paving the road to hell
Intentions backfiring badly
Paving the road to hell is a reference to the proverb "the road to hell is paved with good intentions"—harmful outcomes often result from well-meaning actions.
The phrase usually appears when someone's sincere efforts backfire or enable worse problems: His leniency was paving the road to hell for the whole department.
Sometimes shortened to good intentions pave the road to hell.
- metaphorsImplicit comparison expressions
- failureLack of success
- unintended consequencesUnanticipated outcomes of actions
- harmInjury or damage
- naivetyInnocent lack of experience
good intentions · backlash · tragic irony · ethics · hubris · paradoxes · moral blindness · aphorisms · collateral damage · misjudgment · self-deception · cautionary tales · allegory · slippery slope · road to ruin · idealism · regret · irony