trust, but verify

短语

英文释义

短语
  1. One should have general faith in the benevolent intentions of others, but ultimately one can only rely on things that have been verified.
    — 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."

词源

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.
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