Vol. 06 · Misquoted ·Saying ·269 of 348
"The end justifies the means."
They never said that.
What people say
"The end justifies the means."
What was actually said
"Machiavelli did not write this line." Niccolò Machiavelli — Niccolò Machiavelli (attributed)
Why it stuck
The Prince (1532) argues that results matter more than methods, but Machiavelli never compresses it into this sentence. The phrase is Ovid's, via later translators.
Closest source is Ovid's Heroides (c. 20 BCE): "exitus acta probat."
Know another line by heart?
Play the duel and see how many you can spot. Or browse the whole shelf.