The road to hell is paved with good intentions
From English: Hell is paved with good intentions.
According to Boswell, biographer English writer, critic, essayist and lexicographer Samuel Johnson (1709-1784), precisely in
the latter once said this phrase: “Hell is paved with good intentions.”
But she apparently has a primary source, which, one might assume, was well known to S. Johnson. This idea, although in a slightly different form, first appears in English literature by the theologian George Herbert (d. 1632) in his book Jacula prudentium. There he wrote: “Hell is full of good meaning and wishes.”
The words of George Herbert would become widely known in the 19th century, when in the novel “The Bride of Lamermoor” (1819) Walter Scott forced one of his characters, an English theologian, to repeat them, whose prototype was obviously J. Herbert.
Considering that in the Bible, in the book of Jesus, son of Sirach (chapter 21 v. 11) there is a phrase: “The path of sinners is paved with stones, but at the end of it is the pit of hell,” it is possible that Samuel Johnson’s phrase was born on the basis of this biblical image, and the thoughts of George Herbert.
Allegorically: about good, but poorly executed intentions, which usually leads to the opposite result.

Encyclopedic Dictionary of winged words and expressions. - M.: “Locked-Press”. Vadim Serov. 2003.

See what “The road to hell is paved with good intentions” means in other dictionaries:

The road to hell is paved with good intentions popular expression in a number of languages, in particular in Russian and English. The phrase is used to refer to cases when attempts to implement the most humane and good goals lead (by ... ... Wikipedia

The road to hell is paved with good intentions- last about the undesirable or severe consequences of attempts to implement an attractive, but insufficiently thought-out plan...

road- and, m. 1) A strip of land, rolled out or specially prepared for movement, a route of communication. Dirt road. Railway. Slippery road. The road was covered with snow. I go out alone on the road; through the fog the flinty path shines... ... Popular dictionary of the Russian language

Hayek Friedrich von- Liberalism of Friedrich von Hayek Life and writings Friedrich August von Hayek was born in Vienna in 1899. During the First World War, as an officer of the Austrian artillery, he fought on the border with Italy. Returning to Vienna, he began to study... Western philosophy from its origins to the present day

HELL, ah, about hell, in hell, husband. 1. In religious beliefs: a place where the souls of sinners are surrendered after death eternal torment. The torment of hell (also translated). The road to hell is paved with good intentions (that good intentions are often forgotten, giving way... ... Dictionary Ozhegova

Winged words (tracing from the German Geflügelte Worte, which, in turn, is a tracing from the Greek ἔπεα πτερόεντα phrase found in Homer) is a stable phraseological unit of a figurative or aphoristic nature, included in the vocabulary from ... ... Wikipedia

- “We wanted the best, but it turned out as always” catchphrase, delivered by Viktor Chernomyrdin, Prime Minister Russian Federation On August 6, 1993, at a press conference, telling how the monetary reform of 1993 was being prepared... ... Wikipedia

Developer 2K Marin 2K Australia Digital Extremes (Multiplayer) 2K China Arkane Studios (level design assistance) Publishers ... Wikipedia

- “We wanted the best, but it turned out as always” is a phrase said by Viktor Chernomyrdin, Prime Minister of the Russian Federation on August 6, 1993 at a press conference, describing how the 1993 monetary reform was being prepared. July 24, 1993... ...Wikipedia

Noun, m., used. compare often Morphology: (no) what? hell, what? hell, (see) what? hell, what? hell, about what? about hell and in hell 1. B different religions hell is the name given to the place (it is generally believed that it is located somewhere deep underground) where after... ... Dmitriev's Explanatory Dictionary

Books

• Stealing darkness, Ksenia Bazhenova. Even several years later, Katya could not forget this nightmare: she got rid of the child at the request of his father! However, despite this, the girl, it seems, still continued to love Sergei... Stas... eBook
• Meeting over the abyss, Olga Yunyazova. “The road to hell is paved with good intentions” – is this true? Or is it simply that the road to Heaven lies through thorns, which many confuse with hell?

“Astrology is a pseudoscience,” Oksana thought until then... - « Previously, I could not understand what the phrase means good intentions The road to hell is paved"

For a long time I didn’t like the first floor of the house in which I lived before- a lot of inscriptions, peeling paint, some bad-smelling corners. Time after time I passed by all this obscenity and feelings rose in my soul: “Well, when will all this end?”

At a certain point, it dawned on me that this could continue for a long time until I did something about it myself. So I went and bought paint and brushes, inspired my wife and friends, and we started cleaning, washing and painting. Naturally, in the process of our work, residents passed by us quite often, since the house is multi-story. I thought the reaction would be something like this : “Well done! How can I help you? Well, finally, someone has taken up this matter! However, everything turned out to be exactly the opposite, people were upset because it smelled like paint, because they could get dirty, because the color we chose was only suitable for the toilet, and also because we weren’t going to paint the entire entrance. At the end of the work, one woman said: “Insolent people! You always do something formally, get paid for it, but nothing was even painted on my floor.” I didn’t understand why I was doing something on my own initiative, and it was clearly getting better, but instead of support and basic respect, I was met with indifference and condemnation? Why don’t my good intentions help people, but rather irritate them? On the one hand, of course, people thought that we were hired workers from the housing office and therefore made increased demands on our work, but on the other hand, there should be basic respect. After I calmed down, I realized that it is difficult to please everyone, because there are so many people, so many opinions. I think the most important thing I didn't do that I should have done is I didn't ask if what I wanted to do was necessary for other people. Even if it seems to me that this is good for them, they may think completely differently.

