One thing is to conceal, another to be silent
Definition
A famous Latin expression originating from Cicero's writings (De Officiis), literally translated as 'one thing is to conceal, another to be silent'. In a legal and moral sense, the maxim establishes a clear distinction between the deliberate, fraudulent act of hiding an essential truth that one is obligated to reveal (constituting fraud or bad faith) and simple passive silence or omission regarding facts that one is not legally or contractually bound to disclose.
Bilingual Equivalents
- One thing is to conceal, another to be silent
- Concealment is one thing, silence another
Grammatical & Source Details
| Inflection Type | Invariable legal aphorism and philosophical formulation. |
| Formation | Syntactic parallel structure in Latin using the correlative adjective 'aliud' combined with present active infinitives. |
| Spelling / Pronunciation | [ˈa.li.ud est ke.ˈla.re ˈa.li.ud ta.ˈke.re] |
| Source | Black's Law Dictionary and Classical Philosophy Lexicon |
Contextual Usage Examples
RO: Judecătorul a invocat principiul 'aliud est celare, aliud tacere' pentru a demonstra că simpla necomunicare a unui detaliu minor nu reprezintă o fraudă contractuală.
EN: The judge invoked the principle 'aliud est celare, aliud tacere' to demonstrate that the mere non-communication of a minor detail does not constitute contractual fraud.
RO: În dezbaterile etice privind publicitatea comercială, maxima 'aliud est celare, aliud tacere' separă omisiunea strategică de minciuna directă.
EN: In ethical debates regarding commercial advertising, the maxim 'aliud est celare, aliud tacere' separates strategic omission from outright lying.
RO: Avocatul a arătat că pârâtul s-a ghidat după regula 'aliud est celare, aliud tacere', neavând obligația legală de a-și divulga secretele de producție competitorilor.
EN: The lawyer showed that the defendant was guided by the rule 'aliud est celare, aliud tacere', having no legal obligation to disclose his production secrets to competitors.
Idioms & Phrases
Aplicarea lui 'aliud est celare, aliud tacere' / Application of 'aliud est celare, aliud tacere'
RO: Metodă de analiză juridică folosită pentru a stabili dacă un contractant a acționat cu intenție dolosivă sau doar a rămas rezervat.
EN: A method of legal analysis used to determine whether a contracting party acted with fraudulent intent or merely remained reserved.
Granița dintre celare și tacere / The boundary between celare and tacere
RO: Limita fină care desparte tăinuirea ilegală a viciilor ascunse ale unui bun de tăcerea permisă asupra oportunităților de piață.
EN: The fine line separating the illegal concealment of hidden defects of a good from the permitted silence on market opportunities.
Principiul ciceronian 'aliud est celare' / The Ciceronian principle 'aliud est celare'
RO: Fundamentul etic conform căruia profitul obținut prin inducerea activă în eroare a partenerului de afaceri este imoral.
EN: The ethical foundation stating that profit obtained through actively misleading a business partner is immoral.
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