proverb · Words worth keeping
Trust me, but look to thyself.
Trust me, but look to thyself.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The speaker asks for trust while telling the listener to look to themselves. It combines reliance on another person with continued attention to one’s own interests.
Example
Someone reads the terms of a shared plan and asks questions while continuing to cooperate with a trusted friend.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
But prevents trust from becoming an instruction to abandon judgment. A useful application can encourage checking an arrangement and understanding one’s part in it, even when dealing with someone familiar. The phrase does not prove the speaker trustworthy or make instinct infallible. Responsibility is shared rather than transferred entirely to a promise.
When to use it
Use it to discuss trust that retains attention and judgment.
Keep in mind
Neither a promise nor an instinct alone verifies that an arrangement is sound.
An interpretation of the words, not a claim about their earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Date unknown