The end justifies the means

The end justifies the means is a paraphrase of Niccolò Machiavelli. It means that if a goal is morally important enough, any method of getting it is acceptable. The idea is very old, but it was not meant to allow people to be cruel or mean if they do not need to be. It was part of a political philosophy (way of thinking) called consequentialism. The basic idea is that doing something can be judged by what happens because of it. All modern forms of consequentialism have to prevent tyrants (absolute rulers) from using this idea for evil.