I believe that by judging EPA's actions-not just our promise to do what's right, but our work in sampling and cleaning up whatever should be cleaned up-the community will recognize that we are worthy of their trust. [Correction: This quote should be attributed to Michael G. Brown of the U.S. EPA. He made the statement about EPA's on-going efforts to test for and clean up chemicals of potential concern from the collapse of the World Trade Center towers, should those chemicals be present at levels exceeding the Agency's risk threshholds.]
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The speaker argues that trust is earned through visible work and results, not just promises.
- In plain terms
- Trust comes from doing the work, not just promising.
- What can you take from it?
- Actions and results build trust more than promises.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do communities measure worthiness?
- What builds trust in agencies?
Another view
The statement assumes the community values the specific work mentioned.
More from Michael D. Brown
There are few cities with so many good as New Orleans and also few cities where there is such a stark coexistence with the bad. It is this city, the Big Easy, …
Permalink to quote #3 It's real important to get these dollars to local agencies to serve the area.
Permalink to quote #5 Unfortunately, that's going to be attributable a lot to people who did not heed the advance warnings.
Permalink to quote #2
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