Explain "trust but verify"

[Anonymous]

I've seen this posted here somewhat often.
If you're verifying, doesn't that say you're not trusting? Or am I understanding it wrong?

[Anonymous]

I think it means more like, assume the best. So if you see him at a baseball game with another girl, assume it's his sister or cousin, and don't jump to the conclusion he's cheating on you.

Instead of going home and burning all his clothes on the sidewalk, go home and text him "Hey, I saw you from across the way at the Cubs game today." Then he'll respond "Yeah, my cousin was in town so I took her - you should have come by to say hi!"

[Anonymous]

A phrase made famous by Reagan during the Cold War. It's a Russian proverb, and I think it meant he wanted relations to improve (trust) but we were still enemies so he couldn't trust blindly (verify).

In the context of an intimate relationship, I would say it means you want to trust blindly, but you don't, so you verify.

[Anonymous]

I agree with first response.

You assume the person is being honest, but you make sure somehow.

[Anonymous]

Trust, but not blindly.

I trusted my ex wife until she gave me too many reasons not to. I found out about her second affair by digging through her purse. After we got divorced I discovered that she'd had closer to 7 affairs over the course of our relationship.

[Anonymous]

If you think they're cheating, TRUST your gut feeling, but VERIFY (get hard evidence) that this is actually true.

[Anonymous]

I've never heard of this for an adult to adult relationship, but for parent and teen relationship. Like calling the parents of the kid that yours says he's hanging out with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A phrase made famous by Reagan during the Cold War. It's a Russian proverb, and I think it meant he wanted relations to improve (trust) but we were still enemies so he couldn't trust blindly (verify).

In the context of an intimate relationship, I would say it means you want to trust blindly, but you don't, so you verify.

It implies don't trust OP is actually correct in her thinking. It's an oxymoron.

[Anonymous]

When car shopping do this: don't trust and make sure to verify.