--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sometimes, good intentions couldn't do a…" description: "\"“Sometimes, good intentions couldn't do a thing except make you feel less alone, and sometimes that was enough.”\" — Riley Redgate" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08f/riley-redgate-29355_good-intentions_sometimes-good-intentions-couldn-t-do-a_2439714.jpg" --- # Sometimes, good intentions couldn't do a thing except make… ![“Sometimes, good intentions couldn't do a thing except make you feel less alone, and sometimes that was enough.” quote by Riley Redgate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08f/riley-redgate-29355_good-intentions_sometimes-good-intentions-couldn-t-do-a_2439714.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08f/riley-redgate-29355_good-intentions_sometimes-good-intentions-couldn-t-do-a_2439714.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08f/riley-redgate-29355_good-intentions_sometimes-good-intentions-couldn-t-do-a_2439714.jpg) > ““Sometimes, good intentions couldn't do a thing except make you feel less alone, and sometimes that was enough.”” [Riley Redgate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riley-redgate/) ## 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 can’t solve everything but can provide companionship, which can be enough in difficult times. **In simple terms:** Kindness offers comfort even if it doesn’t fix problems. Key Takeaway Value emotional support. Themes empathy relationships humanity Mood hopeful empathetic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - friendship - mental health counseling - support groups - crisis care Key Concepts companionship psychology resilience Questions to Reflect On - When is emotional support sufficient? - How to pair kindness with action? A Different Perspective Relying solely on kindness may not address systemic issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Good intentions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-intentions/) [Intentions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intentions/) ## Related quotes > [I couldn't only do one thing--I don't want the personal hell of oneness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/itzhak-perlman/i-couldn-t-only-do-one-thing-i-don-t-want-the-personal-hell-of-oneness/) [Itzhak Perlman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/itzhak-perlman/) > [It's amazing how much damage can be done when one has only good intentions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-amazing-how-much-damage-can-be-done-when-one-has-only-good/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm always in awe of and respect humans for their ability to plan, but sometimes, good intentions are lost along the way. And often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pipilotti-rist/i-m-always-in-awe-of-and-respect-humans-for-their-ability-to-plan-but/) [Pipilotti Rist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pipilotti-rist/) > [... good intentions are not sufficient to solve our problems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-parker-follett/good-intentions-are-not-sufficient-to-solve-our-problems/) [Mary Parker Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-parker-follett/) > [Good intentions are simply not enough. Our character is defined and our lives are determined not by what we want, say or think, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-josephson/good-intentions-are-simply-not-enough-our-character-is-defined-and/) [Michael Josephson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-josephson/) > [Never tell 'friends' every detail about yourself not all of them have good intentions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wheresawallyyy/never-tell-friends-every-detail-about-yourself-not-all-of-them-have/) Wheresawallyyy > [“While trying is filled with good intentions, doing is the result of intentional living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/while-trying-is-filled-with-good-intentions-doing-is-the-result-of/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [Our good intentions have gotten in our own way and it's bad for immigrants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-crenshaw/our-good-intentions-have-gotten-in-our-own-way-and-it-s-bad-for/) [Dan Crenshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-crenshaw/) > [I see that I've become a really bad correspondent. It's not that I don't think of you. You come into my thoughts often. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/i-see-that-i-ve-become-a-really-bad-correspondent-it-s-not-that-i-don/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [Good intentions aren't good enough!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush-2/good-intentions-aren-t-good-enough/) [George W Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush-2/) > [“It’s not the things you do with love and good intentions that you end up regretting. It’s the things you don’t do that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mia-sheridan/it-s-not-the-things-you-do-with-love-and-good-intentions-that-you-end/) [Mia Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mia-sheridan/) > [As sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father, we are capable of so much more. For that, good intentions are not enough. We must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-f-uchtdorf/as-sons-and-daughters-of-our-heavenly-father-we-are-capable-of-so/) [Dieter F. Uchtdorf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-f-uchtdorf/) > [Dashed hopes and good intentions. Good, better, best, bested.