Trust: The One Quote that Does the Greatest Disservice

Under the theory that trust is built over time and in incremental steps, Ronald Reagan’s famous quote “Trust but verify” is a great one. It implies that as trust is being built, watch carefully to ensure it is both real and growing.

Another important quote about trust is “Love all, trust a few” by William Shakespeare. This one is very timely, maybe even more so than when it was originally written.

Also, this quote by “Unknown” is “Big or small, lies are lies.” No explanation needed. There is simply no such thing as a little lie.

But this is the trust quote that I read most frequently, and also the one that does trust the greatest disservice.

“Trust takes years to build, seconds to break, and forever to repair” (also by Unknown)

This is not accurate or true.

1. Trust does NOT take years to build. While trust is built in incremental steps, it can occur very quickly if both parties consistently display the behaviors that support trust. After all, trust is an outcome of principled behavior.

2. Trust CANNOT be broken in seconds if the relationship has a strong trust foundation. It can only be broken quickly if the foundation is weak. Think the bedtime story of The Three Little Pigs.

3. Trust DOESN’T ALWAYS take forever to repair. If trust is “banked” prior to a breach, the time it takes to repair it will be much shorter. This applies to both…