No one can claim another's status as his own merely because he wishes it.

Explanation

(English-origin maxim.) Legal status — whether sui juris, citizen, officer, or any other recognized standing — is determined by law and fact, not by mere assertion or desire. Invoke this to challenge a party who claims an authority, privilege, or standing to which the law has not entitled him.

Where this applies

• A private citizen flashes a fake badge and demands entry to a home, claiming he has police authority; the homeowner challenges him because no one can claim an officer's status simply by wanting it.
• A man declares himself a judge and tries to hold court in his living room, but the law does not recognize a status that exists only in someone's imagination.
• An unlicensed person holds himself out as a doctor; the court rules that professional status is conferred by law and qualification, not by self-proclamation.