APAD: The Road to Hell is Paved With Good Intentions

 

Meaning:

Most sources interpret this expression as meaning that good intentions are

worthless unless followed up with action. 

 

Some offer an alternative interpretation: that actions that are taken with good

intent can have unintended negative consequences.

 

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The 2nd interpretation sounds more intuitive to me. Without action, mere

intention, no matter how good, paves nothing.

 

Regardless. The problem seems to be that it's hard to hold onto what is good.

 

As a hard-working immigrant (at least I used to be), I worry that out of a

desire for comfort and ease (read good intentions), I have created a bubble. My

boy was not spoiled but his life was too comfortable. There was no street fights

where we lived, for example. I made it up to him by sending him to martial art

schools where he got crushed and even injured on a regular basis. It was not

exactly the same but the best we could manage.

所有跟帖： 

• good intentions are worthless unless followed up with action -盈盈一笑间- ♀ (0 bytes) () 11/06/2023 postreply 10:27:18

• thanks 4 sharing ~ ~ -盈盈一笑间- ♀ (0 bytes) () 11/06/2023 postreply 10:27:33

• My pleasure! -7grizzly- ♀ (0 bytes) () 11/06/2023 postreply 14:13:58

• Does that mean dreamers only deserve going to the hell? -唐宋韵- ♂ (0 bytes) () 11/06/2023 postreply 11:16:01

• At least one or two of the dreams would enact, I'd hope. -7grizzly- ♀ (0 bytes) () 11/06/2023 postreply 14:15:45

• 好心办坏事! Sometimes good suggestion or -疏影笑寒- ♀ (122 bytes) () 11/06/2023 postreply 11:16:50

• Seems very hard to do real good. Better do no harm first :-) -7grizzly- ♀ (0 bytes) () 11/06/2023 postreply 14:18:17

• Such as smokers' intention to stop smoking... -唐宋韵- ♂ (0 bytes) () 11/06/2023 postreply 11:20:32

• “Giving up smoking is the easiest thing in the world I know -唐宋韵- ♂ (0 bytes) () 11/06/2023 postreply 11:56:10

• because I've done it thousands of times.” haha -唐宋韵- ♂ (0 bytes) () 11/06/2023 postreply 11:56:42

• 哈哈哈 -方外居士- ♂ (0 bytes) () 11/06/2023 postreply 14:05:04

• Hahaha -7grizzly- ♀ (0 bytes) () 11/06/2023 postreply 14:26:28

• 空想误人。。。空谈误国。。。君子敏于行。。。好心办坏事。。。无毒不丈夫。。。看语境。 -唐宋韵- ♂ (0 bytes) () 11/06/2023 postreply 11:27:29

• I thought it was 君子敏于言慎于行。 -7grizzly- ♀ (0 bytes) () 11/06/2023 postreply 14:21:31

• 君子sounds very slippery :-) -7grizzly- ♀ (0 bytes) () 11/06/2023 postreply 14:25:59

• 的确是“讷于言而敏于行”。我专门删掉了“讷于言”。 -唐宋韵- ♂ (0 bytes) () 11/06/2023 postreply 14:46:32

• OK. Thanks. 君子sounds smart, after all :-) -7grizzly- ♀ (0 bytes) () 11/06/2023 postreply 14:59:33

• 盛赞“ 君子敏于言慎于行 ”！ 为了理解宽容待人的社会 +100086 -古树羽音- ♀ (0 bytes) () 11/06/2023 postreply 15:39:19

• Good to know. Thanks. -CBA7- ♀ (0 bytes) () 11/06/2023 postreply 11:50:27

• My pleasure. Thanks for reading. -7grizzly- ♀ (0 bytes) () 11/06/2023 postreply 14:24:52

• Whereas the road to heaven is paved with good deeds. -waterfowl- ♂ (0 bytes) () 11/06/2023 postreply 12:06:06

• Heaven is too hard to get to, most people settle for limbo:) -7grizzly- ♀ (0 bytes) () 11/06/2023 postreply 14:22:36

• I have no illustrations about getting there. : ) -waterfowl- ♂ (0 bytes) () 11/06/2023 postreply 14:41:59

• 好心办坏事 -方外居士- ♂ (0 bytes) () 11/06/2023 postreply 12:08:32

• 好心 has to be discerning, which might take too much work. -7grizzly- ♀ (0 bytes) () 11/06/2023 postreply 14:20:17

• Right. -方外居士- ♂ (0 bytes) () 11/06/2023 postreply 15:31:19

• Haha, let's do something with bad intentions:)) -卫宁- ♂ (0 bytes) () 11/06/2023 postreply 16:59:34

• I do without even trying. Bad to the bone. -waterfowl- ♂ (0 bytes) () 11/06/2023 postreply 19:03:18

• prompts me to think about repentance and redemption -颤音- -盈盈一笑间- ♀ (0 bytes) () 11/06/2023 postreply 19:28:52

• Yes. Confess. Put your trust in the Lord… -7grizzly- ♀ (0 bytes) () 11/06/2023 postreply 19:35:58

• I doubt it. check with a CT scan! :)) -卫宁- ♂ (0 bytes) () 11/06/2023 postreply 19:36:10

• you are funny, haha -盈盈一笑间- ♀ (0 bytes) () 11/06/2023 postreply 19:38:55

• The obstacles in the way become the way:) -7grizzly- ♀ (0 bytes) () 11/06/2023 postreply 19:25:00