If you can't say something nice ...

... don't say anything at all.

That's how the old saying goes. There's some wisdom in that.

Now, I got thinking ... is the sentiment contained within that always true? Is it always the case that if you can't say something nice you shouldn't say anything at all?

That got me thinking about the word "nice" there. Appropriate? How about "constructive?" Or "necessary?" What I'm getting at is there are times when the best course of action is to say something not nice ... but perhaps something that needs to be said ("necessary") and in so saying will actually help the recipient ("constructive").

So let's rephrase it:

If what you're about to say is intentionally hurtful, and serves no useful or constructive purpose, you should not say it.

Would that be an inarguable statement?