cruel to be kind

1. To be “cruel to be kind” is to cause someone pain for his or her own good. The phrase is used by Hamlet after he has berated his mother for her infidelity to the memory of her deceased husband.

Example Sentences

"You have to be cruel to be kind, and this is the pure example of it."

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“We all know that whenever you work in a professional sports environment, it can sometimes be cruel, to be kind. She’s been really brilliant with me, supportive.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

They talk about the experiences and people who helped shape Justice Thomas’ worldview and how deeply his jurisprudence is rooted in a kind of “cruel to be kind” ethos from his childhood.

Read more on Slate

When Hamlet said he had to be cruel to be kind, he presented it as a grim necessity.

Read more on New York Times

After all, this is the guy perhaps best known for “Cruel to Be Kind.”

Read more on Washington Times