The end does not justify the means

It is easy to slip anything past behind a good intention. "I did it for the family," "it was for their own good," "anyway, given what was going to happen." Intention counts, but it does not fix everything. An action stands upon three things: what you do, why you do it, and how you do it. If you lie, even for a noble motive, it is still a lie. A good desire does not erase the harm of a bad means. This is not rigidity; it is coherence. When you also take care of the means, your life stops going in pieces: what you want and what you do begin to point in the same direction. And that gives a peace that no shortcut can ever give you.