Socrates was convicted on dubious charges and sentenced to execution in 399 BC. His friend, Crito, visited him in prison to tell him that the guards had been bribed and that arrangements had been made for his escape. But Socrates refused to leave the prison. He told Crito that he had benefited all of his life from the laws of Athens and that he could not betray them as a matter of either convenience or necessity. Socrates was convinced that nothing good could ever be achieved by wrongdoing. In short, a good end, however noble or necessary, cannot justify unethical means. Socrates believed that anyone who employed evil means would be ensnared in wickedness, that his enterprise would be corrupted, and that he would never achieve his worthy goal. If one would achieve a worthy end, then one must be worthy.
...the rest....
http://www.inthenationalinterest.com/Articles/Vol3Issue22/Vol3Issue22Ware.html
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