[T]he man who is to wage active battle against the powers that prey ... must walk warily and fearlessly, and while he should never brawl if he can avoid it, he must be ready to hit hard if the need arises.  Let him remember, by the way, that the unforgivable crime is soft hitting.  Do not hit at all if it can be avoided; but never hit softly.

-- Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. (1858 - 1919), 26th President of the US (1901-1909), "Practical Politics" in The Outlook (26 April 1913)