--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A good intention, with a bad approach…" description: "\"A good intention, with a bad approach, often leads to a poor result.\" — Thomas A. Edison" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b6/thomas-a-edison-866_approach_a-good-intention-with-a-bad-approach-oft_2673629.jpg" --- # A good intention, with a bad approach, often leads to a… ![“A good intention, with a bad approach, often leads to a poor result.” quote by Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b6/thomas-a-edison-866_approach_a-good-intention-with-a-bad-approach-oft_2673629.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b6/thomas-a-edison-866_approach_a-good-intention-with-a-bad-approach-oft_2673629.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b6/thomas-a-edison-866_approach_a-good-intention-with-a-bad-approach-oft_2673629.jpg) > “A good intention, with a bad approach, often leads to a poor result.” [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A good intention can be undermined by a flawed method, resulting in undesirable outcomes. **In simple terms:** Good intentions need good methods. Key Takeaway Align method with intention. Themes intentions methods outcomes Mood cautious reflective Type advisory practical When to use this quote - project planning - personal goals - teamwork - product development Key Concepts strategy execution Questions to Reflect On - How can you test your approach before full implementation? - What safeguards ensure method quality? A Different Perspective A good plan may still fail if execution is poor. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Approach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approach/) [Bad Approach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-approach-2523262/) [Good Intention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-intention-498900/) [Good intentions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-intentions/) [Intention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intention/) [Intention Bad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intention-bad-2523261/) [Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor/) [Poor Result](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor-result-2523263/) [Results](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/results/) ## Related quotes > [A good intention clothes itself with sudden power. When a god wishes to ride, any chip or pebble will bud and shoot out winged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-good-intention-clothes-itself-with-sudden-power-when-a-god-wishes/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“As long as human beings are regarded as "bad", zero is a good goal. But to be less bad is to accept things as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/as-long-as-human-beings-are-regarded-as-bad-zero-is-a-good-goal-but/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [A good intention clothes itself with power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-good-intention-clothes-itself-with-power/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Unless a decision has degenerated into work, it is not a decision; it is at best a good intention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/unless-a-decision-has-degenerated-into-work-it-is-not-a-decision-it/) [Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/) > [And I don't feel any fear in a sense, because I have every good intention in my heart. When you face up to bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-yeoh/and-i-don-t-feel-any-fear-in-a-sense-because-i-have-every-good/) [Michelle Yeoh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-yeoh/) > [We call an intention good which is right in itself, but the action is good, not because it contains within it some good, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-abelard/we-call-an-intention-good-which-is-right-in-itself-but-the-action-is/) [Peter Abelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-abelard/) > [Refined policy ever has been the parent of confusion, and ever will be so as long as the world endures. Plain good intention, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/refined-policy-ever-has-been-the-parent-of-confusion-and-ever-will-be/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [Holiness is not merely a feeling, state of mind, or good intention. It involves practical separation from sin and real separation unto God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-washer/holiness-is-not-merely-a-feeling-state-of-mind-or-good-intention-it/) [Paul Washer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-washer/) > [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/) > [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/) > [Gossip is never fatal until it is denied. Gossip goes on about every human being alive and about all the dead that are alive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booth-tarkington/gossip-is-never-fatal-until-it-is-denied-gossip-goes-on-about-every/) [Booth Tarkington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booth-tarkington/) > [As much as it's awful to learn about all the greedy and selfish decisions that some people make, I know there are many more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayni-chase/as-much-as-it-s-awful-to-learn-about-all-the-greedy-and-selfish/) [Jayni Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayni-chase/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) ## More by Thomas A. Edison > [We are striking it big in the electric light, better than my vivid imagination first conceived. Where this thing is going to stop Lord…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/we-are-striking-it-big-in-the-electric-light-better-than-my-vivid/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [I will not say I failed 1000 times, I will say that I discovered there are 1000 ways that can cause failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/i-will-not-say-i-failed-1000-times-i-will-say-that-i-discovered-there/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [Friendship is the heaven of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/friendship-is-the-heaven-of-life/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [Even though I am nearly deaf, I seem to be gifted with a kind of inner hearing which enables me to detect sounds and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/even-though-i-am-nearly-deaf-i-seem-to-be-gifted-with-a-kind-of-inner/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [Being busy does not always mean real work. The object of all work is production or accomplishment and