Thought
The Cyclopedic Law Dictionary · Walter A. Shumaker and George Foster Longsdorf; ed. James C. Cahill · 1922
The Cyclopedic Law Dictionary
The operation of the mind. No one can be punished for his mere thoughts, however wicked they may be. Human laws cannot reach them, — first, because they are unknown; and secondly, unless made manifest by some action, they are not injurious to any one; but when they manifest themselves, then the act which is the consequence may be punished.
Dig. 50. 16. 225.