You only get disappointed with who you trust the most.

"You only get disappointed with who you trust the most." These words, spoken by Neha Pendse, hold within them a profound truth about the nature of human relationships. Trust, that sacred bond between hearts, is both the greatest gift and the heaviest burden we bear. It is not with strangers or fleeting companions that our hearts are most vulnerable, but with those we hold dear—those we trust the most. In our deepest bonds, we place our faith, and it is there, in the places we least expect, that we find the sharp sting of disappointment. This, then, is the lesson of this wisdom: that disappointment often arises from the highest expectations we place in those closest to us.

Let us look, for example, to the legendary figure of Julius Caesar, the great Roman leader. His life was filled with triumphs, but it was ultimately his closest confidant, Brutus, who betrayed him. Caesar, who had trusted Brutus as a son, was struck down by the very hand that he had raised in loyalty. It is often with those we trust the most that our deepest wounds are inflicted. Caesar’s trust in Brutus was so profound that, when the betrayal came, it shattered him, and with it, the very foundations of his world. The pain of such a betrayal is not merely the act itself, but the devastation of realizing that the one you trusted most has let you down. It is the height of trust that makes the fall so great.

In the world of the ancient Greeks, the story of Achilles and Patroclus provides another vivid example of the emotional cost of trust. Achilles, the mightiest warrior of the Greek army, placed his trust in his companion, Patroclus. When Patroclus was killed in battle, it was not just a loss of a comrade, but the loss of a part of his soul. Achilles’ rage and grief, bound to his trust in Patroclus, tore him apart. It is when our trust is placed in the most sacred of bonds that we become vulnerable to the greatest sorrows. For those who we cherish deeply, when their actions fail us, the heart feels its deepest ache.

This is not to say that trust should be avoided, for to live without trust is to live without connection, without meaning. Trust is the very foundation of all great relationships, be they in love, friendship, or kinship. It is through trust that we build our lives and our communities. However, it is essential to understand that trust places us on a precipice—for when we trust, we open ourselves to the possibility of deep pain. This does not make trust wrong, but it makes it a gift that must be handled with care, for the greater the trust, the greater the potential for heartbreak.

Think now of the great philosopher Aristotle, who understood the complexity of human nature. In his writings, he spoke of friendship, stating that the highest form of friendship is one built on virtue and trust. Yet, he also recognized that such relationships come with risk. The more we invest in another person, the more vulnerable we become to their actions. Aristotle’s wisdom reminds us that while trust is a noble pursuit, it is also fraught with peril. To live fully, to experience the heights of joy and the depths of sorrow, we must be willing to take the risk of trust, knowing that it is in this delicate balance that the human experience is made rich and meaningful.

In our own lives, how often have we placed our trust in those we loved most, only to be let down? Perhaps it was a close friend, a sibling, or even a partner who failed to meet the high expectations we placed upon them. It is in these moments of betrayal or disappointment that we are tested, and it is here that we must find our strength. Trust, once broken, is not easily restored, but we must not let it harden our hearts. Instead, we must learn to trust more wisely, to recognize that no human is perfect, and that even those we trust most will falter. It is through this understanding that we find peace, for we learn that while others may fail us, we can still rise, still move forward, still trust in the possibility of others.

The lesson we must take from Neha Pendse’s words is clear: trust is both a gift and a risk. It is a force that can bring us closer to others, but it is also one that can wound us deeply. The pain of disappointment is not an inevitability but a possibility that we must accept as part of the human condition. Trust with wisdom, knowing that with those closest to you, the highest joys and the greatest disappointments may lie. And when those moments of hurt come, do not close yourself off from the world, but instead learn from them. Let your heart remain open, knowing that the capacity to trust is one of life’s greatest strengths. In this, we are made stronger—not by the absence of disappointment, but by our ability to rise above it.