Meanings
the road to hell is paved with good intentions1
alternative the road to Hell is paved with good intentions
- Well-intended acts can potentially lead to disasters.
The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Or so many politicians in Germany’s three-party ruling coalition are now discovering.
2023 September 7, Hans von der Burchard, “How heat pumps exploded Germany’s ruling coalition”, in POLITICO, archived from the original on 05 Dec 20231 more example
The road to literary hell is paved with the good intentions of publishers who start out saying "I'm gonna do it right; I'm not gonna screw up like Alyson or Gay Sunshine." Several projects later, these publishers are turning down the same "good material" that Alyson and Gay Sunshine did and building up the same type list they first wanted to avoid.
1987 February 1, T. R. Witomski, “Zeitgeist or Poltergeist? Why Gay Books Are So Bad”, in Gay Community News, volume 14, number 28, page 8Synonyms: hell is full of good meanings, but heaven is full of good works
the road to Hell is paved with good intentions2
- Alternative letter-case form of the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
Fifth, there should be more trust in the frequent good intentions of mankind which do sometimes get implemented. There is no more vicious proverb than the one which asserts that the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.
1952, Charles Seltman, “Olympus”, in The Twelve Olympians, London: Pan Books Ltd., →OCLC, page 1892 more examples
Ever resolving that this should be his last frolic, (to call it by no harsher name) he but afforded another proof of the old saying, that “the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.” From drinking at night he soon began to take his morning dram, a morbid appetite was thus engendered, and the unnatural craving of his stomach, continually required a stimulus, until he became a noted tippler.
1846 February 5, W. N. M., “Original. The Temperance Meeting; or Night and Morning.”, in The New Era, volume I, number 149, Portsmouth, Va.: A. F. Cunningham, →ISSN, front page, column 5Europe is as ancient as history, and the world turns east to west, so it’s not to be unexpected that Jess Franco’s films are somewhat ahead of their time. And it’s hardly surprising that he has so often been condemned without first being understood because, as philosophers say, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.
1990, Tim Lucas, “How to Read a [Jess] Franco Film”, in Video Watchdog, number 1, Cincinnati, Oh.: Tim and Donna Lucas, →ISSN, page 33, column 2
Synonyms & antonyms
proverbWell-intended acts can potentially lead to disasters.
Origin
- Hebrewהדרך לגיהנום רצופה כוונות טובות
- Englishthe road to hell is paved with good intentions
Semantic loan from Hebrew הדרך לגיהנום רצופה כוונות טובות.
More words from Hebrew
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic الطَّرِيق إلَى الْجَهَنَّم مُمَهَّد بِالنَّوَايَا الْحَسَنَة
- الطَّرِيق إلَى الْجَهَنَّم مُمَهَّد بِالنَّوَايَا الْحَسَنَة (aṭ-ṭarīq ʔilā l-jahannam mumahhad bi-n-nawāyā l-ḥasana)well-intended acts can lead to disasters
Bulgarian пътят към ада е покрит с добри намерения
- пътят към ада е покрит с добри намерения (pătjat kăm ada e pokrit s dobri namerenija)well-intended acts can lead to disasters
Catalan l'infern està ple de bones intencions
- l'infern està ple de bones intencionswell-intended acts can lead to disasters
Chinese Mandarin 好心沒好報 /好心没好报, 通往地獄的路是由善意鋪成的 /通往地狱的路是由善意铺成的
- 好心沒好報 /好心没好报 (hǎoxīn méi hǎobào)well-intended acts can lead to disasters
- 通往地獄的路是由善意鋪成的 /通往地狱的路是由善意铺成的 (tōngwǎng dìyù de lù shì yóu shànyì pū chéng de)well-intended acts can lead to disasters
Czech cesta do pekla je dlážděna dobrými úmysly, cesta do pekel je dlážděna dobrými úmysly
- cesta do pekla je dlážděna dobrými úmyslywell-intended acts can lead to disasters
- cesta do pekel je dlážděna dobrými úmyslywell-intended acts can lead to disasters
- cesta do pekla je vydlážděna samými dobrými úmyslywell-intended acts can lead to disasters
- cesta do pekla je vydlážděna dobrými úmyslywell-intended acts can lead to disasters
Danish vejen til helvede er brolagt med gode hensigter, vejen til helvede er brolagt med gode intentioner
- vejen til helvede er brolagt med gode hensigterwell-intended acts can lead to disasters
- vejen til helvede er brolagt med gode intentionerwell-intended acts can lead to disasters
- vejen til helvede er brolagt med gode forsætterwell-intended acts can lead to disasters
Dutch de weg naar de hel is geplaveid met goede voornemens
