sometimes necessary to achieve morally right outcomes; actions can only be considered morally right or wrong by virtue of the morality of the outcome.

• Apart from the negation, a common retort is that immoral or violent means “corrupt the ends”.

• all's fair in love and war