"The end justifies the means"

[Merciless.Fire]

The ends justify the means...

The end is something you strive for, something you personally want accomplished in order for you to gain something out of it. The "ends" are different for everyone, but the means usually tend to overlap.

The "means" are how you go about accomplishing this goal, and while you personally want to accomplish this goal, it depends on how far you are willing to go to do so. Being the first to win a race at the Indianapolis 500 is a end, and to do it, you must train and learn how to increase your time to win. But if that isn't enough, how far are you willing to go? Will you "accidentally" knock the 1st place car out of the race? That's up for you to decide.

It really depends on the situation, as so many have stated above, but it all really comes down to how far you are willing to go to reach that end. If you are willing to kill a person to save hundreds of lives, then the end justifies the means.

 

[bcponpcp27]

I've always thought that the expression "the ends do/don't justify the means" was astoundingly vague. I mean, what is the ends, and what are you means? If you're torturing innocent people to get a shread of info that might lead to a conviction of a major criminal, no, the means aren't really justified by the ends. But what if you saved an orphanage....by donating your money....that you earned legally.....That's when it becomes apparent the statement only really applies in controversial situations like whether or not you can have inside info on stocks, or if you can take that bribe, then sell the person out anyway. It really depends on the situation...and the laws.