Meaning: The law does not concern itself with trifles. Explanation: Courts will ignore trivial matters that do not warrant legal process. Example: A tiny scratch on a neighbour’s fence causing

Meaning: Use your property so as not to injure others. Explanation: Property rights are limited by duty not to harm neighbours or the public. Example: A factory cannot emit noxious

Meaning: Against the one who offers (contract interpretation). Explanation: Ambiguities in contract wording are interpreted against the drafter who provided them. Example: A vague exclusion clause in an insurance policy

Meaning: Equity supports those who timely assert their rights. Explanation: Delayed claimants may be denied equitable relief if they unreasonably postponed. Example: A claimant who waits years to assert an

Meaning: To one who volunteers, no injury is done. Explanation: Consent to a known risk limits liability for resulting harm. Example: A spectator injured at a sports event they knowingly

Meaning: The welfare of the people is the supreme law. Explanation: Public interest can justify measures that protect collective safety, subject to balance with rights. Example: Authorities may impose temporary

Meaning: A later law repeals an earlier one to the extent of inconsistency. Explanation: New statutes prevail over older conflicting provisions for overlapping matters. Example: A modern data-protection law can

Meaning: Stand by decisions and do not disturb settled matters (precedent). Explanation: Precedent sustains legal predictability; courts follow earlier rulings unless there’s strong reason to depart. Example: A court follows

Meaning: No one is bound to accuse themselves (right against self-incrimination). Explanation: Individuals cannot be compelled to give testimony that would incriminate them. Example: A defendant declines to testify in

Meaning: No crime without law. Explanation: Criminal acts must be previously defined by law; prohibits retroactive punishment. Example: A person cannot be criminally punished for conduct that was not illegal

 Meaning: The law is harsh, but it is the law. Explanation: Laws must be applied even when outcomes are severe; reform requires lawful change. Example: A statute imposes strict penalties

Meaning: Where there is a right, there is a remedy. Explanation: Rights should be enforceable by legal remedies; courts must make rights effective. Example: If a tenant’s right to quiet

Meaning: An act does not make one guilty without guilty intent. Explanation: Criminal liability normally requires wrongful action plus a culpable mental state. Example: An accidental breaking of property differs

Meaning: You shall have the body (protection against unlawful detention). Explanation: Courts can require authorities to justify detention; protects liberty. Example: A person arrested without charge can petition habeas corpus

Meaning: Remedies must fit the wrong. Explanation: Sanctions or state measures should be proportionate to the harm addressed. Example: A regulatory penalty should reflect actual damage rather than be excessively

Meaning: The thing speaks for itself. Explanation: Where harm plainly results from negligence, circumstances may shift burden to defendant to explain. Example: A consumer finding a foreign object in sealed

Meaning: Agreements must be kept. Explanation: Contracts create enforceable expectations; stability depends on honouring them. Example: A clear employment contract obligations are enforceable in court when breached.