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by Abraxis on October 18th, 2006

Abraxis

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Why is the road to hell paved with good intentions?

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Answers. 19 helpful answers below.

  • by AntigoneRising on October 18th, 2006

    AntigoneRising

    Ever had someone hurt you horribly, even though that person didn't intend to? Ever have someone try to force his/her will upon you because it is "what is best" for you? Do you think George W. Bush intended the Iraqi war to turn out this way?

    The first one shows that we are sometimes thoughtless, and we are imperfect. The second one shows egotistic ferver (that you know better than the actual person what is good for him/her - assuming we are talking about adults of sound mind) in which we can believe our opinions and views are 100% right for everyone. The third shows a shortcoming in analysis and planning (Ready?! Fire! Aim!)

    This is what is meant by, "The road to hell is paved with good intentions."

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  • by LynfromNM on October 18th, 2006

    LynfromNM

    Antigone Rising gives excellent examples of "good" intentions for bad reasons. I would like to add that intentions alone are worthless, so another interpretation of this axiom is that intentions alone, even good intentions for good reasons, simply aren't sufficient. It takes action to accomplish anything. Hell, outside of the Christian definition, could certainly be a place where people could have acted to do something positive and failed to do so.

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  • by Gibbers on January 12th, 2007

    Gibbers

    They ran out of brimstone.

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  • by Roger Kovaciny on October 19th, 2006

    Roger Kovaciny

    Sometimes because of the law of unintended consequences--I'm sure Rachel Carson never intended for a million children a year to die of malaria when she wrote Silent Spring, but that's what has happened because of the banning of DDT (whose toxic effects aren't nearly as bad as Carson and her followers said they were.)

    Usually it's because people think that their cause is so just, it's okay to break a few rules, or a few heads, along the way.

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  • by Stableboy on October 19th, 2006

    Stableboy

    There's a Buddhist notion of "skillful means": to act in ignorance is generally considered worse than not acting at all. That is, if you don't understand an area -- how the major pieces interconnect -- your actions are as likely to produce havoc as they are to produce good.

    Better to sit quietly, listen and observe, until you can see what's needed, then act. Much less chance of screwing it up. But this requires patience and the ability to restrain oneself from "good intention" impulses...

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  • by Mr. McClister on October 18th, 2006

    Mr. McClister

    Because know matter how much good you do for humanity and the world unless you accept God into your heart you are going to Hell...Well, at least according to Christianity


    Personally, I don't believe in Hell, much less God.

    P.S. I took this as a literal statement in order to give a rebutle against christianity....

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  • by bingobongo - is really losing interes... on May 14th, 2008

    bingobongo - is really losing interes...

    Some of the above answers may be correct but I differ in opinion...

    To me an intention is not yet an action, it is something you mean to do.

    "Dad intended to stop drink driving after tonight but killed 14 people on the way home"

    A rather over exaggerated example to illustrate my point! ;-)

    The person who intends to do the right thing can sail through life feeling like he isn't really a criminal, or bad person, or a rude person, or even just a naughty person in comparison to those who intentionally commit evil, bad or simply naughty acts.

    But the fact is there's no difference.

    So to me the proverb means: no point intending to do the right thing if you don't do it, as you will still end up in Hell.

    So go ahead - do the right thing today!

    ;-)

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  • by Empress of Everything Ever on January 12th, 2007

    Empress of Everything Ever

    it's gotta be paved with somthing

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  • by SeaTrinity on January 12th, 2007

    SeaTrinity

    Because the perverbial 'road' to hell is like the wooden
    coin 'round-2-it'...it has no beginning and no end.

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  • by -O-uknow on November 30th, 2009

    -O-uknow

    The Godless believe the ends justify the means and many atrocities have been committed by those who want a better world and don't care how they go about getting it.
    Lets continue.. God is often criticized for not coming done and making a better world. He could but that might include eliminating "YOU" who have not yet decided. In the end he would be no better than a human with good intention.

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  • by ToneZone on August 10th, 2010

    ToneZone

    Someone above said this
    "Has anyone considered it like this?

    If the road to hell is paved with good intentions then what it is the road to heaven paved with?

    Perhaps we'd be better acting without the best of intentions if we'd like not to end up in hell."

