You Can’t Talk Yourself Out of a Problem You Behaved Your Way Into
admiredleadership.substack.com
That was an expression favored by leadership sage Stephen Covey to explain how distrust can only be repaired by behaving in trustworthy ways. Whenever we violate a trust or confidence, words can’t fix the problem. Apologies and regrets sooth bad feelings, but do not offer guarantees. Promises give others solace, but not permanent peace of mind.
I like the word "unwavering" here as it describes just about the best humans can get in accurately describing how humans engage with trust.
It's on a spectrum that can probably reach Zero but not ever all the way to 100.