Be careful who you trust. It’s a universal piece of advice that works for everyone, regardless of the age or personality type.
Some people just pretend to be your friends, others are simply looking for gossip. That’s why it’s better to be picky about those you confide in, especially when it comes to sharing your personal secrets.
Below are some more reasons to be careful about who you trust.
Be Careful Who You Trust: 6 Reasons
1. Not everyone is your friend
It’s easy to confuse an acquaintance or a sociable co-worker for a friend. The definition of friendship is blurred, and everyone understands it in their own way. However, trust is a trait of a deeper connection than barely hanging out during lunch breaks.
You may socialize with many people and get on well with your colleagues, but it doesn’t mean that all of them are your friends. Just the fact that someone acts friendly and treats you well doesn’t automatically mean that you can blindly trust them.
Therefore, it’s better to avoid getting too personal with someone whose loyalty isn’t proven by years.
2. Some people are fake
Some people pretend really well. You may hang out for a while and still fail to see that your friend is not a friend at all.
For example, someone from your social circle can be secretly jealous of you. There are also those who don’t really care about their friends and only seek to have someone who is ready to offer a listening ear.
In any case, the signs are there if you pay close attention. Do you always talk about your friend, but when they need a favor, they suddenly show interest in you? Does your friend often speak ill of someone, but when they are around, s/he acts nice?
These kinds of behaviors show that this person is not to be trusted, even if you consider them to be your friend. They are probably a fake one.
3. People love gossip
Then there are people who feed on drama and gossip. So, if you decide to talk about a personal problem, they will listen eagerly. You may even think something like, “What a nice person, s/he really cares!”
But don’t be fooled. It may very well be that your friend is excited to hear a new dramatic story, so that they can share it with others.
Once again, it’s easy to spot someone who loves gossip. Pay attention to what they usually talk about. If most of your friend’s interest revolves around other people’s breakups, marriage problems, and other adversities, be careful with them.
It’s better not to trust someone who is addicted to drama, even when they claim to be your friend. Most likely, they talk behind your back the same way they talk about others with you.
4. Some people seek to take advantage of others
Be careful who you trust because some people only seek to exploit you. This is particularly relevant in the workplace.
If you get close with a co-worker, it’s natural to want to share more personal things. But what if they use these things against you to advance their career at your expense?
Sadly, something like this is not uncommon. Fake corporate culture often cultivates unhealthy competition and prompts people to step on each other in order to achieve their career goals.
Therefore, don’t rush to trust someone just because they are being nice to you. They may have their own agenda. After all, “a friendly person” doesn’t equal “a friend”.
5. Not all friendships last forever
Life goes forward, and circumstances change. Confrontations and misunderstandings happen, and those who are your friends today can easily become strangers tomorrow.
If you only meet up for a coffee in a calm environment, you have no idea about how your friend will behave in a difficult situation. In essence, you don’t know them until conflict arises. This is when they show their true face.
Your friend may turn out to be vindictive and mean, and the idea of using your secrets against you can cross their mind. While you would expect things like that from a bitter ex, they can easily happen in a friendship breakup, too.
Sadly, we don’t really know our friends unless they’ve been by our side for many, many years. We can only be certain about their loyalty when we’ve been through hardships together. That’s one more reason to not put too much trust in anyone.
6. People change
Sometimes it’s not the circumstances that change, but the people themselves. You were sure about your friend’s loyalty, but suddenly, they face a traumatic event or go through a painful midlife crisis. And this is when everything changes.
Your friend starts to treat you without respect or to get bitter and jealous for no reason. They become withdrawn, distant, or even hostile. You don’t recognize your friend anymore. It’s like they are pushing you away and no longer want to be your friend.
But they may even go further and do things you would never expect from them—things that betray your trust.
Life is unpredictable and can throw unexpected curveballs at us. Sometimes the events that happen in our lives alter our perspective and change our behavior towards other people.
Be Careful Who You Trust Quotes
1. Be careful who you trust. The devil was once an angel.
-Ziad K. Abdelnour
2. Be careful who you trust and tell your problems to. Not everyone who smiles at you is your friend.
3. Be careful who you tell your feelings to, because some people are waiting for the opportunity to use them against you.
4. Be careful who you trust. Salt and sugar look the same.
5. Be careful who you open up to. Only a few people actually care, the rest just want to have something to gossip about.
6. The world is full of monsters with friendly faces and angels full of scars.
7. Be careful who you trust. If someone will discuss others with you, they will certainly discuss you with others.
8. Be careful who you trust. Some will try to convince you they are loyal to you. But they are not loyal to you, they are loyal to the need of you. Once their needs change, so does their loyalty.
9. Just because someone likes you doesn’t mean they love you. Be careful who you trust with your heart.
10. Be careful who you give your heart to. You can’t trust what someone tells you just because it sounds good.
11. Be careful who you trust. People you know can hurt you the most.
12. Watch who you trust. Even your teeth bite your tongue every now and then.
13. Be careful who you trust, even people who call themselves friends.
14. Life has taught me that you can’t control someone’s loyalty. No matter how good you are to them, doesn’t mean that they will treat you the same. No matter how much they mean to you, doesn’t mean that they’ll value you the same. Sometimes the people you love the most turn out to be the people you can trust the least.
-Trent Shelton
15. Be careful who you vent to. A listening ear can also be a running mouth.
16. Be careful who you trust; some people are wolves in sheep’s clothing.
17. Be careful who you trust with your story. Not everyone can give you the kind of help you need.
Are you convinced yet? Trusting only a few, being socially selective, and keeping your circle small are strategies that will help you protect your peace.
