Forgiveness, permission and ethics.

"Forgiveness is easier to get than permission."  When I first heard that saying, I thought it was so witty!  Better still, it's often true, particularly in large organizations like the one for which the fellow from whom I first heard it worked.  It's a clever rationale for doing what seems practical, though unorthodox, if one's motives are good - especially if the outcome is good.  But the saying hasn't worn well for me because it could also be simply an excuse for doing what one wants despite being unable to get appropriate permission or consent.  It could even divert one from considering whether the desirability of permission or consent, and the need for forgiveness, are two big warnings that one is about to cross an ethical boundary.