It is circumstance and proper measure that give an action its character, and make it either good or bad.

The same action can be right or wrong depending on how much of it and when. Frankness at the right moment is a service and at the wrong one is cruelty, and generosity in proportion helps while generosity beyond proportion humiliates. Judging an act without its circumstances gets you a rule that fails half the time.

Before you apply a principle you are proud of, ask whether the amount and the timing fit this particular case. Adjust the dose rather than abandoning the principle. Most disputes about right and wrong turn out to be arguments about measure.