The road to hell is paved with good intentions

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions" is a proverb or aphorism. An alternative form is "Hell is full of good meanings, but heaven is full of good works".

Meaning
A common meaning of the phrase is that wrongdoings or evil actions are often undertaken with good intentions; or that good intentions, when acted upon, may have unintended consequences. An example is the introduction of Asian carp into the United States in the 1970s to control algal blooms in captivity. Within ten years, the carp escaped and spread throughout the Mississippi River System.

A different interpretation of the saying is that individuals may have the intention to undertake good actions but nevertheless fail to take them. This inaction may be due to procrastination, laziness, or another subversive vice. As such, the saying is an admonishment that a good intention is meaningless unless followed through. This is consistent with another saying, often attributed to Edmund Burke: "the only thing necessary for evil to win is for good men to do nothing."

Origin
The exact origin of this proverb is unknown and several variations exist. The first full version of the phrase appeared in a London newspaper in 1828 where it was referred to as a Portuguese proverb.

The earliest known text resembling this phrase occurs in Virgil's Aeneid: "facilis descensus Averno (the descent to hell is easy)". A resemblance can be found in Ecclesiasticus 21:10, "The way of sinners is made plain with stones, but at the end thereof is the pit of hell." Another resemblance also can be found in one Hadith that Muhammad said: "Paradise is surrounded by hardships, and the Fire is surrounded by desires."

The proverb is often attributed to St. Bernard of Clairvaux, who is said to have written (c. 1150), "L'enfer est plein de bonnes volontés ou désirs" (Hell is full of good intentions and wills). This citation of Bernard was made by St. Francis de Sales (1567–1622), who wrote to encourage a spiritual disciple: "Do not be troubled by St. Bernard's saying that Hell is full of good intentions and wills."

John Wesley referenced the proverb in his sermon titled, "The Almost Christian", in 1741: Hell is paved,' saith one, 'with good intentions. John Foxe quotes William Tyndale (1494–1536) as writing "Beware of good intents." The second part of "Chapter 213" of Acts and Monuments cites "Fol. 87" of "The Wicked Mammon".

An 1811 English version of one of Rambach's books includes, "The road to hell is paved with good resolutions", a translation of his 1730 German text Der Weg zur Höllen sey mit lauter gutem Vorsatz gepflastert. James Boswell's 1791 biography of Samuel Johnson quotes Johnson as saying to an acquaintance in 1775 "Sir, hell is paved with good intentions." An earlier iteration "borrowed of" another language was "Hell is full of good meanings and wishes" and was published in 1670 in A Collection of English Proverbs collected by John Ray. It was also published in Henry G. Bohn's A Hand-book of Proverbs in 1855.

Studies
Psychological studies of the effect of intention upon task completion by professors Peter Gollwitzer, Paschal Sheeran and Sheina Orbell indicate that there is some truth in the proverb. Perfectionists are especially prone to having their intentions backfire in this way. A 2004 study argued that people are more likely to interpret their own actions as more well-intended than the actions of others.

Attempts to improve the ethical behaviour of groups are often counterproductive. If legislation is used for such an attempt, people observe the letter of the law rather than improve the desired behaviour. The threat of punishment may make behavior less rather than more ethical. Studies of business ethics indicate that most wrongdoing is not due directly to wickedness but is performed by people who did not plan to err.

Stephen Garrard Post, writing about altruism, suggests that good intentions are often not what they seem and that mankind normally acts from less worthy, selfish motives&mdash;"If the road to hell is paved with good intentions, it is partly because that is the road they generally start out on."

Artistic references
Authors who have used the phrase include Charlotte Brontë, Lord Byron, Randy Travis, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Sir Walter Scott, Søren Kierkegaard, and Karl Marx. Ozzy Osbourne used the term in the song "Tonight" on his album Diary of a Madman. Five Finger Death Punch used the term on their song "Living The Dream" for their 8th studio album released in 2020 F8

In the movie Highway to Hell, the phrase is taken literally to create one particular scene. The Good Intentions Paving Company has a team of Andy Warhols who grind good-intentioned souls into pavement. "I was only sleeping with my husband's boss to advance his career", says one. The figurative meaning of the phrase is a big part of the plot too, as several characters offer to help the two protagonists on the Road to Hell, but all of them have ulterior motives.

In the Discworld novel Eric by Terry Pratchett, as the wizard Rincewind and teenaged demonologist Eric Thursley escape Pandemonium, they notice that the individual cobbles on the Road to Hell have good intentions written on them. These included "for the good of the kids", "I meant it for the best" and "we are equal opportunities employers".

Ms. Lauryn Hill used the phrase "See the road to hell is paved with good intentions" in her 2002 song "Mr. Intentional" from her album MTV Unplugged No. 2.0.

Pink used the phrase in her 2006 song "Dear Mr. President" to refer to the No Child Left Behind Act.

Madonna uses this line in her 2008 single "4 Minutes," featuring Justin Timberlake and Timbaland, off her eleventh studio album Hard Candy.

Post hardcore band In Fear and Faith has a song titled "The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions" featuring Craig Owens of Chiodos on their 2009 album Your World on Fire.

Bruce Dickinson used this phrase in the song "Road to Hell", from the album Accident of Birth.

The Chainsmokers utilize this phrase in their song "Good Intentions" featuring BullySongs.

Vegyn released his seventh original album, titled with this proverb "The Road to Hell Is Paved with Good Intentions" in 2024.