--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Hell is paved with good intentions, not…" description: "\"Hell is paved with good intentions, not with bad ones. All men mean well.\" — George Bernard Shaw" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d7/george-bernard-shaw-68_bad-intentions_hell-is-paved-with-good-intentions-not-w_1497383.png" --- # Hell is paved with good intentions, not with bad ones. All… ![“Hell is paved with good intentions, not with bad ones. All men mean well.” quote by George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d7/george-bernard-shaw-68_bad-intentions_hell-is-paved-with-good-intentions-not-w_1497383.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d7/george-bernard-shaw-68_bad-intentions_hell-is-paved-with-good-intentions-not-w_1497383.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d7/george-bernard-shaw-68_bad-intentions_hell-is-paved-with-good-intentions-not-w_1497383.png) > “Hell is paved with good intentions, not with bad ones. All men mean well.” [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Good intentions alone are insufficient; actions must align with intentions to avoid hollow morality. **In simple terms:** Intentions need actions. Key Takeaway Translate good intentions into concrete deeds. Themes morality intentions action hypocrisy Mood critical thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - volunteering - policy making - personal habits Key Concepts ethical philosophy human behavior Questions to Reflect On - What actions reflect your true intentions? - How to avoid virtue signaling? A Different Perspective Intentions can be deceptive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad intentions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-intentions/) [Good intentions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-intentions/) [Hell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hell/) [Intention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intention/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Paved With Good Intentions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paved-with-good-intentions/) [Witty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/witty/) ## Related quotes > [Hell is paved with good intentions, not bad ones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/hell-is-paved-with-good-intentions-not-bad-ones/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [Yes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions, but everyone forgets the second half of that quote: the road to heaven is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-max/yes-the-road-to-hell-is-paved-with-good-intentions-but-everyone/) [Tucker Max](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-max/) > [“They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions. The way back will be paved with blood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-m-frazier/they-say-the-road-to-hell-is-paved-with-good-intentions-the-way-back/) [T.M. Frazier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-m-frazier/) > [The road to hell was paved with good intentions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-road-to-hell-was-paved-with-good-intentions/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Hell is paved with good intentions. Heaven is paved with Oreos.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-gilbert-murdock/hell-is-paved-with-good-intentions-heaven-is-paved-with-oreos/) [Catherine Gilbert Murdock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-gilbert-murdock/) > [Hell is paved with good intentions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/hell-is-paved-with-good-intentions/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“You know how they say the path to hell is paved with good intentions? Well, maybe the path to heaven is paved with bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-coburn/you-know-how-they-say-the-path-to-hell-is-paved-with-good-intentions/) Jake Coburn > [The road to hell is paved with good intentions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-road-to-hell-is-paved-with-good-intentions/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The steep descent into Hell is always paved with good intentions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bianca-scardoni/the-steep-descent-into-hell-is-always-paved-with-good-intentions/) [Bianca Scardoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bianca-scardoni/) > [“The road to hell is paved with good intentions. (This is not actually true. The raid to Hell is paved with frozen door-to-door salesman.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman-and-terry-pratchett/the-road-to-hell-is-paved-with-good-intentions-this-is-not-actually/) Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett > [The streets of hell are paved with good intentions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shania-twain/the-streets-of-hell-are-paved-with-good-intentions/) [Shania Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shania-twain/) > [“Hell, they says, is paved with good intentions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/hell-they-says-is-paved-with-good-intentions/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [The road to hell is not paved with good intentions, it is mostly paved with religions and souls trapped by indecision and tourists who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/the-road-to-hell-is-not-paved-with-good-intentions-it-is-mostly-paved/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [“The road to hell is paved with good intentions. —John Ray (1670)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ray/the-road-to-hell-is-paved-with-good-intentions-john-ray-1670/) [John Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ray/) > [It has been more wittily than charitably said that hell is paved with good intentions; they have their place in heaven also.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-southey/it-has-been-more-wittily-than-charitably-said-that-hell-is-paved-with/) [Robert Southey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-southey/) ## More by George Bernard Shaw > [I love little children too but I don't cut off their heads and stick them in vases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/i-love-little-children-too-but-i-don-t-cut-off-their-heads-and-stick/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [Blasphemy and sedition (meaning the truth about Church and State).](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/blasphemy-and-sedition-meaning-the-truth-about-church-and-state/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [In the arts of life, man invents nothing; but in the arts of death he outdoes Nature herself, and produces by chemistry and machinery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/in-the-arts-of-life-man-invents-nothing-but-in-the-arts-of-death-he/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [“My religious convictions and scientific views cannot at present be more specifically defined than as those of a believer in creative evolution. I desire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/my-religious-convictions-and-scientific-views-cannot-at-present-be/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [What a man believes may be ascertained, not from his creed, but from the assumptions on which he habitually acts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/what-a-man-believes-may-be-ascertained-not-from-his-creed-but-from/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [You are my inspiration and my folly. You are my light