Hell is paved with good intentions.

Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English writer, lexicographer, critic

Comment (14 Apr 1775)

In James Boswell, The Life of Samuel Johnson (1791). This is noted as a "proverbial sentence" even at that time. John Ray, in 1670, cited as a proverb, "Hell is paved with good intentions." Note that "The road to Hell ..." is not part of the quotation.