Доверяй, но проверяй

TRUST, BUT VERIFY

Most commonly attributed to former President Ronald Reagan during his nuclear disarmament talks with USSR General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev, doveryay, no proveryay is a Russian proverb which came to symbolize the extensive cross verification that built the American-Soviet trust needed for mutual disarmament.

Few are aware of the phrase's origin — the Russian revolutionary Vladimir Lenin:

"To test men and verify what has actually been done — this, this again, this alone is now the main feature of all our activities, of our whole policy" (Russian: "Проверять людей и проверять фактическое исполнение дела — в этом теперь гвоздь всей работы") 1

Comparably few remember Gorbachev's response, a famous quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson, a popular writer among intellectuals in the USSR:

" ... the reward of a thing well done is to have done it." 2

The weight of an aphorism is derived from its timelessness, and the history behind "trust, but verify" feels as relevant today as it did during Reagan's administration. To test and verify what has actually been done, has become a main feature of our information society. We pursue this goal not for partisan or selfish desires, but to have communicated well.

Inspired by conversation with UW-Madison media researchers, political scientists and public radio broadcasters, Trust but Verify is a semi-regular short video series providing missing context, debunking, or explaining in plain language contemporary political claims made by politicians and media figures alike.

  1. Shanker, Thom (December 9, 1987). "Battle Turns Gentle With Proverbs Galore". Chicago Tribune.
  2. Shipler, David K. (December 9, 1987). "Reagan and Gorbachev Sign Missile Treaty and Vow to Work for Greater Reductions". New York Times.