Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Quotes

The doing evil to avoid an evil cannot be good.

Too great a preoccupation with motives (especially one's own motive) is liable to lead to too little concern for consequences.

The end never justifies the means because there is no end; there are only means.

I see it all perfectly; there are two possible situations - one can either do this or that. My honest opinion and my friendly advice is this: do it or do not do it - you will regret both.

Christ could not create a codified 'Christian ethics'; such a thing would be a contradiction in terms.

If you choose the lesser of two evils, you are still choosing evil.

And don't tell me the end justifies the means because it doesn't. We never reach the end. All we ever get is means. That's what we live with.

The end justifies the means. But what if there never is an end? All we have is means.

One of them is knowing the difference between Morality and Wisdom. Morality is temporary, Wisdom is permanent… Ho ho. Take that one to bed with you tonight.

But goodness alone is never enough. A hard, cold wisdom is required for goodness to accomplish good. Goodness without wisdom always accomplishes evil.

The end doesn't justify anything, because all we ever live with is the means.

Nobody ever did, or ever will, escape the consequences of his choices.

A human being fashions his consequences as surely as he fashions his goods or his dwelling. Nothing that he says, thinks or does is without consequences.

Sooner or later everyone sits down to a banquet of consequences.

The right actions undertaken for the right reasons generally lead to good outcomes over time.

It's motive alone which gives character to the actions of men.

He who chooses the beginning of the road chooses the place it leads to. It is the means that determines the end.

Everything we do has consequences.

Sometimes the right thing gets done for the wrong reason and sometimes, unfortunately, the wrong thing gets done for the right reason.

Perhaps it is impossible for a person who does no good to do no harm.

Motives are often more important than actions

Out of bad motives good things often come.

Maybe we’ve done the best thing but sometimes have done it in the worst way.

We all make decisions, and within those decisions, we have consequences.

There is much said about the wickedness of doing evil that good may come. Alas! there is such a thing as doing good that evil may come.