Cruelty is a devil's delight.

Understand the thought

Meaning in plain English

Cruelty is condemned by imagining it as something the devil enjoys. The image expresses moral disapproval of causing suffering, without providing evidence about supernatural beings or deciding the facts of a particular dispute.

What the words are saying

Devil’s delight gives cruelty a deliberately troubling companion. The proverb uses that image to reject taking pleasure in another’s suffering or treating harshness as an achievement. A useful reading focuses on the conduct and those affected rather than turning the metaphor into a label for a person. Disagreement, accountability or a necessary limit is not automatically cruelty; the circumstances and effects still need examination. The saying expresses a moral judgement, not a factual account of supernatural activity. It can encourage a more considerate response while leaving room to establish what happened and what practical correction is needed.

Everyday example

A group stops turning a member’s mistake into a running joke and discusses the problem directly without inviting others to join in the ridicule.

When to use it

Use it to challenge enjoyment of another person’s humiliation or suffering.

Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.