Some things are black and white
Some things are binary. Being alive or dead is one of the most important.
There are many things in life where you can make allowances, find the middle ground, discover the Third Way, compromise, work something out, make everybody happy.
But like Yoda said, sometimes it is do, or do not. This makes people highly uncomfortable, because it means you can be wrong.
You can bet your ass that our enemies see no shades of gray at all. While you try to negotiate, they will be trying to kill you.