I looked up
these quotes about good intentions today because today was one of those days
when I realized that having the best of intentions in certain situations is no
guarantee of a happy outcome. I realized that no matter how good one's motives
and intentions might be, they can be misconstrued by others who have their own
personal agendas and vulnerabilities. Good communication is the way to deal
with such misunderstandings, but it is so difficult to achieve that sometimes.
It is sorely dependent upon both parties meeting each other at the negotiating
table as peers, and that does not often occur. Sometimes the offended party
would rather judge, lecture, and otherwise dominate the situation in order to
make the other party feel small. And it works--the purported offender does feel
small. But feeling small is not an
apology or an admission of wrongdoing. It is merely one way of dealing with judgmental controlling people and letting
them have their say before one offers up a reply. The problem is that the reply
can often lead to more problems, because by pointing out that one's intentions
were good, one is defending oneself and the act of defending oneself for some
people is a big no-no, because if you do that, you are guilty as charged. And I
don't agree with this. I think that people who always give in or act like
doormats, no matter the criticism, are the ones who are guilty. If you are
innocent, you will try to defend yourself against an attack on your motives or
character. I have experienced this at times in my workplace, and it is not easy
to wage a counterattack. But it is necessary for your identity and self-value.
And if you are wrong and know it, then an apology is in order. But if you are
not wrong, then it’s just foolish to play the part of the offender. You hand
over more power to the offended person, who may enjoy the power game that has
ensued. In any case, I am not interested in the power or the game. I’m
simply interested in the truth, in the reality of each situation that arises.
·
It
is not good enough for things to be planned - they still have to be done; for
the intention to become a reality, energy has to be launched into operation.”
Walt Kelly
·
Let
your intentions be good - embodied in good thoughts, cheerful words, and
unselfish deeds - and the world will be to you a bright and happy place in which
to work and play and serve.
Grenville Kleiser
·
Before
the throne of the Almighty, man will be judged not by his acts but by his
intentions. For God alone reads our hearts.
Mohandas Gandhi
·
Plans
are only good intentions unless they immediately degenerate into hard work.
Peter Drucker
·
I
don't know anyone in the public eye who has not made a mistake and said
something in a manner that does not truly reflect their intentions.
Jim Jeffords
·
Hell
isn't merely paved with good intentions; it's walled and roofed with them. Yes,
and furnished too.
Aldous Huxley
·
The
road to hell is paved with good intentions.
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux
·
The
evil that is in the world almost always comes of ignorance, and good intentions
may do as much harm as malevolence if they lack understanding.
Albert Camus
·
Our
intentions may be very good, but, because the intelligence is limited, the
action may turn out to be a mistake - a mistake, but not necessarily a sin, for
sin comes out of a wrong intention.
E. Stanley Jones
·
A
gentleman is one who never hurts anyone's feelings unintentionally.
Oscar Wilde
·
I
may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I
intended to be.
Douglas Adams
