Take away the will, and every action will be indifferent.

Explanation

(English-origin maxim.) Without voluntary intent, no act carries moral or legal significance — this principle is the foundation of the defense of compulsion and the requirement of mens rea.

Where this applies

• A soldier under orders fires a weapon during combat — because he acted under compulsion rather than free will, the act carries no personal culpability.
• A bank teller hands over cash to a robber holding a gun to her head — her act of giving away the bank's money has no legal significance because it was not voluntary.
• A man sleepwalks out of his house and damages a neighbor's car — without conscious will behind the act, it is legally indifferent.