Give the devil his due

Cultural  

1. Admit it when there is some good even in a person you dislike. This saying appears in Don Quixote, by Miguel de Cervantes.

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give the devil his due Idioms  

1. Give credit to what is good in a disagreeable or disliked person. For example, I don't like John's views on education, but give the devil his due, he always has something important to say, or I don't like what the new management has done, but give the devil his due, sales have improved. [Late 1500s]

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Example Sentences

You’ve got to give the devil his due.

From Washington Post

Writing in a 2007 cable released by WikiLeaks, then-U.S. ambassador to Harare Christopher Dell reflected the views of many: “To give the devil his due, he is a brilliant tactician.”

From Reuters

So let’s give the devil his due.

From Time

But this remake is finally too dull to give the devil his due.

From Time

And he asks to be judged mercifully: “Give the devil his due.”

From Slate