quote · Ben Jonson
The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.
Wanting to do good is not enough: careless action, unintended consequences or repeated failure to act can still produce a bad result.
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33 matching explanations
proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
The worst clothed go to windward.
People with the least protection may be placed where conditions are harshest. The clothing-and-wind image questions whether burdens are being assigned to those least equipped to bear them.
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The worst jests are those that are true.
A joke can hurt especially when it exposes a real vulnerability. Accuracy does not make ridicule kind, useful or appropriate to the setting.
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There never was a banquet so sumptuous but some one dined ill at it.
A generous occasion can still fail to meet someone’s needs. The impressive scale of an offering does not prove that every participant benefits from it.
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To get the chicks one must coax the hen.
A desired result may depend on another person’s willing participation. Approach that person considerately rather than demanding only the benefit you want from them.
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To give and keep there is need of wit.
Giving generously while retaining what is needed calls for judgement. Consider both the recipient’s need and your own commitments rather than treating generosity as either giving everything or refusing everything.
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Where misfortune befals injuries follow.
Injury following misfortune pictures a person facing further difficulties when already vulnerable. The saying invites attention to additional burdens rather than predicting them.
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Whither goest thou, misfortune? To where there is more.
Misfortune is imagined travelling toward a place already burdened by it. The question and reply express the feeling of troubles accumulating, without predicting more harm or blaming those already facing difficulty.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (Spanish-language collection)
Who has no bread to spare should not keep a dog.
Taking responsibility for a dependent requires some provision for its needs. The dog and spare bread make care more than the wish to have a companion.
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