The Hidden Red Flags Behind Smiles: When Kindness Conceals a Secret Agenda
3) Their kindness comes with strings attached
As the great philosopher and writer Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “The only way to have a friend is to be one.”
Genuine kindness is about giving without expecting anything in return, not using your actions as a bargaining chip.
But when someone’s kindness always seems to come with strings attached, that’s a red flag that it might be an act.
They’re kind to you, but then they expect you to do something for them in return. It’s as if they’re keeping a mental tally of all their good deeds, expecting you to pay them back.