I’LL admit that I had to use my old research assistant Mr Google to find the name of the man behind this week’s words of wisdom.

After the briefest of searches I discovered it was 19th Century American diplomat Daniel Webster who noted: “A strong conviction that something must be done is the parent of many bad measures.”

He may have died back in 1852, but his words are as relevant as ever this week as the country comes to terms with the horrific murder of Drummer Lee Rigby on a London street seven afternoons ago.

Looking at the pictures of the soldier’s relatives weeping as they visited the spot where he died, many people understandably feel that something must be done to prevent any other family going through such grief.

But it would be best to pause and reflect on the words of Daniel Webster before making any radical changes.

Two suspects remain under arrest in hospital today after being shot by police during last Wednesday’s incident in Woolwich.

What happened on that street last week will be a matter for a court to decide in due course.

Yet the Government has already reached the verdict that Wednesday’s barbaric act is to be classed as terrorist rather than criminal.

And so the old clichés have been dusted off and given yet another airing, as sober men in sober suits tell us we must unite in the face of terror, and reassure us that the terrorists will never win.

I’m sure the politicians trotting out these soundbites genuinely believe these platitudes, but it’s hard to take these words seriously when you’ve heard them, literally, hundreds of times before.

A relatively new cliché in the lexicon of outrage is the assertion that the terrorists “must never change our way of life”.

Yet no sooner have the great and the good made this solemn pledge than they try to break it themselves. Because they feel that “something must be done”, those in power believe no outrage can go by without a response, without a new taskforce, or new crackdown or, best of all, a new law.

And so it was, ignoring Daniel Webster’s warning, that home secretary Theresa May unveiled her post-Woolwich blueprint at the weekend.

It was an impressive wish-list too: More websites to be banned, more extremist groups to be outlawed and more pressure on mosques to reject people known as “hate preachers”.

I fear the phrase “Anjem Choudary’s words are spoken by an actor” may not be far off.

To top it all, Mrs May would like to bring back the snoopers’ charter, recently consigned to the dustbin of history by her Lib Dem coalition colleagues.

Would a Government official ever use the power to read every text you ever sent, or every website you ever visited for anything other than finding terrorists? Perish the thought.

If Mrs May gets her way and curtails even more of the freedoms which we enjoy in this country, will this end the threat of more sickening violence on British streets?

Of course not. There will be another outrage followed by a fresh round of snooping, banning and outlawing. And what many of us understand as the British way of life will recede further into the distance.

If Mrs May is correct that there are thousands of people in this country capable of a similar atrocity to that which happened in Woolwich, then she must also accept that one of these angry young men will succeed one day.

The country’s spies cannot keep tabs on tens of hundreds of people round-the-clock. They have to prioritise the ones who they think are the most dangerous and hope for the best.

When the worst happens – as it will again – then of course the Government should ensure that the perpetrators are found and punished. And of course police and security officials should look at what went wrong to try to make sure it doesn’t go wrong again.

But after that, it’s time to stop reacting to the tragedy, to stop thinking that something more should be done.

Put the taskforces and the crackdowns and the new laws back in the desk drawer and get on with life.

If they don’t, doesn’t that mean the terrorists will win?