Smith v Hughes (1871) LR 6 QB 597 is a famous English contract law case. In it, Blackburn J set out his classic statement of the objective interpretation of people's conduct when entering into a contract. Rejecting that one should merely look to what people subjectively intended, he said,
"If, whatever a man's real intention may be, he so conducts himself that a reasonable man would believe that he was assenting to the terms proposed by the other party, and that other party upon that belief enters into the contract with him, the man thus conducting himself would be equally bound as if he had intended to agree to the other party's terms."
Famous quotes containing the words smith and/or hughes:
“Heat, ma’am! It was so dreadful here that I found there was nothing left for it but to take off my flesh and sit in my bones.”
—Sydney Smith (1771–1845)
“Stilled legendary depth:
It was as deep as England: it held
Pike too immense to stir, so immense and old
That past nightfall I dared not cast”
—Ted Hughes (b. 1930)