- de weg naar de hel is geplaveid met goede voornemenswell-intended acts can lead to disasters
Esperanto per promesoj estas pavimita la infero
- per promesoj estas pavimita la inferowell-intended acts can lead to disasters
Finnish tie helvettiin on kivetty hyvillä aikomuksilla
- tie helvettiin on kivetty hyvillä aikomuksillawell-intended acts can lead to disasters
French l'enfer est pavé de bonnes intentions
- l'enfer est pavé de bonnes intentionswell-intended acts can lead to disasters
German der Weg zur Hölle ist mit guten Vorsätzen gepflastert
- der Weg zur Hölle ist mit guten Vorsätzen gepflastertwell-intended acts can lead to disasters
Hebrew הַדֶּרֶךְ לַגֵּיהִנּוֹם רְצוּפָה כַּוָּנוֹת טוֹבוֹת
- הַדֶּרֶךְ לַגֵּיהִנּוֹם רְצוּפָה כַּוָּנוֹת טוֹבוֹת (hadérekh lagehenóm r'tzufáh kavanót tovót)well-intended acts can lead to disasters
Hungarian a pokolba vezető út jószándékkal van kikövezve
- a pokolba vezető út jószándékkal van kikövezvewell-intended acts can lead to disasters
Italian la strada per l'inferno è lastricata di buone intenzioni, di buone intenzioni è lastricata la via per l'inferno
- la strada per l'inferno è lastricata di buone intenzioniwell-intended acts can lead to disasters
- di buone intenzioni è lastricata la via per l'infernowell-intended acts can lead to disasters
- di buone intenzioni è lastricato l'infernowell-intended acts can lead to disasters
Japanese 地獄への道は善意で舗装されている
- 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)well-intended acts can lead to disasters
Korean 지옥으로 향하는 길은 선의로 포장되어 있다
- 지옥으로 향하는 길은 선의로 포장되어 있다 (jiogeuro hyanghaneun gireun seonuiro pojangdoeeo itda)well-intended acts can lead to disasters
Norwegian Bokmål veien til helvete er brolagt med gode intensjoner
- veien til helvete er brolagt med gode intensjonerwell-intended acts can lead to disasters
Polish dobrymi chęciami jest piekło wybrukowane
- dobrymi chęciami jest piekło wybrukowanewell-intended acts can lead to disasters
Portuguese de boas intenções está o inferno cheio, de boas intenções o inferno está cheio
- de boas intenções está o inferno cheiowell-intended acts can lead to disasters
- de boas intenções o inferno está cheiowell-intended acts can lead to disasters
- de boas intenções está cheio o infernowell-intended acts can lead to disasters
- o inferno está cheio de boas intençõeswell-intended acts can lead to disasters
Romanian drumul spre iad este pavat cu bune intenții
- drumul spre iad este pavat cu bune intențiiwell-intended acts can lead to disasters
Russian благи́ми наме́ре́ниями вы́мощена доро́га в ад
- благи́ми наме́ре́ниями вы́мощена доро́га в ад (blagími namérénijami výmoščena doróga v ad)well-intended acts can lead to disasters
Spanish el infierno está lleno de buenas intenciones, el camino al infierno está empedrado de buenas intenciones
- el infierno está lleno de buenas intencioneswell-intended acts can lead to disasters
- el camino al infierno está empedrado de buenas intencioneswell-intended acts can lead to disasters
- el infierno está empedrado de buenas intencioneswell-intended acts can lead to disasters
Swedish vägen till helvetet är kantad av goda föresatser, vägen till helvetet är stensatt med goda föresatser
- vägen till helvetet är kantad av goda föresatserwell-intended acts can lead to disasters
- vägen till helvetet är stensatt med goda föresatserwell-intended acts can lead to disasters
Turkish cehenneme giden yol iyi niyet taşlarıyla döşelidir
- cehenneme giden yol iyi niyet taşlarıyla döşelidirwell-intended acts can lead to disasters
Ukrainian дорога в пекло викладена добрими намірами
- дорога в пекло викладена добрими намірами (doroha v peklo vykladena dobrymy namiramy)well-intended acts can lead to disasters
Vietnamese đường đến địa ngục được lát bằng thiện tâm, mật ngọt chết ruồi
- đường đến địa ngục được lát bằng thiện tâmwell-intended acts can lead to disasters
- mật ngọt chết ruồiwell-intended acts can lead to disasters
Cite this entry
the road to hell is paved with good intentions. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/the%20road%20to%20hell%20is%20paved%20with%20good%20intentions
“the road to hell is paved with good intentions.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/the%20road%20to%20hell%20is%20paved%20with%20good%20intentions. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “the road to hell is paved with good intentions,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/the%20road%20to%20hell%20is%20paved%20with%20good%20intentions.
Source: the road to hell is paved with good intentions on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.