Sometimes it seems to us that we have good intentions and people will feel good from our initiative and care, but if they do not accept it, then it begins to seem to us that they are simply not grateful people. But it often turns out that other people simply do not need the benefit that we bring to them and they are upset that we decide something for them and do not give them a chance to decide their own destiny.

In Khabarovsk, my friends and I once decided to restore the broken and broken benches that were located behind our house and thought that it would be cool and people would have a place to sit. No sooner said than done: we bought the boards, took the tools, attracted volunteers, calculated everything, how to saw it off, what needed to be dug in, what needed to be screwed in and then painted. But it turned out that the residents were extremely dissatisfied with our action and, moreover, someone even deliberately broke these benches. The fact was that young people gathered on these benches at night, under the windows of the residents, they drank and cursed, and bawled songs half the night, not allowing them to sleep peacefully. Our good intention turned out to be of no use to anyone and even looked more like a “disservice.”

Often good intentions lead to hell, simply because in our desire to help, we try to do everything for another person, and this he does not like and is not at all useful. Or often guided by the golden rule of morality, we try to give a person what we would like to receive ourselves. But since everyone is different and everyone is unique, sometimes other people need completely different things than we do. So that good intentions do not lead to hell, you must, first of all, love people enough to understand what they need, and secondly, it is important to ask people how ready they themselves are for change and listen to their opinion.

Alexander asks
Answered by Alla Burlay, 01/16/2009

Dear Alexander!

There is no such expression in the Bible, but you can read more fully about the origin of this saying:

The road to hell is paved with good intentions

From English : Hell is paved with good intentions

According to Bowell, biographer of the English writer, critic, essayist and lexicographer Samuel Johnson (1709-1784), it was the latter who once said this phrase: “Hell is paved with good intentions.”

But she apparently has a primary source, which, one might assume, was well known to S. Johnson. This idea, although in a slightly different form, is first found in English literature in the theologian George Herbert (d. 1632) in his book Jacula prudentium. There he wrote: “Hell is full of good meaning and wishes.”

The words of George Herbert would become widely known in the 19th century, when in the novel “The Bride of Lamermoor” (1819) Walter Scott forced one of his characters, an English theologian, to repeat them, whose prototype was obviously J. Herbert.

Considering that in the Bible, in the book of Jesus, son of Sirach (chapter 21 v. 11) there is a phrase: “The path of sinners is paved with stones, but at the end of it is the pit of hell,” it is possible that Samuel Johnson’s phrase was born on the basis of this Biblical Thoughts of George Herbert.

Allegorically: about good but poorly executed intentions, which usually leads to the opposite result.

The closest biblical expression is found in the Book of Proverbs, 14:12 and 16:25: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but the end thereof is the way of death.” Also in the above source a non-canonical book of the Bible is quoted - the Book of Sirach 21:11: " The path of sinners is paved with stones, but at the end of it is an abyss hell."

God's blessings

Alla

Read more on the topic “Words and Expressions from the Bible”:

Origin

The authorship of the expression is often attributed to the English writer Samuel Johnson. His biographer James Boswell, in his memoirs, says that in 1755 Johnson said, “Hell is paved with good intentions.” However, Walter Scott in his novel The Bride of Lamermoor (1819) attributes its origin to one of the English theologians.

The most likely original author of the saying is considered to be the 17th century English theologian George Herbert, in whose book “Jacula prudentium” there is the phrase “Hell is full of good meaning and wishes.” With this saying, Herbert illustrated one of the main ideas of Protestant ethics, according to which the reality of faith certainly leads to the performance of good deeds. This saying echoes a saying from the Bible - in the book of Jesus, son of Sirach (chapter 21, v. 11) there is a phrase: “The path of sinners is paved with stones, but at the end of it is the abyss of hell.”

Thus, from a theological point of view, the meaning of this saying is that there are much more good intentions than good deeds, therefore people who have good intentions, but do not carry them out, cannot be considered righteous and thus cannot yet count on getting into paradise.

Other options

• The path to hell is paved with good intentions
• The road to hell is paved with good intentions
• Hell is paved with good intentions
• Fifteen years of hell, which is paved with good (good) intentions
• Good intentions lead straight to hell

Notes

Literature

• Walter Scott. Bride of Lammermoor.
• A. Kirsanova. Explanatory dictionary of popular words and expressions. - M.: Martin, 2004. - 448 p. - 1500 copies.

