proverb · Words worth keeping
Trust me, but look to thyself.
Trust me, but look to thyself.
Historical period not yet established
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.
What the words are saying
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.
Everyday example
Someone reads the terms of a shared plan and asks questions while continuing to cooperate with a trusted friend.
When to use it
Use it to discuss trust that retains attention and judgment.
What it does not mean
Neither a promise nor an instinct alone verifies that an arrangement is sound.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or 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
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 25; PDF page 7
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.