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-albee/dashed-hopes-and-good-intentions-good-better-best-bested/) [Edward Albee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-albee/) > [“If God had good intentions, he would have rewarded the sex.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/if-god-had-good-intentions-he-would-have-rewarded-the-sex/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) > [Good intentions do not guarantee good results. Somehow Andrew Keates turns works of merit into evenings of entertainment. Don't call him a dramaturge, call…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-gambaccini/good-intentions-do-not-guarantee-good-results-somehow-andrew-keates/) [Paul Gambaccini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-gambaccini/) ## More by Riley Redgate > [“In theater, that's the whole thing about Greek tragedy. You take the audience through the—like, the realest shit, the tearing out the eyes or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riley-redgate/in-theater-that-s-the-whole-thing-about-greek-tragedy-you-take-the/) [Riley Redgate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riley-redgate/) > [“It was a weird day if figuring out you were bisexual made up the least of your mental turmoil.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riley-redgate/it-was-a-weird-day-if-figuring-out-you-were-bisexual-made-up-the/) [Riley Redgate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riley-redgate/) > [“If you can't fix it, leave it behind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riley-redgate/if-you-can-t-fix-it-leave-it-behind/) [Riley Redgate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riley-redgate/) > [“It's too simple to hate the people who have doorways where you have walls”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riley-redgate/it-s-too-simple-to-hate-the-people-who-have-doorways-where-you-have/) [Riley Redgate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riley-redgate/) > [“You didn't want to assume a guy was into you, but you had to have a plan lined up just in case, because what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riley-redgate/you-didn-t-want-to-assume-a-guy-was-into-you-but-you-had-to-have-a/) [Riley Redgate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riley-redgate/) > [“We are always moving forward--I can see it now. We are hurtling through our lives. We are never standing still.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riley-redgate/we-are-always-moving-forward-i-can-see-it-now-we-are-hurtling-through/) [Riley Redgate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riley-redgate/) > [“Isaac was panic over whether to call and the murmured admission that the world was too big and too furious and too much to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riley-redgate/isaac-was-panic-over-whether-to-call-and-the-murmured-admission-that/) [Riley Redgate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riley-redgate/) > [“It was impossible to feel alone in a room full of favorite books. I had the sense that they knew me personally, that they'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riley-redgate/it-was-impossible-to-feel-alone-in-a-room-full-of-favorite-books-i/) [Riley Redgate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riley-redgate/) > [“It wasn't enlightenment to live like you had no history and no consequences. The world wasn't just made out of instants -- it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riley-redgate/it-wasn-t-enlightenment-to-live-like-you-had-no-history-and-no/) [Riley Redgate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riley-redgate/) > [“Life's not a Greek tragedy.' After a long second, I shrugged. 'I mean, if you didn't sleep with your mom by mistake, that's fine,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riley-redgate/life-s-not-a-greek-tragedy-after-a-long-second-i-shrugged-i-mean-if/) [Riley Redgate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riley-redgate/) > [“Maybe he knew the whole time that trying to hold on to her was like trying to hold on to ice—a wasted effort that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riley-redgate/maybe-he-knew-the-whole-time-that-trying-to-hold-on-to-her-was-like/) [Riley Redgate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riley-redgate/) > [“ Man up . What a cleverly disguised way to say shut up . Shut up, or fight back, or you deserved what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riley-redgate/man-up-what-a-cleverly-disguised-way-to-say-shut-up-shut-up-or-fight/) [Riley Redgate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riley-redgate/) > [“Or maybe love is never healthy, and we should guard our hearts in hospitals for preemptive healing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riley-redgate/or-maybe-love-is-never-healthy-and-we-should-guard-our-hearts-in/) [Riley Redgate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riley-redgate/) > [“Here, I choose to love what I have. Here, I choose to love what I am now”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riley-redgate/here-i-choose-to-love-what-i-have-here-i-choose-to-love-what-i-am-now/) [Riley Redgate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riley-redgate/) > [“There was something alienating about being on scholarship, a tense mixture of gratefulness and otherness. You're talented, the money said, and we want