Soft Outside, Tough Inside.

Be soft on the outside, but tough inside.  

A quote that I came across today suggests being soft even in a world that makes you want to become hardened. I partially agree. However, You don't want to appear to be too soft or the world will trample on you very badly.  Being too soft can also mean cutting people slack when they really need to be held accountable and pushed to own up to their actions.  So, I think a good compromise is to be somewhat soft on the outside in order to reach people, but tough enough inside to stand against evil, withstand abuse and hardships and make a quick recovery.