Still, being “kinder than necessary” isn’t the same as being endlessly available. Healthy kindness includes boundaries: speaking firmly without cruelty, saying no without contempt, and protecting your own well-being while preserving the other person’s humanity.
Seen this way, the quote promotes strength as much as softness. You can offer patience and still set limits—because the goal is not to absorb another person’s pain, but to avoid becoming an additional source of it. [...]
