be cruel to be kind
To act cruelly in order to achieve a positive outcome in the future.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“I must be cruel to be kind and stop your bad habit.”
“The doctor had to be cruel to be kind by forcing the patient to walk immediately after the surgery.”
“By refusing to provide the funding that had enabled his son's recklessness, the father was being cruel to be kind, hoping to finally teach him the value of responsibility.”
From William Shakespeare's Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 4: "I must be cruel, only to be kind: / Thus bad begins and worse remains behind."
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cruel mistress
Something which has both significant positive and negative aspects.
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in kind
In a reciprocal manner; in a similar way; in the same kind.
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it takes all kinds to make a world
Diversity is essential: the world would be incomplete if everyone were alike; an expression of surprise at a person or people's eccentricity.
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kind of
Slightly; somewhat; sort of.
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kind regards
Used as a polite closing of a letter.
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kindest regards
Used as a polite closing of a letter
Last updated August 10, 2026