ProverbMorality
French origin
French originL'enfer est pavé de bonnes intentions
Meaning: Meaning well counts for nothing without acting well.
Literally: Hell is paved with good intentions
Example: “Il voulait aider en réparant la fuite lui-même et a inondé la cuisine : l'enfer est pavé de bonnes intentions.” — He wanted to help by fixing the leak himself and flooded the kitchen: the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
Equivalents in English, Spanish, Japanese, German, Portuguese, and 2 more languages
English: The road to hell is paved with good intentions
Spanish: El camino al infierno está empedrado de buenas intenciones (literally: The road to hell is paved with good intentions)
Japanese: 地獄への道は善意で舗装されている (Jigoku e no michi wa zen'i de hosō sarete iru) (literally: The road to hell is paved with good intentions)
German: Der Weg zur Hölle ist mit guten Vorsätzen gepflastert (literally: The way to hell is paved with good resolutions)
Portuguese: De boas intenções está o inferno cheio (literally: Hell is full of good intentions)
Dutch: Met goede voornemens is de hel bevloerd (literally: Hell is floored with good intentions)
Russian: Благими намерениями вымощена дорога в ад (Blagimi namereniyami vymoshchena doroga v ad) (literally: The road to hell is paved with good intentions)
Origin: Generally traced to a saying of Bernard of Clairvaux in the 12th century and current in French and English alike by the 17th. The paving image insists the intentions were real — which is what makes it a warning rather than an accusation.
Explore another collection: Untranslatable Words
Words that capture a feeling or idea English needs a whole sentence for.
- Épanouissement The full flourishing of a person — blooming into your most complete, radiant self. More t…
- Ressourcement The act of returning to one's roots or origins to find renewal — going back to a place, t…
- Dépaysement The disorienting yet often pleasant feeling of being far from home, immersed in the unfam…
Keep exploring