It would be impossible for individuals in their daily interactions to escape the suspicion of distrust, because that suspicion is inherently well grounded. The slogan, “Every betrayal begins with trust,” suggests not only that it is principally when we trust or rely on someone that they can betray us but also the sense that we cannot be sure of another. There are at least four reasons for this. First, the other might change between the time we place our trust and when the other must act on it. Second, people can and often do strategically misrepresent themselves in order to gain advantage.

DEFINE: Explains the claim 'Every betrayal begins with trust' and unpacks why distrust is well-grounded, offering a conceptual framework for trust's fragility.

Russell Hardin, Trust and Trustworthiness, loc. 447