    They make a very good point, but in my opinion or (in my good intention - granted backed by action with this post), the post quoted above outlines exactly what is meant by "good intentions" meaning that "intentions" are just that, meaning to take action but not doing so.

    The road to hell may be paved by "intentions" even good ones.

    The road to heaven may be paved with "actions" rather than simply the thought, or the intention of actually acting on.

    So to make my point, the difference between heaven and hell is not in the intention, it is in fact in the taking of action. But then again I don't know????

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  • by Anonymous on July 12th, 2010

    Anonymous

    Because Madonna said so.

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  • by f_aston on April 19th, 2010

    f_aston

    Has anyone considered it like this?

    If the road to hell is paved with good intentions then what it is the road to heaven paved with?

    Perhaps we'd be better acting without the best of intentions if we'd like not to end up in hell.

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  • by Anonymous on March 31st, 2009

    Anonymous

    For me, it basiclly says : Be careful not to justify the use of "evil" means to reach a "good" outcome.

    For example.
    You could probably save alot of lives by kidnapping some rich preson, demand ransom and use that money to feed the poor. Your intentions are good, but it is still not the right(good) way to go at it.

    We need only to look back in the history books to find plenty of examples of horrible events that has taken place because the intentions were good, but means were wrong and the population didnt pay heed to that and justified it because it was for "the greater good".

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  • by Anonymous on April 3rd, 2009

    Anonymous

    This question challenges the assumption that good intentions are all you need to do something positive or create something special. I was researching this question because of a recent dating failure. I felt everything I did was positive and full of good intentions. How could my heart get broken? But it did, and there I was, in hell with a broken heart. Good intentions are just intentions, your assumptions of what is good. If you don't give yourself the time and have patience to listen and observe what you have done, you will most likely end up in hell.

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  • by Anonymous on November 30th, 2009

    Anonymous

    Because everyone thinks they're right.

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  • by Acronym on November 30th, 2009

    Acronym

    Because most people cannot distinguish between what they know and what they think they know. So when it comes time for action all they have is their own indecision.

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  • by Doc on September 16th, 2009

    Doc

    Just look at Communism...

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  • by louiscarrozzi on December 27th, 2009

    louiscarrozzi

    To me, this quote seems to have more with people meaning well and doing things that they think are actually good, but the consequences of their actions end up creating hell instead. One great example of this, and a really nasty one morally, is when people send food aid and medical care to certain overpopulated nations, especially in Africa. The good part is that people get food and medical care and don't die as a result of a lack of each, but the hell part comes in later. These people live in lands that can't support their populations to begin with so when more people live, and they live longer, resources become even scarcer, the environment gets destroyed faster in order to feed them which makes the land even less able to support the population and the end result is even more war, famine, genocide and disease. Eventually, and quite soon, the world itself will not be able to sustain the world's massive overpopulation problem mainly because we are so good at helping each other live.

    Another GREAT example of this "road to hell" is the so called "War On Drugs". The intention is a good one: To get rid of dangerous drugs that can hurt people and destroy lives. Wow, that sounds like a very noble cause, right? Isn't that something good? Unfortunately the answer is no. The drug cartels in Juarez Mexico alone (1 city) killed 2,400 innocent people last year, and 1,600 this year and at least 1 person every single day and often more. Many parts of Mexico are now war zones where drug cartels kill randomly and viciously anyone who threatens their illegal drug trade. They torture people with power tools, burn people alive, and rape children in front of their parents before assassinating them. The illegal drug trade has created thousands of armed street gangs across America with millions of members who kill thousands more people, (mainly themselves) and the illegal drug trade has turned America's prisons into one of the fastest growing sectors of business. People's constitutional rights have been crushed, our police forces have been corrupted and America's inner cites have been destroyed because of gangs and illegal drugs. Worse still is that illegal drug money drug finds its way into the hands of terrorists who use the money to buy guns and bombs used to terrorize and assassinate Americans. Every one of these facts is a direct result of drugs being illegal. If they were legal, none of the guns, violence and other evils related to the illegal drug trade would be necessary because drug dealers would just run their businesses and pay taxes like everyone else. This is exactly what happened when America repealed prohibition of alcohol. Once again, the intention is a good one, but the end result is hell.

    "The road to hell is paved with good intentions". I LOVE this saying.

    Peace.

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