Dolo agit, qui petit, quod statim redditurus est
“He acts in bad faith who demands what he will immediately have to give back.”
Legal maxim, Roman law
What does “Dolo agit, qui petit, quod statim redditurus est” mean?
Dolo agit, qui petit, quod statim redditurus est translates as “He acts in bad faith who demands what he will immediately have to give back.”
It means that a claim is abusive if the claimant would at once have to return what he obtains. Courts use it to block pointless or unfair demands.
“Dolo agit, qui petit, quod statim redditurus est” word by word
| Latin | English | Grammar |
|---|---|---|
| Dolo | by bad faith, by fraud | ablative singular (ablative of manner or means) of dolus, “trick, fraud, bad faith” |
| agit | acts | third person singular present active indicative of ago, “I do, I act” |
| qui | who, he who | nominative singular masculine relative pronoun; introduces the clause and stands for “the person who” |
| petit | demands, claims | third person singular present active indicative of peto, “I seek, I demand” |
| quod | what, that which | accusative singular neuter relative pronoun; object of petit and of redditurus est |
| statim | immediately, at once | adverb |
| redditurus est | is going to give back, will have to return | future active participle of reddo, “I give back”, with est: a periphrastic future (“is about to give back”); redditurus is masculine nominative singular, agreeing with qui |
How to pronounce “Dolo agit, qui petit, quod statim redditurus est”
The only difference is the g of agit: hard (g as in “get”) in Classical, soft (j) in Church Latin. Stress falls on the first syllable of dolo, agit, petit and statim, and on the -TOO- of redditurus.
The story behind it
Word for word the maxim says that a person acts by bad faith when he demands something he must give straight back. The point is the pointlessness: the claim wins him nothing, so the only purpose left is to cause trouble or gain an advantage.
The idea comes from Roman law. A related formulation, “dolo facit qui petit quod redditurus est”, appears in the Digest, the great collection of Roman legal opinions compiled under Emperor Justinian in the sixth century.
The thought lives on as the exceptio doli, or dolo-agit defence. It is still cited in modern civil-law systems, especially in German law, to block a claim that would be circular or abusive.
How to use “Dolo agit, qui petit, quod statim redditurus est”
Suited to a legal brief or law-school essay opposing a purely tactical or circular claim, or as a quotation on good faith in civil law. It is too technical to work as a general motto.
- Latin
- Dolo agit, qui petit, quod statim redditurus est
- English
- He acts in bad faith who demands what he will immediately have to give back.
- Source
- Legal maxim, Roman law
- Era
- Legal Latin
- Theme
- Justice
Common mistakes
- It does not mean that every claim someone must later return is improper. The return obligation must be immediate and certain, so the claim is pointless.
- Dolo is an ablative (“by bad faith”) and is not the verb. The verb is agit, so “Dolo agit” is not a command.
- Quoting it as a general ethical proverb loses its meaning: it is a defence in civil law.
- The longer Digest wording “dolo facit qui petit quod redditurus est” is a related formulation. Do not treat the two versions as one text.
Questions about “Dolo agit, qui petit, quod statim redditurus est”
What does “Dolo agit, qui petit, quod statim redditurus est” mean?
“He acts in bad faith who demands what he will immediately have to give back.” A claim is abusive if the claimant would have to return the result at once.
Where does “Dolo agit” come from?
It comes from Roman law. A similar wording, “dolo facit qui petit quod redditurus est”, appears in the Digest.
What is the dolo-agit defence?
A civil-law objection that a claim is made in bad faith because the claimant would have to hand back at once whatever he gets. It is especially known in German law.
How do you pronounce “Dolo agit”?
Classically “DOH-loh AH-git”, with a hard g. In Church Latin the g is soft: “DOH-loh AH-jit”.
More to explore
Translation and grammar checked by Latin Quoter · last reviewed November 2026
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