Maxim 3.3.4
Anger is a brief madness.
Ira furor brevis est.
Source: Beardsley v. Maynard, 4 Wend. (N.Y.) 336, 355; Horace, Epistles I.2.62
Difficulty 1/5 — Foundational
Explanation
Acts done in the heat of passion are treated with some mitigation — but unlike true insanity, anger does not fully excuse the act.
Where this applies
- A person kills someone in the heat of a violent argument.
- A crime committed in a fit of rage is treated differently from a premeditated act.
Legal domains
See also
Cite this maxim
NeCede Max. 3.3.4 — Anger is a brief madness. — Beardsley v. Maynard, 4 Wend. (N.Y.) 336, 355; Horace, Epistles I.2.62 (Ira furor brevis est.)
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