Thus I will, thus I command.

Explanation

Attributed to arbitrary power — the assertion of naked will without reason. The maxim is cited to condemn tyrannical commands that rest on authority alone rather than on law and reason.

Where this applies

• A government official issues an edict without citing any legal authority, simply declaring 'because I said so,' and the court strikes it as an exercise of arbitrary will without reason.
• A bureaucrat denies a permit application with no explanation other than personal discretion, and the court overturns the denial because naked will without legal justification is the hallmark of tyranny.
• A school principal expels a student without a hearing or stated reason, and the court reverses because commands issued on pure authority with no basis in law or reason are condemned by this maxim.

See also

• 2.1.1 The law makes the government, not the government the law.