Difficult choices involve painful sacrifices, advance planning or just plain guts.

Henry was prepared to offer her a good sum of money for her very painful sacrifice, but this is simply too much.

Sometimes a principle, such as the greatest good for the greatest number, required the painful sacrifice of purely personal considerations.

"It's just too awesome, too large, and it will involve too many painful sacrifices."

If you opt for the former, the continual squeeze will feel like a series of painful sacrifices.

But polling organizations have asked little about the potentially painful sacrifices that may be required.

We like the idea of losing weight, but we don't want to make a bunch of painful sacrifices to get there.

The pre-emptive attack against the government of Saddam Hussein, while not without painful sacrifice, will save countless lives in the long run.

"Even if the measures implemented require painful sacrifices, people are willing to bear them if they promise a secure and healthy future."

"Many of the painful sacrifices that we have made will be compensated in the new year," he said.