No impossible or dishonorable things are to be presumed; but only things true, honorable, and possible.

Explanation

(English-origin maxim.) Courts will not presume the impossible or the dishonorable; all presumptions favor what is true, honorable, and within the realm of possibility.

Where this applies

• A party asks the court to presume that a 90-year-old woman personally carried a 200-pound safe out of a building — the court refuses because the presumption is physically impossible.
• Someone argues the court should presume a public official deliberately destroyed records to hide wrongdoing, without any evidence — the law presumes honorable conduct, not dishonest acts.
• A plaintiff asks the court to presume that a contract was signed under duress simply because the terms are unfavorable — the court won't presume dishonor; duress must be proved.