Perfectconductisarelationbetweenthreeterms：theactor，theobjectsforwhichheacts，andtherecipientsoftheaction。
Inorderthatconductshouldbeabstractlyperfect，allthreeterms，intention，execution，andreception，shouldbesuitedtooneanother。Thebestintentionwillfailifiteitherworkbyfalsemeansoraddressitselftothewrongrecipient。Thusnocriticorestimatorofthevalueofconductcanconfinehimselftotheactor’sanimusalone，apartfromtheotherelementsoftheperformance。Asthereisnoworseliethanatruthmisunderstoodbythosewhohearit，soreasonablearguments，challengestomagnanimity，andappealstosympathyorjustice，arefollywhenwearedealingwithhumancrocodilesandboa-constrictors。Thesaintmaysimplygivetheuniverseintothehandsoftheenemybyhistrustfulness。Hemaybynon-resistancecutoffhisownsurvival。
HerbertSpencertellsusthattheperfectman’sconductwillappearperfectonlywhentheenvironmentisperfect：tonoinferiorenvironmentisitsuitablyadapted。Wemayparaphrasethisbycordiallyadmittingthatsaintlyconductwouldbethemostperfectconductconceivableinanenvironmentwhereallweresaintsalready；butbyaddingthatinanenvironmentwherefewaresaints，andmanytheexactreverseofsaints，itmustbeilladapted。Wemustfranklyconfess，then，usingourempiricalcommonsenseandordinarypracticalprejudices，thatintheworldthatactuallyis，thevirtuesofsympathy，charity，andnon-resistancemaybe，andoftenhavebeen，manifestedinexcess。
Thepowersofdarknesshavesystematicallytakenadvantageofthem。Thewholemodernscientificorganizationofcharityisaconsequenceofthefailureofsimplygivingalms。Thewholehistoryofconstitutionalgovernmentisacommentaryontheexcellenceofresistingevil，andwhenonecheekissmitten，ofsmitingbackandnotturningtheothercheekalso。
Youwillagreetothisingeneral，forinspiteoftheGospel，inspiteofQuakerism，inspiteofTolstoi，youbelieveinfightingfirewithfire，inshootingdownusurpers，lockingupthieves，andfreezingoutvagabondsandswindlers。