Marcus Tullius Cicero. Thoughts and sayings (№ 454349)

When punishing, one should especially beware of anger. If your heart is outraged, then how, in imposing punishment, will you keep the golden mean between excessive severity and excessive mercy? By all means, anger must be eliminated. Happy are the rulers of a state if, like laws, they arm themselves against crime only in the name of justice and never out of anger.