Should we define someone by their actions or their intentions

i would define someone by their intentions because i would want to know why they did that certen action. I think that if we just define the person by their action then we really don't why they did what they did. By defining someone by intentions then you can figure out what the reason was and find a solution. Even sometimes many people don't mean to bump you or hit you, so defining them by intentions will help you with not yelling or getting upset with the other person.