to either of these ends there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/being-busy-does-not-always-mean-real-work-the-object-of-all-work-is/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [The very first thing an executive must have is a fine memory. Of course it does not follow that a man with a fine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/the-very-first-thing-an-executive-must-have-is-a-fine-memory-of/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [Personally, I enjoy working about 18 hours a day. Besides the short catnaps I take each day, I average about four to five hours…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/personally-i-enjoy-working-about-18-hours-a-day-besides-the-short/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [The brain can be developed just the same as the muscles can be developed, if on will only take the pains to train the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/the-brain-can-be-developed-just-the-same-as-the-muscles-can-be/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [“People who will not turn a shovel full of dirt on the project nor contribute a pound of material, will collect more money from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/people-who-will-not-turn-a-shovel-full-of-dirt-on-the-project-nor/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [When I have fully decided that a result is worth getting I go ahead of it and make trial after trial until it comes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/when-i-have-fully-decided-that-a-result-is-worth-getting-i-go-ahead/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [I remember that I was never able to get along at school. I was at the foot of the class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/i-remember-that-i-was-never-able-to-get-along-at-school-i-was-at-the/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [Invention is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/invention-is-10-inspiration-and-90-perspiration/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [There seems to be no limit to which some men will go to avoid the labor of thinking. Thinking is hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/there-seems-to-be-no-limit-to-which-some-men-will-go-to-avoid-the/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [Somewhere between the ages of eleven and fifteen, the average child begins to suffer from an atrophy, the paralysis of curiosity and the suspension…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/somewhere-between-the-ages-of-eleven-and-fifteen-the-average-child/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [Not only will atomic power be released, but someday we will harness the rise and fall of the tides and imprison the rays of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/not-only-will-atomic-power-be-released-but-someday-we-will-harness/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) [Explore all 345 Thomas A. Edison quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) ## More Approach quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [I'm in a business where there's complete anarchy. You can't control it - you can only react to it. The control that people traditionally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-sorrell/i-m-in-a-business-where-there-s-complete-anarchy-you-can-t-control-it/) [Martin Sorrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-sorrell/) > [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/) [Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/) > [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) > [One of the things I regret about not putting in that book or I think it's there but I didn't really elaborate on it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-warner/one-of-the-things-i-regret-about-not-putting-in-that-book-or-i-think/) [Brad Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-warner/) > [Ideal for the child and society in the best of times, Rudolf Steiner's brilliant process of education is critically needed and profoundly relevant now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-chilton-pearce/ideal-for-the-child-and-society-in-the-best-of-times-rudolf-steiner-s/) [Joseph Chilton Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-chilton-pearce/) > [I don't have any particular method, my approach is very simple. I try to understand the emotional graph of the character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pratik-gandhi/i-don-t-have-any-particular-method-my-approach-is-very-simple-i-try/) [Pratik Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pratik-gandhi/) > [“But young men have not only this frivolous ambition of being thought masters of execution, inciting them on the one hand, but also their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-young-men-have-not-only-this-frivolous-ambition-of-being-thought/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everything, every part that you approach has to be somehow rooted in yourself. You have to somehow root everything so that it's not just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judi-dench/everything-every-part-that-you-approach-has-to-be-somehow-rooted-in/) [Judi Dench](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judi-dench/) > [Literature transforms and intensifies ordinary language, deviates systematically from everyday speech. If you approach me at a bus stop and murmur Thou still unravished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/literature-transforms-and-intensifies-ordinary-language-deviates/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [The whole secret to mastering the game of golf - and this applies to the beginner as well as the pro - is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-palmer/the-whole-secret-to-mastering-the-game-of-golf-and-this-applies-to/) [Arnold Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-palmer/) > [The essence of Christianity...is an ever-new encounter with... the God who speaks to us, who approaches us and who befriends us!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/the-essence-of-christianity-is-an-ever-new-encounter-with-the-god-who/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [Like a morning dream, life becomes more and more bright the longer we live, and the reason of everything appears more clear. What has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul/like-a-morning-dream-life-becomes-more-and-more-bright-the-longer-we/) [Jean Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul/) > [What begins as a Utopian vision, always - always - ends in bloodshed. 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