- ISBN 5-8475-0154-4

Links

See what “The road to hell is paved with good intentions” means in other dictionaries:

From English: Hell is paved with good intentions. According to Boswell, biographer of the English writer, critic, essayist and lexicographer Samuel Johnson (1709-1784), it was the latter who once said this phrase: “Hell is paved with good intentions.”... ... Dictionary of popular words and expressions

The road to hell is paved with good intentions- last about the undesirable or severe consequences of attempts to implement an attractive, but insufficiently thought-out plan...

road- and, m. 1) A strip of land, rolled out or specially prepared for movement, a route of communication. Dirt road. Railway. Slippery road. The road was covered with snow. I go out alone on the road; through the fog the flinty path shines... ... Popular dictionary of the Russian language

Hayek Friedrich von- Liberalism of Friedrich von Hayek Life and writings Friedrich August von Hayek was born in Vienna in 1899. During the First World War, as an officer of the Austrian artillery, he fought on the border with Italy. Returning to Vienna, he began to study... Western philosophy from its origins to the present day

HELL, ah, about hell, in hell, husband. 1. In religious beliefs: a place where the souls of sinners after death are given over to eternal torment. The torment of hell (also translated). The road to hell is paved with good intentions (that good intentions are often forgotten, giving way... ... Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

Winged words (tracing from the German Geflügelte Worte, which, in turn, is a tracing from the Greek ἔπεα πτερόεντα phrase found in Homer) is a stable phraseological unit of a figurative or aphoristic nature, included in the vocabulary from ... ... Wikipedia

- “We wanted the best, but it turned out as always” is a catch phrase said by Viktor Chernomyrdin, Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation on August 6, 1993 at a press conference, telling how the monetary reform of 1993 was prepared... ... Wikipedia

Developer 2K Marin 2K Australia Digital Extremes (Multiplayer) 2K China Arkane Studios (level design assistance) Publishers ... Wikipedia

- “We wanted the best, but it turned out as always” is a phrase said by Viktor Chernomyrdin, Prime Minister of the Russian Federation on August 6, 1993 at a press conference, describing how the 1993 monetary reform was being prepared. July 24, 1993... ...Wikipedia

Noun, m., used. compare often Morphology: (no) what? hell, what? hell, (see) what? hell, what? hell, about what? about hell and in hell 1. In various religions, hell is the place (it is generally believed that it is located somewhere deep underground) where after... ... Dmitriev's Explanatory Dictionary

Books

• Stealing darkness, Ksenia Bazhenova. Even several years later, Katya could not forget this nightmare: she got rid of the child at the request of his father! However, despite this, the girl, it seems, still continued to love Sergei... Stas...

Where does the expression “The road to hell is paved with good intentions” come from? Is it true?

Hieromonk Job (Gumerov) answers:

This expression is now a proverb. Its closest source is the two-volume memoir-biographical book by James Boswell (1740-1795), “Life of Samuel Johnson,” published in 1791. The author claims that S. Johnson (Johnson; 1709-1784) in 1775 said: “Hell is paved with good intentions.” The only difference is that the proverb talks about the road to hell, and S. Johnson talks about hell itself. Apparently, the author of the aphorism - an English critic, lexicographer, essayist and poet - relied on a saying made earlier by the Anglican priest and metaphysical poet George Herbert (Herbert; 1593-1633) in the book “Jacula prudentium” (Latin: “Witticisms of the Wise Men”) "): "Hell is full of good meanings and wishes" - "Hell is full of good intentions and desires."

All three statements are united by the common idea that desires and intentions alone are not enough for salvation. This is entirely consistent with patristic teaching. First of all, you must have faith: “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Heb. 11:6). According to St. Ephraim Sirina, “without oil the lamp will not burn; and without faith no one acquires a good thought.” There were so many utopias, radical movements, revolutionary programs, etc., in the world, the leaders and participants of which, without God and against God, relying on their fallen minds, wanted to bring “happiness” to humanity. History keeps a sad and tragic memory of this. Likewise, an individual person who is in the blindness of unbelief, wanting to fulfill his intentions, which seem good to him, often causes evil and pain to others.

Faith is necessary, but it must be correct. There can be many mistakes and misconceptions, but the truth is always one. People who are carried away by erroneous religious teachings are sure that they have good intentions, but the false spirituality in which they find themselves leads them to destruction. All religious substitutions are carried out with the participation of demonic forces.

St. John Chrysostom says: “Faith is like a strong rod and a safe harbor, delivering from errors of judgment and calming the soul in great silence.” However, the same ecumenical teacher warns: “Let us not consider faith alone to be sufficient for our salvation, but we will also take care of behavior, we will lead and best life so that both will contribute to us achieving perfection.” The Holy Fathers persistently emphasize that a Christian must have a spiritually enlightened mind. Without it, dangerous errors can occur. St. Anthony the Great considered reasoning to be the main virtue of a Christian:

“Reflection is the eye of the soul and its lamp, just as the eye is the lamp of the body; so if this eye is light, then the whole body (of our deeds) will be light, but if this eye is dark, then the whole body will be dark, as the Lord said in the Holy Gospel (see: Matt. 6: 22-23 ). By reasoning, a person sorts out his desires, words and deeds and retreats from all those that remove him from God. Through reasoning, he thwarts and destroys all the machinations of the enemy directed against him, correctly distinguishing between what is good and what is bad.”