--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: [Dad] So your intentions were good…" description: "\"“[Dad] So your intentions were good. That's what matters. [Anthony] But isn't, like, the road to hell paved with good intentions? Yeah, well, so's the ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/230/neal-shusterman-412_good-intentions_dad-so-your-intentions-were-good-that-s_2730519.png" --- # \[Dad\] So your intentions were good. That's what matters… ![“[Dad] So your intentions were good. That's what matters. [Anthony] But isn't, like, the road to hell paved with good intentions? Yeah, well, so's the road to heaven. And if you spend too much time thinking about where those good intentions are taking you, you know where you end up? Jersey? I was…” quote by Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/230/neal-shusterman-412_good-intentions_dad-so-your-intentions-were-good-that-s_2730519.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/230/neal-shusterman-412_good-intentions_dad-so-your-intentions-were-good-that-s_2730519.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/230/neal-shusterman-412_good-intentions_dad-so-your-intentions-were-good-that-s_2730519.png) > ““\[Dad\] So your intentions were good. That's what matters. \[Anthony\] But isn't, like, the road to hell paved with good intentions? Yeah, well, so's the road to heaven. And if you spend too much time thinking about where those good intentions are taking you, you know where you end up? Jersey? I was thinking 'nowhere,' but you get the point.”” [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) ## 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 don't guarantee outcomes; actions and consequences matter more than motives. **In simple terms:** Intentions aren't enough; actions decide results. Key Takeaway Focus on purposeful actions, not just intentions. Themes responsibility consequences intentions Mood reflective cautious Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - personal relationships - career choices - social activism - everyday decisions Key Concepts moral philosophy ethical decision making Questions to Reflect On - How do you ensure your intentions translate into effective actions? - When might a well‑intended act cause harm? 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No matter the outcome, we will not have failed if we act…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-beyer/i-believe-that-we-must-align-our-actions-with-our-highest-principles/) [Kirsten Beyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsten-beyer/) > [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/) > [“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 is paved with good intentions, Savannah. I thought I loved you once, but wicked souls can’t love pure hearts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silla-webb/the-road-to-hell-is-paved-with-good-intentions-savannah-i-thought-i/) [Silla Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/silla-webb/) ## More by Neal Shusterman > [“Picking locks was not a skill he had ever cultivated, but he persisted day after day, turning the tip of his talon into different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/picking-locks-was-not-a-skill-he-had-ever-cultivated-but-he-persisted/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“If you come anywhere near my daughter, I will see to it that you are taken apart piece by bloody piece. 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Because in this and all universes, there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/and-you-know-the-darkness-beyond-despair-just-as-intimately-as-you/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [You may feel a tugging sensation near your ankles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/you-may-feel-a-tugging-sensation-near-your-ankles/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“while an adult could rarely be universally loved, everyone could love the right kid.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/while-an-adult-could-rarely-be-universally-loved-everyone-could-love/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“It's like art, you know? Picasso had to prove to the world he can paint the right way, before he goes putting both eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/it-s-like-art-you-know-picasso-had-to-prove-to-the-world-he-can-paint/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [The way I see it, the impossible happens all the time; but we're so good at taking it for granted, we forget it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/the-way-i-see-it-the-impossible-happens-all-the-time-but-we-re-so/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“a true leader never puts his ego ahead of his assets.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/a-true-leader-never-puts-his-ego-ahead-of-his-assets/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [If you have to ask then you don't deserve an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/if-you-have-to-ask-then-you-don-t-deserve-an-answer/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“There was never anything wrong with my life. 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Character is established…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-josephson/no-one-is-born-with-good-character-it-s-not-a-hereditary-trait-and-it/) [Michael Josephson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-josephson/) > [“The idea is that your clients are looking for good suggestions, and they don’t mind sifting through some not-so-good ones as long as they’re…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-lencioni/the-idea-is-that-your-clients-are-looking-for-good-suggestions-and/) [Patrick Lencioni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-lencioni/) > [I have no control over my writing. I have lots of good intentions, but no control. There's a story that wants to be told.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/i-have-no-control-over-my-writing-i-have-lots-of-good-intentions-but/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [Justice for some people is an evil for others. 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Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) [Browse all 568 Good intentions quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-intentions/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“[Dad] So your intentions were good. That's what matters. [Anthony] But isn't, like, the road to hell paved with good intentions? Yeah, well, so's the road to heaven. And if you spend too much time thinking about where those good intentions are taking you, you know where you end up? Jersey? 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