If a person hits you should you hit back?

I find that a hard one because I don't like hurting people. It depends on the consequences of not hitting them back? Are they going to kill you? Are they going to keep hurting you? Are they going to hurt someone else? Are they stronger than you? If you hit them because you are angry you aren't really making a rational choice so much as reacting instinctively so i don't really count that.All in all i think restraining them is preferable because it stops them from hurting people, it asserts your dominance and it doesn't needlessly hurt another person(but some people need to be hurt ). I don't ever blame people for hitting someone who hit them first though just because the person who hit first should expect the consequences they dealt because they believe it's acceptable to do so, that's jut a bit of Kant i got in me though.