Trust is built in drops and lost in buckets.

The line frames trust as an asymmetrical asset: it accumulates slowly through many small, consistent actions (“drops”) but can be destroyed quickly by a single major breach (“buckets”). The metaphor emphasizes time, repetition, and reliability as the true builders of reputation, while warning that trust is fragile because people weigh negative events more heavily than positive ones. In leadership and business settings, it implies that culture and brand credibility depend on everyday follow-through—honesty, competence, and respect—yet can be undone by scandal, deception, or neglect. The quote’s force lies in its vivid measurement of imbalance: recovery from a loss of trust typically requires far more effort than the act that caused the loss.