--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...it's true that some if the most…" description: "\"“...it's true that some if the most terrible things in the works are done by people who think, genuinely think, that they're doing it for the best, esp..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f9/terry-pratchett-19_good-intentions_it-s-true-that-some-if-the-most-terrible_1637915.jpg" --- # ...it's true that some if the most terrible things in the… ![“...it's true that some if the most terrible things in the works are done by people who think, genuinely think, that they're doing it for the best, especially if there is some god involved.” quote by Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f9/terry-pratchett-19_good-intentions_it-s-true-that-some-if-the-most-terrible_1637915.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f9/terry-pratchett-19_good-intentions_it-s-true-that-some-if-the-most-terrible_1637915.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f9/terry-pratchett-19_good-intentions_it-s-true-that-some-if-the-most-terrible_1637915.jpg) > ““...it's true that some if the most terrible things in the works are done by people who think, genuinely think, that they're doing it for the best, especially if there is some god involved.”” [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People may commit terrible acts believing they serve a greater good, especially under religious justification. **In simple terms:** Good intentions can mask harmful actions. Key Takeaway Question motives behind actions. Themes morality religion intent justification Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - politics - personal decisions - social movements Key Concepts ethical philosophy theology Questions to Reflect On - When have you seen good intentions cause harm? - How does belief influence ethical choices? A Different Perspective Blind faith can lead to moral blindness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Good intentions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-intentions/) ## Related quotes > [I tell you, commander, it's true that some of the most terrible things in the world are done by people who think, genuinely think,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/i-tell-you-commander-it-s-true-that-some-of-the-most-terrible-things/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [I hate seeing people that look like you. Especially if God's living by the motto 'If at first you don't succeed.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/i-hate-seeing-people-that-look-like-you-especially-if-god-s-living-by/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [Whatever you do, do it so well that people looking on will feel that the task was reserved especially for you by God Himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-e-mays/whatever-you-do-do-it-so-well-that-people-looking-on-will-feel-that/) [Benjamin E. Mays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-e-mays/) > [THERE IS NO WAY I CAN BE WHAT YOU WANT ME TO BE, ESPECIALLY WHEN GOD CREATED ME TO BE WHO I AM.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-williams/there-is-no-way-i-can-be-what-you-want-me-to-be-especially-when-god/) [WALTER WILLIAMS](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-williams/) > [“The commonplace becomes exceptional when God is involved.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-baer/the-commonplace-becomes-exceptional-when-god-is-involved/) [Judy Baer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-baer/) > [“A pine cone cannot fall from a tree unless God is involved. A bumblebee cannot pollenate a flower or sting your arm apart from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-buzzard/a-pine-cone-cannot-fall-from-a-tree-unless-god-is-involved-a/) [Justin Buzzard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-buzzard/) > [When God is involved, anything can happen. Be open. Stay that way. God has a beautiful way of bringing good vibrations out of broken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-r-swindoll/when-god-is-involved-anything-can-happen-be-open-stay-that-way-god/) [Charles R. Swindoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-r-swindoll/) > [Some people believe God is involved in every little decision we make. 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You're always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-sande/what-are-you-really-living-for-it-s-crucial-to-realize-that-you/) [Ken Sande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-sande/) > [“That the hand of God was involved in the birth of the new nation he had no doubt. "It is the will of heaven…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/that-the-hand-of-god-was-involved-in-the-birth-of-the-new-nation-he/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [Here is an eternal truth. Life cannot be divided into compartments in some which God is involved and in others of which he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-barclay/here-is-an-eternal-truth-life-cannot-be-divided-into-compartments-in/) [William Barclay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-barclay/) > [“Prayer is a moment of incarnation - God with us. God involved in the details of my life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-e-miller/prayer-is-a-moment-of-incarnation-god-with-us-god-involved-in-the/) [Paul E. Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-e-miller/) > [“As we read the Bible, we see that God's role is not that of a scientist managing robots. Neither is God a frustrated artist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-gaston-barton/as-we-read-the-bible-we-see-that-god-s-role-is-not-that-of-a/) Sara Gaston Barton ## More by Terry Pratchett > [“This one’s mental.’ ‘Eccentric.’ ‘What’s the difference?’ ‘A bag of cash.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/this-one-s-mental-eccentric-what-s-the-difference-a-bag-of-cash/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“But I did not return until half past four this morning and I distinctly remember stubbing my toe on the stairs. I am as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/but-i-did-not-return-until-half-past-four-this-morning-and-i/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Someone broke from the scrum and, punching and kicking, staggered towards the Klatchian goal. "Isn't that man your butler?" said Ahmed. "Yes." "One of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/someone-broke-from-the-scrum-and-punching-and-kicking-staggered/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [It's an interesting fact that fewer than 17 % of Real cats end their lives with the same name they started with. Much family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/it-s-an-interesting-fact-that-fewer-than-17-of-real-cats-end-their/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [You can't trust folk songs. They always sneak up on you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/you-can-t-trust-folk-songs-they-always-sneak-up-on-you/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Either dragons should exist completely or fail to exist at all, he felt. A dragon only half-existing was worse than the extremes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/either-dragons-should-exist-completely-or-fail-to-exist-at-all-he/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Magrat wondered what it was like, spending your whole life doing something you didn’t want to do. Like being dead, she considered, only worse,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/magrat-wondered-what-it-was-like-spending-your-whole-life-doing/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [A hardback's harder at Christmas time because that's a good hardback buying time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/a-hardback-s-harder-at-christmas-time-because-that-s-a-good-hardback/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“There were more old people. The world was full of them,' said the wizard. 'Yes, I know. And now it's full of young people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/there-were-more-old-people-the-world-was-full-of-them-said-the-wizard/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Hobson was big and heavyset, but not exactly fat; he was probably what you’d get if you shaved a bear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/hobson-was-big-and-heavyset-but-not-exactly-fat-he-was-probably-what/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“There is a night that never comes to an end… The clock of the world turns under its own shadow. Midnight is a moving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/there-is-a-night-that-never-comes-to-an-end-the-clock-of-the-world/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“You'd like Freedom, Truth, and Justice, wouldn't you, Comrade Sergeant?' said Reg encouragingly. 'I'd like a hard-boiled egg,' said Vimes, shaking the match out.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/you-d-like-freedom-truth-and-justice-wouldn-t-you-comrade-sergeant/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“You are not apprehensive, are you? I can't detect no trace of fear none whatsoever Roomy cranium all possible videos of all possible outcomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/you-are-not-apprehensive-are-you-i-can-t-detect-no-trace-of-fear-none/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Imagination, not intelligence, made us human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/imagination-not-intelligence-made-us-human/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) [Explore all 3,328 Terry Pratchett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) ## 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": "“...it's true that some if the most terrible things in the works are done by people who think, genuinely think, that they're doing it for the best, especially if there is some god involved.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Terry Pratchett" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/it-s-true-that-some-if-the-most-terrible-things-in-the-works-are-done/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Good intentions" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/it-s-true-that-some-if-the-most-terrible-things-in-the-works-are-done/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f9/terry-pratchett-19_good-intentions_it-s-true-that-some-if-the-most-terrible_1637915.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f9/terry-pratchett-19_good-intentions_it-s-true-that-some-if-the-most-terrible_1637915.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f9/terry-pratchett-19_good-intentions_it-s-true-that-some-if-the-most-terrible_1637915.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“...it's true that some if the most terrible things in the works are done by people who think, genuinely…” — Terry Pratchett", "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": "Terry Pratchett", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“...it's true that some if the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/it-s-true-that-some-if-the-most-terrible-things-in-the-works-are-done/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/it-s-true-that-some-if-the-most-terrible-things-in-the-works-are-done/#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 } } ] } ```