human



milk of human kindness

Fig. natural kindness and sympathy shown to others. (From Shakespeare's play Macbeth, I. v.) Mary is completely hard and selfish—she doesn't have the milk of human kindness in her. Roger is too full of the milk of human kindness and people take advantage of him.
See also: human, kindness, milk, of

To err is human(, to forgive divine).

Prov. You should not be too harsh with someone who makes a mistake, because all human beings make mistakes. (Often used as a roundabout way to ask someone to forgive you for making a mistake.) Jill: How could you let my dog get out when I told you a hundred times that he should stay in the house! Ellen: To err is human, to forgive divine.
See also: err, human

To err is human, (to forgive, divine).

  (formal)
something that you say which means it is natural to make mistakes and it is important to forgive people when they do You'd think he could find it in his heart to forgive her. To err is human and all that.
See also: err, human

the milk of human kindness

  (literary)
being good and kind to other people
Usage notes: This phrase comes from Shakespeare's play 'Macbeth'.
She's one of those amazing people who's just overflowing with the milk of human kindness.
See also: human, kindness, milk, of

milk of human kindness, the

Compassion, sympathy, as in There's no milk of human kindness in that girl-she's totally selfish. This expression was invented by Shakespeare in Macbeth (1:5), where Lady Macbeth complains that her husband "is too full of the milk of human kindness" to kill his rivals.
See also: human, milk, of

milk of human kindness

Compassion or benevolence. Shakespeare again, but this time Macbeth. Lady Macbeth regrets that her husband doesn't have the overwhelming ambition that she has by saying, “Yet do I fear thy nature, It is too full o' th' milk of human kindness. To catch the nearest way.” Macbeth heeds his wife, schemes and murders his way to the throne, and is then deposed and killed. The milk must have curdled. A compliment to a sweetheart of a person is to say that he or she is “full of the milk of human kindness.”
See also: human, kindness, milk, of

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
JanieJAY-neeEnglish
CustÓDia-Portuguese
Tijmen-Dutch
LibertyLIB-ər-teeEnglish
Natali-Russian, Ukrainian
Anupama-Indian, Hindi