The road to hell is paved with good intentions
Meaning: Good plans are worthless without follow-through.
Origin: A saying that hell is full of good intentions is often credited to Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, but it is not found in his works. George Herbert's proverb collection (1651) has "Hell is full of good meanings and wishings," John Ray's of 1670 has "Hell is paved with good intentions," and Boswell recorded Samuel Johnson quoting that form in 1775. The "road to hell" wording appears in print by 1855.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, and German
- French: L'enfer est pavé de bonnes intentions (literally: 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)
More proverbs about Morality
- The truth shall set you free — Honesty and truth lead to liberation.
- To err is human, to forgive divine — Making mistakes is natural; forgiving them is noble.
- Live and let live — Be tolerant of others' choices and lifestyles.
- The pot calling the kettle black — Criticizing someone for a flaw you yourself possess.
- Give credit where credit is due — Acknowledge others' contributions fairly.
- Practice what you preach — Live according to the principles you advocate.
From our tongue twisters
- Barbara Ara bar Ara araba bara rabarbara. — An unbroken 'bar / ara / rab' roll built almost entirely from the same handful of syllabl…
- Ular melingkar-lingkar di atas pagar pak Umar. — A rolling 'l / r / ling' drill that loops like the snake it describes.
- ยักษ์ใหญ่ไล่ยักษ์เล็ก (Yák yài lâi yák lék) — A tonal 'yak / yai / lai / lek' drill that hops across Thai tones in four short beats.