trust, but verify
English
Etymology
Calque of Russian доверя́й, но проверя́й (doverjáj, no proverjáj). Often attributed to Vladimir Lenin, although no written evidence exists. Popularized in English by Ronald Reagan in the context of nuclear disarmament.
Phrase
trust, but verify
- Have general faith in the good intentions of others, but ultimately you can only rely on things you have verified yourself.
- 1987 December 9, Thom Shanker, “Battle turns gentle with proverbs galore”, in Chicago Tribune:
- Before affixing his signature, Reagan also told the Soviet leader — and reassured congressional conservatives worried about Kremlin compliance — that he would follow the Russian adage to "trust, but verify."
- 2013, Kelly C Bourne, Application Administrators Handbook: Installing, Updating and Troubleshooting Software, Newnes, →ISBN, page 351:
- If I had blindly fulfilled her first request, it would have inconvenienced many other users and wouldn't have solved the problem. Never forget this phrase - “trust, but verify.”
- 2014, David DeSteno, The Truth About Trust: How It Determines Success in Life, Love, Learning, and More, Penguin, →ISBN, page 97:
- Trust but verify—plain and simple. Well, mostly just verify, as the objective record removes the vulnerability of getting cheated.
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Translations
Translations
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See also
- trust everybody, but cut the cards
Further reading
trust, but verify on Wikipedia.Wikipedia