You lost me at "permanently".
You're saying I can in fact steal your car as long as I "intend" to return it to you.
Actually, he was explaining the difference between "theft", and
another act. "Theft" commonly includes element of 'intent to permanently deprive' the owner of the property, while "misappropriation" (in the UCMJ, for example) has instead, the
'intent to temporarily deprive' the owner of his/her property...
say Jake "borrows" his work truck over the weekend, to help
his brother-in-law move his household goods.
Intent is an element of many crimes. The presence of absence of intent can spell the difference between a crime or "something else".
Ever stand in a crowd, and had the guy in front of you back up, and bump you? Ever had a guy walk toward you, look you in the eye, and keep coming, till he walked right into you?
The backing-up guy probably had no intent to bump you, but the second guy did.
Which incident would constitute simple battery (a crime)?