There’s never a case in the Dhamma where good ends justify unskillful means. The means have to be good — in fact, everything is all means. After all, where would you put the ends? You settle one issue then everyone dies, they get reborn, and things start up again.

"There are some unskillful things happening in the world that really are worth banding together with other people, getting your energies together, and seeing if you can put a stop to them. But you have to do it in a skillful way. There’s never a case in the Dhamma where good ends justify unskillful means. The means have to be good — in fact, everything is all means. After all, where would you put the ends? You settle one issue and there’s another issue. You settle that issue, then everyone dies, they get reborn, and things start up again."

~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "Justice vs. Skillfulness" (Meditations8)

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