Things which individually do not avail, taken together are helpful.

Explanation

Pieces of evidence that are individually insufficient may collectively establish a fact — the whole is greater than the sum of its parts in matters of proof.

Where this applies

• Three separate witnesses each saw a small part of a crime, and while no single witness can identify the perpetrator, their combined testimony establishes the defendant's presence, motive, and opportunity.
• Several pieces of circumstantial evidence — a fingerprint, a motive, and a timeline — are each insufficient standing alone, but taken together they support a conviction.
• A plaintiff presents multiple documents, each proving only a fragment of a contract's terms, but collectively they demonstrate the existence and full scope of the agreement.

See also

• 9.1.1 The power of adducing proof is not to be narrowed.