you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riley-redgate/there-was-something-alienating-about-being-on-scholarship-a-tense/) [Riley Redgate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riley-redgate/) [Explore all 18 Riley Redgate quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riley-redgate/) ## More Good intentions quotes > [“When it comes to smarts, adolescents like Jesse have plenty. What they lack, however, are some of the brain-based skills that we all need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-guare/when-it-comes-to-smarts-adolescents-like-jesse-have-plenty-what-they/) [Richard Guare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-guare/) > [After she got hurt by someone that she cared about, she's so scared to get attached again. Do you know what kind of effect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/callhershorty/after-she-got-hurt-by-someone-that-she-cared-about-she-s-so-scared-to/) CallHerShorty > [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/) > [No one is born with good character; it's not a hereditary trait. And it isn't determined by a single noble act. 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. Good intentions, kindness, and hope will not necessarily make people happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gen-urobuchi/justice-for-some-people-is-an-evil-for-others-good-intentions/) [Gen Urobuchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gen-urobuchi/) > [“There is an important difference between openness and naïveté. Not everyone has good intentions nor means me well. I remind myself I do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/there-is-an-important-difference-between-openness-and-na-vet-not/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [“I reach out in love, my hands are guns, my good intentions are completely lethal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-reach-out-in-love-my-hands-are-guns-my-good-intentions-are/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Start your day with good intentions and set yourself up for a good attitude. It's not what happens to you that matters but how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-blanchard/start-your-day-with-good-intentions-and-set-yourself-up-for-a-good/) [Ken Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-blanchard/) > [“It wasn't good, he wasn't good, he did not have good intentions. I stood there, and he stood there. He breathed out the bitter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-july/it-wasn-t-good-he-wasn-t-good-he-did-not-have-good-intentions-i-stood/) [Miranda July](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-july/) > [“Map-making had never been a precise art on the Discworld. People tended to start off with good intentions and then get so carried away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/map-making-had-never-been-a-precise-art-on-the-discworld-people/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Nowhere is wisdom more necessary than in the guidance of charitable impulses. Meaning well is only half our duty; Thinking right is the other,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-gridley-howe/nowhere-is-wisdom-more-necessary-than-in-the-guidance-of-charitable/) Samuel Gridley Howe > [“Envy shrugged. 'Can no value be found in good intentions?' 'What, precisely, are you trying to justify? And to me, or yourself?' She glared,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/envy-shrugged-can-no-value-be-found-in-good-intentions-what-precisely/) [Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/) > [Neither smiles nor frowns, neither good intentions nor harsh words, are a substitute for strength.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/neither-smiles-nor-frowns-neither-good-intentions-nor-harsh-words-are/) [John F. 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": "“Sometimes, good intentions couldn't do a thing except make you feel less alone, and sometimes that was enough.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Riley Redgate" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riley-redgate/sometimes-good-intentions-couldn-t-do-a-thing-except-make-you-feel/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Good intentions" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riley-redgate/sometimes-good-intentions-couldn-t-do-a-thing-except-make-you-feel/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08f/riley-redgate-29355_good-intentions_sometimes-good-intentions-couldn-t-do-a_2439714.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08f/riley-redgate-29355_good-intentions_sometimes-good-intentions-couldn-t-do-a_2439714.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08f/riley-redgate-29355_good-intentions_sometimes-good-intentions-couldn-t-do-a_2439714.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Sometimes, good intentions couldn't do a thing except make you feel less alone, and sometimes that was enough.” — Riley Redgate", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Riley Redgate", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riley-redgate/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Sometimes, good intentions couldn't do a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riley-redgate/sometimes-good-intentions-couldn-t-do-a-thing-except-make-you-feel/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riley-redgate/sometimes-good-intentions-couldn-t-do-a-thing-except-make-you-feel/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```