across the sea, my million nameless joys, and my day's wage. You are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/you-are-my-inspiration-and-my-folly-you-are-my-light-across-the-sea/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [Men have to do some awfully mean things to keep up their respectability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/men-have-to-do-some-awfully-mean-things-to-keep-up-their/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [The schoolmaster is the person who takes the children off the parents' hands for a consideration. That is to say, he establishes a child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-schoolmaster-is-the-person-who-takes-the-children-off-the-parents/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [As long as I have a want, I have a reason for living. Satisfaction is death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/as-long-as-i-have-a-want-i-have-a-reason-for-living-satisfaction-is/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [The camera can represent flesh so superbly that, if I dared, I would never photograph a figure without asking that figure to take its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-camera-can-represent-flesh-so-superbly-that-if-i-dared-i-would/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [A man who is not a communist at the age of twenty is a fool. Any man who is still communist at the age…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/a-man-who-is-not-a-communist-at-the-age-of-twenty-is-a-fool-any-man/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [But to admire a strong person and to live under that strong person’s thumb are two different things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/but-to-admire-a-strong-person-and-to-live-under-that-strong-person-s/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [Socialism is the same as Communism, only better English.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/socialism-is-the-same-as-communism-only-better-english/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [The person who is ignorant enough to believe that his nourishment depends on meat is in a horrible dilemma.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-person-who-is-ignorant-enough-to-believe-that-his-nourishment/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [In the arts of peace Man is a bungler.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/in-the-arts-of-peace-man-is-a-bungler/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) [Explore all 1,640 George Bernard Shaw quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) ## More Bad intentions quotes > [Repulsive, humiliating advice usually comes from bad intentions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/repulsive-humiliating-advice-usually-comes-from-bad-intentions/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Boxing is entertainment, so to be successful a fighter must not only win but he must win in an exciting manner. He must throw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cus-d-amato/boxing-is-entertainment-so-to-be-successful-a-fighter-must-not-only/) [Cus D'Amato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cus-d-amato/) > [There's a difference between maliciously offending somebody - on purpose - and somebody being offended by...truth. If you're offended by the truth, that's your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-stine/there-s-a-difference-between-maliciously-offending-somebody-on/) [Brad Stine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-stine/) > [All Freemasonry should be disbanded in America because our organization has been infiltrated by the Illuminati and they have bad intention for America and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/all-freemasonry-should-be-disbanded-in-america-because-our/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [“Changes in Relationship with others: It is especially hard to trust other people if you have been repeatedly abused, abandoned or betrayed as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzette-boon/changes-in-relationship-with-others-it-is-especially-hard-to-trust/) [Suzette Boon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzette-boon/) > [There is really no way we can know the heart, the intentions, or the circumstances of someone who might say or do something we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-s-monson/there-is-really-no-way-we-can-know-the-heart-the-intentions-or-the/) [Thomas S. Monson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-s-monson/) > [When I am kicking somebody, it's bad intentions. I do want to hurt them. This is fighting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-tavares/when-i-am-kicking-somebody-it-s-bad-intentions-i-do-want-to-hurt-them/) [Brad Tavares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-tavares/) > [If you can hit your opponent with two punches, you don't hit him with one. Get off with some bad intentions in there. Believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cus-d-amato/if-you-can-hit-your-opponent-with-two-punches-you-don-t-hit-him-with/) [Cus D'Amato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cus-d-amato/) > [“He was danger wrapped in secrets tied with a bow of bad intentions,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeaniene-frost/he-was-danger-wrapped-in-secrets-tied-with-a-bow-of-bad-intentions/) [Jeaniene Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeaniene-frost/) > [“The accuser of pretension always presumes bad intentions. Truth is, more often than not pretension is simply someone trying to make the world more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-fox/the-accuser-of-pretension-always-presumes-bad-intentions-truth-is/) [Dan Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-fox/) > [I'm not super open to new people. I have a small group of people I trust. I'm very intuitive, so I'm good at feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kendall-jenner/i-m-not-super-open-to-new-people-i-have-a-small-group-of-people-i/) [Kendall Jenner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kendall-jenner/) > [“Listen, my timing might be bad, but my intentions are good.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karyn-bosnak/listen-my-timing-might-be-bad-but-my-intentions-are-good/) [Karyn Bosnak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karyn-bosnak/) > [If all girls turn strong within themselves, men with bad intentions can be taught apt lessons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geeta-phogat/if-all-girls-turn-strong-within-themselves-men-with-bad-intentions/) [Geeta Phogat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geeta-phogat/) > [When people wish bad upon others in front of me. Don't do this in my company. I don't want to be a witness to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-people-wish-bad-upon-others-in-front-of-me-don-t-do-this-in-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“What multiplies is only up to us. Whether it is kindness that multiplies; or unkindness. Whether it is goodwill that multiplies; or bad intentions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-joybell-c/what-multiplies-is-only-up-to-us-whether-it-is-kindness-that/) [C. JoyBell C](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-joybell-c/) [Browse all 47 Bad intentions quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-intentions/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Hell is paved with good intentions, not with bad ones. 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