“In the 17 years since I graduated from this great College of Law, I have seen that, for many of us, it becomes increasingly easy to rationalize our actions in the name of expediency when facing difficult decisions-to choose a path where the ends justify the means. I want to ask you to challenge Machiavelli's philosophy. I want to humbly suggest that you be the guardians of a more complicated truth: that the means are as important-and sometimes even more important-than the ends.” WantYearsMeanImportantEndsSometimesPhilosophyActionLawAsksNamesEasyDifficultChallengesDecisionPathCollegeComplicatedJustifyGuardianOur ActionsRationalizeExpediencyDifficult DecisionsEnds Justify The Means Author:Beau Biden
“There are two parts to the human dilemma. One is the belief that the end justifies the means. That push-button philosophy, that deliberate deafness to suffering, has become the monster in the war machine. The other is the betrayal of the human spirit: the assertion of dogma that closes the mind, and turns a nation, a civilization, into a regiment of ghosts--obedient ghosts or tortured ghosts.” MindHumansMeanTwoWarEndsPhilosophySpiritSufferingTurnsBeliefNationsCivilizationMachinesBetrayalMonstersGhostJustifyDogmaButtonsHuman SpiritDeliberateDilemmaAssertionObedientDeafnessEnds Justify The Means Book:The Ascent of Man Source: The Ascent of Man